Parenting in Today’s World

Can I just be real for a minute? Parenting today is HARD! I know that I feel it parenting middle and elementary-school-age kids, and I see it firsthand with clients. 

Let’s be honest: As parents, we are trying our hardest to navigate rough seas while raising kids in a digital world that is very different from our childhood! While my childhood memories include riding my bike 2 miles by myself to the local park to hang out with friends during the summer, most kids don’t leave their parent’s sight without being tracked by Life360. No judgment here. It is very clear that we face different times and struggles as parents today. What makes it challenging is that our parents can’t relate to us as we try to navigate these rough seas since that was not their firsthand experience while raising us. 

Let’s look at some of the unique challenges that we face today. 

  1. World of technology. Raising kids on screens when that wasn’t what our childhood looked like is hard to navigate. Plus, technology is constantly changing (hello AI), and learning and staying updated as we go is hard. 
  2. COVID. The global pandemic isolated us and sparked a significant time of uncertainty, and we’re still seeing its effects today.
  3. Parenting our kids and navigating our own parent’s health challenges. Some of us find ourselves trying to balance our own families with aging parents and their unique health needs. 
  4. Increase awareness of mental health and emotional awareness. Although this is a positive change in the right direction, it’s a challenge when we were not taught how to identify, be comfortable with, or regulate our emotions. 
  5. Reparenting ourselves. As we become more aware of emotional needs in our lives, we are working to reparent the child within us to meet some unmet needs. This is the hard but necessary work to break generational cycles. 

Not only has our landscape changed, but approaches to parenting have drastically changed. Parenting has changed; we now realize there isn’t a ONE-SIZE FITS ALL model, and we also realize that maybe the strong authoritarian approach of “Because I said so” isn’t the best approach. Can you count on one or two hands how many times your parents apologized to you? We have more awareness now that our kids deserve respect and how powerful it can be to apologize to our kids when we make mistakes. This healthy modeling is paving a new way forward for our kids’ emotional well-being. 

While parenting today is hard, we are not left alone to figure it all out. There are more resources, books, groups, and open discussions today on parenting than ever before. I’ve included some of my favorite resources and experts in the field below.

Check out these 5 tips to help make parenting a little lighter for you.  

  1. Give yourself grace. As mentioned, parenting today is different than ever before. Most likely, the new way of parenting hasn’t been modeled for you, so be gentle with yourself when you make mistakes. Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment. –Stephen R. Covey
  2. Parent each child according to their temperament. The book A Grown-Up’s Guide to Kids’ Wiring has been so helpful for me while parenting my melancholic child when everyone else in the family is sanguine. Similar to the concept of Love Languages, it’s helpful to learn about the temperaments of each family member. This resource can help shape how you communicate with one another and understand each other’s unique needs. For instance, I’m extroverted and love to ask about my daughter’s day as soon as she gets in the car. While my daughter is more introverted, she needs space and silence, so our best conversations are at bedtime when she’s had space and is ready to talk. As a sanguine parent, I’ve had to adjust my expectations and approach to parenting her.
  3. Connection over correction. Timing can be everything when it comes to parenting. Meet your child in their current emotional state before trying to correct them. I love this quote, “Don’t offer a lecture to a person who needs a hug.”
  4. Parent with the end in mind. Take a minute now to think about what your end goal is in parenting. Maybe your goal is for them to be independent and contribute to society. Maybe you’d like your child to demonstrate specific character traits like integrity and faithfulness. How can your parenting decisions today help shape your child to reach your end goal?
  5. Don’t parent alone! Build support around you through each stage of parenting. Connect with friends who are with you in this season. Follow some top parenting experts on social media for tips and encouragement. I’ve included some of my favorites below.

Heidi’s Favorite Parenting Resources:

*Biblical parenting resources

Written by Heidi Sawyer, MS, LPC
Roswell Location
heidi@restorationcounselingatl.com, 678.534.3824, ext 116

Heidi works with adolescents and adults with life planning issues, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, spiritual issues, grief, life transitions, goal setting, and self-confidence. She focuses on helping her clients gain insight to their thought patterns, behaviors, and feelings using the lens of Cognitive Behavioral Theory combined with psychoeducation. Heidi also provides premarital counseling using the Prepare/Enrich program.

MAILING ADDRESS FOR ALL LOCATIONS is 102 Macy Drive, Roswell, GA 30076