It's 4:45 pm. You just got home and are rushing to make dinner. The dogs are barking because they need to be let out, and the news is playing quietly in the background; its steady hum signals another alarming headline.

Your memory flashes to the fact that you are out of milk, and today is the last day to sign up for an after-school activity. Suddenly, your child runs into the room to alert you that they have a project due tomorrow that requires a trip to the craft store immediately.

You let out a frustrated sigh (maybe a yell) and retreat to another room to collect yourself. You sit down for a minute to catch your thoughts, and your thumb mindlessly opens social media.

You are bombarded with messages about gentle parenting, a warning that rushing your children causes them to become anxious adults, and a steady stream of quotes about remaining regulated when your child is dysregulated. The dread of inadequacy overwhelms you, but you only have a millisecond to sit in your sorrow before attending to the burning stove.

You text your mom for validation, only to be met with, “Welcome to parenthood. It has always been hard.”

Sound familiar?

I have had countless conversations with colleagues, clients, and friends about the difficulties of parenting today. Many of us have the same burning desire to receive confirmation that parenting today really is harder than it used to be. That objective fact would allow us to feel........

© Psychology Today