I think one of the hardest parts of modern parenting is that a lot of us are trying to raise emotionally aware children whilst healing ourselves at the same time.
Having children has a way of bringing old wounds to the surface.
Things you thought you’d moved past.
Ways you were spoken to.
How emotions were handled in your house growing up.
The things that made you feel unseen, dismissed, or unsafe as a child.
Suddenly you hear your child crying and realise nobody responded gently to you like that.
Or you lose your patience and feel guilt because you’re trying so hard to parent differently.
A lot of millennial parents aren’t just raising children.
They’re unpacking years of suppressed emotions, nervous system patterns, survival responses, and generational conditioning while doing it.
And honestly, that’s exhausting.
Because previous generations often weren’t encouraged to talk about emotions, apologise to children, regulate themselves, or reflect on their own childhood experiences in the way people do now.
Now there’s this huge emotional awareness around parenting, which is beautiful, but it also means many parents are carrying the emotional weight of both healing and parenting simultaneously.
I think that’s why so many parents feel overstimulated, emotionally drained, and overwhelmed.
Not because they’re weak.
But because they’re trying to break cycles whilst still learning how to regulate and care for themselves too.