What are the Major and Common Problems Faced by Parents?

In the 21st century, parenting is quite a daunting responsibility. Parents find ample challenges while trying to manage their careers and family in parallel. There is an abundance of problems faced by parents in tackling their children. In the 2020s, both parents are working full-time jobs to meet ends. Additionally, children need care and time from their parents, which has become difficult to provide given the constraints of life.

Here is a list of some common problems all parents encounter when upbringing their children:

1. Addiction to Electronic Gadgets

This is one of the biggest problems faced by parents of preschoolers. A single day does not go by when children are not engrossed in electronic gadgets like laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Apparently, kids born in the 90s were the last generation to have played outside on roads and fields. These days, there are so many distractions – children are always glued in front of screens. 

Adverse health effects of using electronic gadgets:

• Not having enough movement:
  • Lack of motor and physical skills
  • Being overweight or obese
• Eyesight impairment due to exposure to the blue light of screens.

2. Aggressive and Stubborn Behaviour

Children witness violence everywhere on the screen, and that prevents parents from providing innovative education to their children. Thus, as the generations go by, children keep growing more:

• Aggressive
• Stubborn
• Impatient
• Arrogant
• Intolerant

Children nowadays listen to nobody – they answer back to their parents and argue with them. Upon reaching teen years, they become even more intolerant and aggressive.

Arguments and quarrels have become widespread amongst households as humans have evolved to become intolerant and impatient as an overall society.

3. Teaching Basic Moral and Ethical Principles

As humans, we are naturally drawn towards negative habits. Moreover, children do not have the judgement to separate right from wrong. As a result, they lack fundamental moral and ethical values and end up being diverted towards wrongdoings. 

In addition, exposure to the internet makes all sorts of inappropriate content very easily accessible. Thus, parents must make time from their busy schedules and teach their children these fundamental moral and ethical values.

4. Lack of Communication, Understanding and Trust Issues

This is another of the toughest challenges faced by parents. Emotional attachment and bonding between parents and children keep declining with passing generations. Hence, children hesitate to seek help from their parents and instead opt to ask their friends for advice.

Due to a lack of emotional connection, asking for help or advice from parents almost seems challenging for children. As a result, this leads to the children being emotionally unavailable, wrecked and alone.

5. Telling Lies

Every child has lied at some point in their childhood. However, it is vital for parents to know how to deal with children in such situations. Parents should not beat, scold, or call out their children for lying since that leads to children hiding sensitive matters from their parents. Instead, parents should:

• Let children know you can see through their lies.
• Communicate why lying is not a good habit.
• Let them know that they should always tell the truth without fear.

6. Disobedience and Tantrums

Tantrums and disobedience are both cases of dynamic power being at play where children are trying to establish their own opinion and importance. Therefore, it is crucial for parents to keep their cool.

If your child is being disobedient, i.e., refusing to do what you tell them to do, you should:

• Tell the child why they are being asked to do something and why it is essential.
• Calmly reason out the situation so that children realise what they have done.
• Be strict and firm if the child gets rowdy.

If your child throws a tantrum, i.e., keeps whining, crying, or complaining without any valid reason, you should:

• Tell them immediately that you will only listen once they stop whining.
• Then, ignore the incessant crying and continue your routine.

Children will eventually stop and start communicating when they notice that their tantrums have no effect.

7. Balancing Time Between Career and Family

As of late, parents struggle to manage their limited time between their personal and professional life. This is one of the major challenges faced by single parents. Working mothers especially juggle numerous responsibilities and duties such as household chores, office, taking care of children and so on. Somewhere in this rat race, we have lost life's true peace and happiness.

Families can fall apart without enough time for one another, and children may suffer in various ways without their parents' love and support. Therefore, balancing career and family is exceptionally crucial for parents.

8. Ensuring Quality Education

Present economic conditions and inflation has led to rising educational expenses. This, in turn, has immensely pressurised parents to increase their earnings to provide the best possible education to their children.

Parents also need to ensure that children do well in school to have a head start upon graduation.

9. Study Pressure Overload and Hectic Schedule

The competition nowadays is so much – even small children study for more than half their waking hours. With a surplus of parenting information, parents find it difficult to raise their children their own way. Also, parents nowadays have substantial education, unlike parents in the past. Therefore, children these days are sent to attend additional post-school classes, and tuitions, such as:

• Abacus
• Mathematics
• Computer
• Language and more

10. Generational Gap

Technological advancements are exponentially increasing with time, and it is challenging for parents to keep up with such rapid advances. However, parents must learn of these advancements to stay up to date and teach their children what is right and wrong.

With all the emphasis society puts on parenting, parents wonder how their parents raised them. As a result, they realise that everyone has their drawbacks and shortcomings. When discussing the problems faced by parents in managing children, communication is key. Everyone should keep calm and try to come up with win-win scenarios for both children and parents.