No one prepares you for this part of parenting.
In this episode of Empower My Teen, we talk about the stress, overwhelm, and emotional weight that can come with raising a struggling teen. While we all imagine the early years, babies, milestones, and sweet moments, very few of us are prepared for the challenges that come later.
The teenage years can bring emotional storms, uncertainty, and moments that leave you questioning everything. You may feel lost, alone, or even like you’re failing, but you’re not.
In this episode, I share a powerful reminder: what you’re feeling is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign that you’re navigating one of the hardest chapters of parenting, one that no one taught you how to handle.
We’ll talk about the hidden pressures teens face today, the emotional toll it takes on families, and why so many parents silently carry guilt, fear, and heartbreak. Most importantly, you’ll hear this truth, you are not alone, and you are doing better than you think.
This is a space to breathe, to feel seen, and to remember that support is always available.
You’re not failing. You’re facing something incredibly hard, and you don’t have to do it alone.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
00:03
Have you reached the end of your rope trying to help your child? Are you wondering how to help your teen find their way back to themselves and you don’t know what to do next? I’m your host, Mary Warren, and I’m here to share with you information, stories, and possible solutions to help you find the best options for your teen and family.
00:23
Are you ready to start thinking about parenting and relationships in a new way? If you are, take a breath, relax, and let’s talk. Hi, and welcome back to Empower My Teen. I am Mary, and today we’re talking about something a lot of parents eventually realize about parenting a teen, sometimes painfully.
00:46
When I worked in a pediatric office years ago, the doctor and I used to joke that we should offer teenager classes instead of newborn classes. Because honestly, those are the classes parents end up needing the most.
01:00
Everybody eventually figures out how to change a diaper. But absolutely no one is prepared for a 15-year-old slamming a door, shutting down emotionally, refusing school, or spiraling in so many different ways.
01:16
Newborns, we prepare for that. Teens, honestly, we’re blindsided. Because no one ever says, honey, let’s have a teen. No, we always say we want a baby. We all picture the soft baby stage. The cute clothes, the first steps, the sweet moments.
01:39
No one daydreams about the emotional storms, the shutdowns, or the moments we lie awake wondering what the right next step is. So, if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, confused, or unprepared, if you’ve ever thought, I had no idea it would be like this, you are exactly where you are meant to be today.
02:02
When we imagine becoming parents, again, it’s the soft blankets, tiny fingers, bedtime stories and milestones. We don’t picture the teenage years. We don’t imagine the moods, the unpredictability, the push and pull of wanting independence and connection at the same time.
02:24
And then suddenly, they’re taller than us. They have big emotions, private inner worlds, and struggles we didn’t see coming. They’re trying to figure out who they are, and we’re trying to figure out how to parent a version of them we’ve never met before.
02:41
Nothing about those early years prepares us for the second chapter of parenting. And that’s not because you’re doing anything wrong. It’s because this stage is simply hard. Teenagers today are growing up in a completely different world than we did.
02:58
Social media, academic pressure, mental health challenges, constant comparison, and a level of stimulation we never experienced. We weren’t taught how to parent through this. We weren’t modeled emotional regulation.
03:16
We weren’t given tools for supporting a teen in crisis. So of course, you feel lost. Of course, you feel like you’re guessing. Of course, you feel unprepared. You’re being asked a parent in a way you were never taught to.
03:34
And I want to name something else that many parents feel during this stage, even if they don’t say it out loud. You might feel alone like other families have it together where you’re barely holding on.
03:47
You might feel ashamed or embarrassed because your teen struggles aren’t something you can talk about at school events or with friends. You might feel guilty wondering what you missed or how you could have prevented this.
04:02
And you might feel heartbroken, completely heartbroken. Watching your child struggle and not knowing what to do next. These feelings don’t mean you’re failing. They mean you’re a parent in a really hard chapter.
04:18
A chapter no one prepared you for. You are not alone, even if it feels this way. Almost every parent I coach eventually whisper some version of, I feel like I’m failing, or I don’t know what I’m doing, or I wish someone would had warned me.
04:38
And here’s what I want you to hear with your whole heart. Feeling unprepared doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent. It means you’re a human parent. Parenting teens is emotional work. It pulls at our hearts in ways we never expected.
04:57
Your teen is trying to figure out who they are. And you’re figuring out how to parent in a whole new landscape. The fact that you’re listening, learning, trying, that says everything about the kind of parent that you are.
05:13
So, if today feels overwhelming, if you feel like you’re constantly reacting, if you’re thinking, I did not sign up for this, please hear this. You’re not failing. You’re not broken. And you’re not alone.
05:31
You’re simply in a part of parenting no one warned you about. And you’re doing better than you think. If anything, I shared today made you feel a little less alone and you want more of this kind of support in your parenting, you’re always welcome to reach out.
05:50
My coaching is simply about walking alongside parents who are in a hard season. You don’t need perfect words or a perfect plan. You just need to show up as you are. If you feel called to talk, there’s a place for you.
06:06
And if not today, maybe another day. I’m not going anywhere. Thank you for listening today. I’m your host, Mary Warren, and I’m so grateful you found this podcast. I invite you to visit my website at empowermyteen.com and schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your situation.
06:28
Remember, you are a caring and concerned parent, and your child is lucky to have you in their life. So please be kind to yourself.
