No matter how prepared a parent is, raising a child is going to be full of twists and turns and surprises. As such it is no surprise there are a wide array of parenting challenges and issues that may present for any parent.
 
Some of the most common parenting issues include:
 
– Digital device overuse and addiction are distinctly modern problems facing parents. -Improper eating habits can present difficulties for some parents who may struggle to get their children to accept healthy food over junk food.
– Shyness and difficulty engaging with other children and making friends.
– Poor study habits may prove difficult to overcome and the child could fall behind in their education.
– Anger and aggression can catch parents by surprise in their children.
– Lying and disobedience can quickly develop into habits in children if left unchecked.
– Sibling rivalries and disputes can create a stressful home environment.

Here are the main five issues that may affecting parenting:
 
1. Being afraid to say “no” to a child can enable various bad habits that will become difficult to break. Many parents are afraid of being too stern or harsh but being too agreeable as a parent can facilitate many of the aforementioned issues like a poor diet, bad study habits, and too much screen time.

2. Balancing family life and a career poses various challenges. Childhood neglect can cultivate negative behaviors and is even linked to various problems with mental well-being later in life. With parents’ busy schedules in the modern world, carving out time to raise a child isn’t easy.

3. Efforts to ensure a child receives a quality education can place stress on both the child and parents. Parents feel the pressure to ensure their children does as well as possible in school to help them going forward, adding stress for them, but too much pressure can have adverse effects on the child’s mental wellness as well.

4. Parents are overwhelmed by the information available on parenting. Countless books exist on the subject and in the digital age, it is easy to be overwhelmed by article after article on the “right way” to raise a child. The information can cause feelings of inadequacy, stress, confusion, and generally overwhelm the modern parent.

5. Too much pressure is a general problem that can affect parents and children. Parents feel pressured to raise their children perfectly and children feel the weight of unreasonable expectations.

Parenting issues are as varied in causes as they are in potential problems. Many of the five main aforementioned parenting issues come from fretting too much about a preconceived notion of how a child should be raised and trying too hard to adhere to the socio-cultural norms and expectations. As a result, parents try too hard to push their child toward excellency, achieving goals and hitting milestones at rates that indicate future success and happen ahead of the development curve, putting too much pressure on themselves and their children.
 
Outside of parental decisions, there are other factors that can lead to parenting problems including family conflict, lack of discipline and structure, marital conflict, parental alcohol and substance abuse, remarriage, and poor mental or physical health among the parents or the children.

How to deal with parenting issues will vary depending on the specific nature of the concern. There are some things parents can do that will help most issues including creating an environment where it is safe to fail, strong communication between children and parents, ensuring both parents (where applicable) are on the same page, setting rules, and sticking to them in a strict manner without anger or blame, and taking enough time to spend with the child.
 
Ultimately, however, all parents experiencing parenting issues can benefit from seeking out parenting issues counseling. Amcu TelePsych offers virtual psychiatric services, so busy parents can seek counseling from the comfort of their own homes. The staff of mental health professionals at Amcu TelePsych will work with parents to develop a personalized plan to address their specific issues.  We serve patients from Bakersfield CA, Maricopa CA, Shafter CA, Palmdale CA, Los Angeles CA, Santa Barbara CA, Santa Clarita CA, Lancaster CA, Visalia CA and are licensed in California, Texas, Arizona and New York.