Parenting with PMDD is really hard, some days you just feel like you're the worst mum ever.

If I'm honest, there have been some days when we've all had a mental health day and I haven't even gotten them to school. But with management, it can really be the foundation that creates loving, strong and resilient kids. Parenting with PMDD, for me, has never looked like powering through or pretending everything is fine. It has looked like adjusting the pace of our home and being honest about what’s happening, especially during luteal.

Some weekends we stay in bed longer than planned. We eat cereal, watch movies we’ve already seen, and read together instead of heading out. Sometimes I say out loud that today is a quiet day and that’s the plan. There’s no big explanation and no guilt attached. It’s simply what my nervous system can handle at that point in my cycle.

I genuinely believe that parenting this way has not taken anything away from my children. If anything, it has given them something important. They are learning boundaries, self value, and self care by watching it be practised, not talked about.

Talking To Children About PMDD

I am a strong believer in telling children the truth in ways that make sense for their age. Hiding PMDD creates confusion. Naming it creates safety.

My boys were five when I explained PMDD to them. They understood it immediately. We called it Mummy’s hard week. From then on, there was clarity. Hard week meant we stayed home more. It meant we didn’t go to the park. It meant Uber Eats Happy Meals, extra screen time, and slower days.

Because it was named, there was no guessing. They knew what was happening and what to expect, and that predictability mattered.

Removing The Eggshell Feeling

So many women with PMDD grew up sensing mood changes without ever having them explained. That’s where the eggshell feeling comes from, constantly monitoring a parent’s emotions without understanding them.

I didn’t want that for my children.

When I feel myself becoming overwhelmed or irritable, I say it out loud. I might tell them that I’m feeling very cranky and that I need to go for a walk to calm my body. They know the emotion isn’t caused by them and they know it will pass.

That simple transparency removes fear and builds emotional safety.

How Self Care Becomes Normal

One of the things I feel most proud of as a parent is hearing my children ask for time alone without shame. When one of them says they’ve had a big day and just want to play Lego by themselves, I know that message has landed.

That didn’t come from teaching them about self care. It came from watching it.

My eight year old loves having a bubble bath with cucumber on his eyes and an audiobook playing. That’s not something I set out to teach. It’s something he absorbed by seeing rest treated as normal and allowed.

Supporting Yourself During Luteal

Over time, I’ve learned to work with luteal rather than fighting it.

In our house, that has meant practical supports like Loop Earplugs for noise sensitivity, earlier nights when the kids were younger and couldn’t tell the time, and letting screen time increase without guilt. Favourite movies and takeaway are saved specifically for luteal weeks, and colouring books or quiet activities are kept aside for harder days.

When it’s been possible, I’ve used extra daycare days or later pickups. These choices aren’t about checking out of parenting. They’re about staying regulated enough to keep parenting well.

Why Preparation Matters

Managing PMDD is essential when you’re raising children, not so you can be perfect, but so you’re not blindsided every month.

Preparation looks like meals planned, expectations lowered, and support organised before the intrusive thoughts arrive telling you that you’re a bad mum.

There were plenty of luteal weeks where my kids were dropped at daycare in their pyjamas with a bag for the day. The educators knew I was in luteal and that I needed extra support during that week. Being open about it made everything easier.

Say It Out Loud

PMDD doesn’t need to be hidden. Talk about it with your partner, with educators, with support people, and with your children.

When PMDD is named and supported, children grow up emotionally aware, comfortable with boundaries, and able to recognise their own needs.

You’re Not Meant To Do This Alone

This is why connecting with other mums who live with PMDD matters so much.The PMDD Reset Method exists so women can share language, tools, and lived experience instead of navigating parenting and PMDD in isolation.

You’re not broken. You’re not failing.

You’re parenting with a cyclical condition in a world that doesn’t always make space for that, and your children are learning something valuable by watching you manage it.