Parenting Struggles
Personalized support to help you strengthen communication, routines, and connection at home in Omaha, NE.
Kids are the Reason We Lose it and the Reason We Try to Keep it Together
Your cute little bundle of joy entered your life and you fell beyond the moon in love. This is the moment you had been waiting for! Remember those days? Or do they seem like a distant memory? Your bundle of joy has turned into a fit of tears, screams of “NO!” and refusal to go to bed. The arguing, defiance, and overall bad attitude has taken over. And let’s not forget the excuses and back talking! The sticker charts, punishments, or rewards systems didn’t work for long, if at all. The truth is that children who behave in the most difficult ways often suffer from trauma, chronic stress, neurological differences, or medical complications that make them behave in non-compliant ways.
Your little one struggles to sit still, doesn’t share his toys, and interrupts conversations. Trying to get him to clean his room or keep his backpack organized is a lost battle. Calls from the school tell you of poor concentration and social awkwardness with peers. The longer this goes on you see frequent outbursts, daily battles about how picky he is with food, and inability to sleep. These are all symptoms of dysregulation that could be caused by ADHD, Autism, trauma, and other mental health complications. Despite the offhanded advice, suggestions from other professional sources, and often contradictory web searches, you’re trying everything to no avail. Spank them more. Use your dad voice. Let them cry it out. Persuade them with a new toy. Give them their tablet. Ground them until they are 30! Ignore the behavior. Use time outs. Go left, no, go right.
No One Prepared You forThis!
Trying to stay connected, understanding, patient, and kind towards your child can be hard. You’re trying your best not to screw up and to have all the answers. But you’ve run out of ideas. Your approach isn’t working and the arguments and tantrums are a daily occurrence.
You Are Exhausted
You and your child are stressed daily, anxious about what the day will bring. As the parent you feel beaten down and like a failure. You didn’t wake up this morning thinking “how can I fail my child today?” Yet, here you are….in tears of frustration. And the fact this has been going on for forever has proven it is more than a rough patch or a phase. Anger and frustration have taken over. Yelling has replaced the talks you used to have. You’re exhausted by the negative reports, refusal to take responsibility, and are sick and tired of having the same conversation over and over again. You have been stuck feeling guilty for not having all the answers and shame because you haven’t been able to control your child’s behavior.
To avoid feeling like a bad parent, you pick up their messes because “it’ll get done quicker if I do it myself.” You take their behaviors and choices personally like you are to blame. In a desperate move to try and improve your relationship, you find yourself overcompensating. Similar to guilty parenting strategies, you accept negative behaviors and bad choices. You avoid and ignore, you comply with their demands of you, buy gifts more frequently, and work to cover-up or defend any wrong doing to spare your child consequences from anyone else. This won’t be a great choice long term because these kiddos can turn into teenagers that can rebel against weak, inconsistent parenting. The key is to NOT move into controlling strategies that become an open invitation for your teenager to push against boundaries and tap dance on your last nerve.
Parents and children have a need for clear and reasonable standards. With positive parenting strategies, improved communication tools, and focus on shaping behavior through attachment, your family can regain connection and let go of the hostility that has crept into your home. Unity therapists have a lot of tested tools to help you set expectations with your child in more positive ways that will improve your relationship and help you reconnect with your child.
What Can Counseling Do For My Parenting Struggles?
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- Offer strategies and resources to be the best parent possible
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- Learn tips and tricks to turn mistakes into teachable moments
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- Provide guidance on how to model the behaviors that you want to see from your child
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- Learn how your own childhood and the parenting you received may be influencing the relationship you have with your own child
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What Can Counseling Do For My Parenting Struggles?
- Offer strategies and resources to be the best parent possible
- Learn tips and tricks to turn mistakes into teachable moments
- Provide guidance on how to model the behaviors that you want to see from your child
- Learn how your own childhood and the parenting you received may be influencing the relationship you have with your own child
Are You Ready To Make The Best Parenting Decision?
In addition to assisting with parenting struggles, we offer a variety of therapy and support for children and families. Click here to schedule a free consultation.