Parenting is hard. Some ages are harder than others.
It is messy.
It brings up triggers and baggage.
It brings up woundedness.
It can bring out our best side, but also our worst side.
It brings up differences with our significant other and magnifies them.
It is hard.
I think parenting is all of those things. Why did we think parenting was going to be easy?
I think the more that we can acknowledge that things are different from when we grew up, but that development in and of itself is not different, is where we can start to heal and find the beautiful in the messy. Finding that each child is an individual, but that development also takes a fairly predictable course can be comforting and exhilirating and helpful. All at the same time.
I have posts about EVERY age from birth all the way through age 16 on this blog under the “Development” header. You can find a lot of support there in those back posts. While I do not write as much regarding each specific age anymore, those posts are there for you.
Hang in there, parents.
Find the beautiful in the messy.
Find the beautiful in being a human being and in raising one.
Find the common ground with your significant other.
Find the lovely in the hard and the smooth inside all of those rough edges.
It is messy. Some children and personalities are honestly harder than others. It is okay. It is parenting.
Blessings, and love,
Carrie
The Parenting Passageway 
Thank you. For this, today.
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Thanks for the reminder, Carrie. Why is it that, when my nearly 13 year old son cries about something like hating tutoring or having social difficulties on his team, do I want to cry too? I don’t but it sure is difficult.
Right? I hear you. It is so hard – whether it is bullying, a broken heart, something so difficult academically that causes tears, etc. – it is hard to watch it all happen impartially!
Love,
Carrie
Thank you Carrie, this is so relevant to me right now! xx
I agree with you…it is the most difficult job! We really do have to try to enjoy every minute of it though because time goes by way too fast…before you know it, your child is all grown up.