Parenting Isn’t Easy

As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day, I thought it would be good to spend our week looking at some helpful parenting truths. Today’s truth is this: being a parent isn’t always easy. No matter how much time and effort we put into preparing for parenthood, there will always be unexpected surprises. Raising and relating to children is difficult for everyone, and it tends to become more so as children reach the teen years. Each of us will experience a different set of highs and lows, jolts and joys, thrills and spills. If you are struggling as a parent, rest assured that you are not alone. You, me, and all other parents stand together. The reality is that it’s not easy. But we can approach our parenting as a glorious challenge and opportunity. Dr. Paul Tripp reminds us, “the teen years are often cataclysmic years of conflict, struggle, and grief. They are years of new temptations, of trial and testing. Yet these very struggles, conflicts, trials and tests are what produce such wonderful parental opportunities.”