Why Parenting Feels Overwhelming — and Why It’s Not Your Fault

I still remember the moment I realized something was deeply wrong with the way we parent today.

I was 24, a new mother, holding a tiny newborn in my arms. Everyone kept saying:

“You’ll figure it out. Just go home and enjoy these moments.”

But nobody told me how much silence there would be.

No village.
No wise grandparents in the kitchen.
No aunties helping me rest.
No elders to guide me.

Just me, a baby, and a husband doing his best too.

It felt like everything depended on us — our emotional regulation, our patience, our presence, our ability to get it all “right.”

And that’s when I first felt it:

This shouldn’t be a solo mission.

But here we are — parenting alone inside our homes, expected to be everything a child needs while also managing everything modern life demands.

No wonder parenting feels overwhelming.

We were never meant to parent without a village.

Humans are wired for support.
Children are wired for community.
Families are meant to be held by more than just one or two adults.

Today that support is missing.
And the pressure doesn’t only fall on parents — it falls on children too.

I see this every time I work with a teen who shuts down, explodes, or shuts parents out. They don’t have a problem — they have a signal:

“I can’t hold all of this alone anymore.”

Behaviour becomes the language when words run out.

So if you’ve ever asked yourself:

“Why does this feel so hard?”
“Why am I repeating the same patterns?”
“Why does conflict happen so fast?”

I want you to hear this clearly:

There is nothing wrong with you.

The issue isn’t that you’re doing it wrong —
it’s that we were never meant to do it alone.

When parents feel unsupported, they burn out.
When teens feel misunderstood, they shut down.
When there is no shared emotional space, conflict grows.

That is the real challenge.

And it’s also why I created the Parenting Archetypes™ and The Connected Family™ approach:

To bring that missing piece of the village back again.
So families have tools.
Parents have clarity.
And everyone can breathe again.

Connection isn’t magic.
It’s repairable.
It’s learnable.

A moment of village

This photo is from a storytelling event I hosted in 2021 — parents, children and one of my friends offering a sound bath in a yurt.

It was a moment of intentional community.
A reminder that we can build the village we need through the way we relate, listen and show up for one another.

I know personally how challenging it can be.

Our blended family went through a difficult season too.
There was silence.
Disconnection.
A teenager who felt unreachable.

But that wasn’t the end.

It was the beginning of learning how to truly see each other again — through deep listening, softer communication, choosing the right moments, and coming to each conversation with the intention to connect, not correct.

One conversation.
One moment of presence.
One repair at a time.

Connection doesn’t require perfection.
It requires intention.

And I help families do that every day.

If parenting has felt heavy lately…

Please know you’re not failing.
You’re not behind.
You’re not alone.

The village still exists — we just build it differently now.

With tools.
With awareness.
With compassion.
With each other.

Start rebuilding your village

If this spoke to you, begin here:

👉 Take the Parenting Archetypes™ Quiz
Discover your strengths and blind spots.

👉 Join the free 7-Day Parenting Reset
Gentle shifts that bring peace and connection back home.

👉 Explore The Connected Family™ Course
Learn the tools that repair communication and strengthen relationship.

Small shifts bring big changes.

Your family isn’t broken.
It’s just waiting to reconnect.

With love,
Ana