What Makes Parenting So Hard? Tell Us Your Story.
Every parent reaches that moment—the question that lingers after a meltdown in the grocery store or another bedtime battle:
“Am I doing this right?”
From managing toddler tantrums to navigating tween defiance, or simply juggling work and family life, parenting can push us to the edge. Some challenges pass quickly. Others linger and grow, leaving parents feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, and insecure.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
Parenting is one of life’s greatest responsibilities. It shapes our children’s future and calls us to lead with strength and love. It’s a journey that brings out our deepest joys—and reveals our greatest vulnerabilities.
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord…” – Psalm 127:3
Even in the hard moments, we recognixe the immeasurable value of our children and the blessing that family can be. Parenting requires both toughness and tenderness, discipline and compassion.
Help Us Shape the Extraordinary Parenting Program
At Christian Counseling Associates, we understand how real and complex the parenting journey can be. That’s why we’re launching Extraordinary Parenting, a program rooted in Christian principles and clinical insight to support families where they are.
As we prepare to launch, we’re inviting you to share your story.
Through our new Parenting Survey Podcast on Ask Christian Counseling Associates, we want to feature real-life parenting scenarios—anonymously shared—that capture the highs, lows, and in-between moments of raising children today. Your stories will help us create content that reflects what families truly face and provide biblically grounded, practical support.
What Parents are Saying Today
Online trends and national parenting surveys tell us that parenting stress is everywhere. It’s not just one thing, it’s everything. Here are the top concerns:
1. Work-Life Balance
Parents feel torn between their jobs and their kids, juggling meetings, meals, and story time with little room to breathe. Guilt over limited time and emotional fatigue are common.
2. Behavioral Challenges in Children
Many families struggle with:
- Tantrums and emotional outbursts
- Power struggles and defiance
- Inattentiveness and impulsivity (including ADHD-like behaviors)
- Screen time battles and digital meltdowns
These behaviors often drain parents emotionally and lead to fears about long-term development.
3. Mental and Emotional Health
Rising rates of anxiety, depression, and stress affect both children and parents. Social media, academic pressure, and fractured family systems all contribute.
4. Social Skill Difficulties
Some children struggle to make friends or connect socially, especially those with neurodevelopmental issues or social anxiety. Parents often feel unsure of how to help.
5. Single Parenting and Blended Families
Single parents and stepfamilies face increased challenges—financial strain, co-parenting tensions, and emotional exhaustion are recurring themes.
6. Parental Self-Doubt and Guilt
Regardless of background, many parents battle a persistent inner voice saying:
“You’re not doing enough. You’re not doing it right.”
Whether striving to be gentle, authoritative, or faith-driven, they often feel like they’re falling short.
Parenting Requires Loving Authority
“…the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” – Hebrews 12:6
Discipline is one of the most misunderstood and essential parts of parenting. It can feel easier to avoid conflict, give in to demands, or simply become a friend to your child. But loving authority means providing consistent guidance and correction, especially during formative years.
Genuine love doesn’t let go. It sets boundaries. It teaches. It leads. Despite today’s cultural challenges, it’s possible to rediscover God’s design for parenting, offering empathy and instruction that lead our children to thrive.
Introducing the Extraordinary Parenting Program
Let’s Talk About It – An Invitation to Parents
We want to hear from you.
Would you be willing to anonymously share a parenting challenge you’ve faced?
It could be:
- A moment that left you shaken or uncertain
- A behavior in your child that feels unmanageable
- A pattern that wears you down day after day
- A personal struggle that makes parenting harder
Your story can remind others that they’re not alone—and help us build a program that truly meets parents where they are.
How to Share
Email your anonymous scenario to: AskUs@ccawpa.com
Subject line: Parenting Scenario
Your submission may be featured in a future episode of the podcast, where our counselors and parenting experts offer encouragement and biblically grounded insight.
Extraordinary Parenting Launches This Summer
The Extraordinary Parenting program is designed for parents of children ages 5 to 12, the crucial years when discipline, faith, and emotional growth take root.
Built on biblical wisdom and proven psychological practices, this course is for anyone who:
- Feels unsure about how to respond to the behavior
- Struggles with consistency
- Wants to grow in confidence as a parent
- Believes God has more in store for their family
Parenting doesn’t have to be trial and error. With the right tools, spiritual foundation, and support, extraordinary parenting is possible.
You Are Not Alone
If parenting has ever felt like too much, take heart, God sees you, and He cares deeply for your family.
“…we have obtained an inheritance… according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” – Ephesians 1:11–12
God placed you in your child’s life for a purpose. He is more than able to equip you with strength, wisdom, and joy, even in the hardest seasons.
Let’s start the conversation and, from it, build a stronger generation, one real-life story at a time.
Contact Christian Counseling Associates today to schedule a family check-in and take the first step from stress to strength — a new season of hope is waiting for you.
God Bless!
Richard Hoffman, Ph.D.
Clinical Director
Christian Counseling Associates
