Parents, You Deserve Support Too—And Your Kid Needs You to Have It

When kids are struggling—maybe they’re having big reactions to small things, suddenly refusing school, or seem shut down and anxious—most parents do something really beautiful: they seek help. You rearrange schedules, navigate traffic, jump through hoops, and get your child into therapy. You make it happen.

That’s love. That’s commitment. That is showing up, even when it feels like everything else might fall apart.

But here’s something that often goes unspoken: your well-being matters just as much as theirs.

And I’m not saying that in a way that adds pressure, or that suggests you should be doing more. I’m saying it because this job—parenting—is hard. It demands so much from you, and you weren’t meant to carry it all alone, especially not while running on empty.

This Isn’t About Perfection. It’s About Capacity.

There’s a common story we tell ourselves, that being a good parent means putting your own needs last, that if your child gets to school on time, has food on their plate, and gets through the day, you’re “doing enough,” even if you feel like you’re barely holding on.

But the truth is, your emotional health is not separate from your parenting. It is part of it. Not because you have to be perfect, but because your child’s experience is deeply intertwined with yours. They look to you (sometimes without knowing it) to make sense of the world.

That doesn’t mean you need to have it all figured out or keep it together all the time. No one does. What it does mean is that when you are supported enough to come back from the hard moments, that steadiness creates an emotional safety net your child can feel, even in the messiness of life.

Your Kid Feels You—Even When You’re Trying to Hide It

Children are astonishingly perceptive. Long before they can put their feelings into words, they are sensing your energy, your tone, your tension, the way you breathe. That is not a failure on your part—it’s biology. It is how human nervous systems naturally synchronize.

This process, known as co-regulation, is how children learn to feel safe and begin to understand their own emotions. They borrow calm from you. And when you are overwhelmed or stressed, they pick that up too—often silently.

This doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. It means you are connected. And sometimes, that connection works best when you have someone supporting your own regulation as well.

You’re Allowed to Need Support

Parenting stretches you in so many directions. Even on the best days, it can exhaust you. On the days when work piles up, when the world feels chaotic, or when emotions spill over, it can feel impossible to find the calm you want to offer your child.

That is not a moral failing. It is a sign that you are carrying too much.

And here’s what’s important to remember: you don’t have to wait until you’re overwhelmed to seek support. You don’t need to be falling apart to say, “This is hard, and I need help.”

Regulated Parents Help Kids Feel Safer

When your nervous system feels settled, your child feels it too. That sense of calm helps them feel grounded, connected, and safe in a world that often feels unpredictable. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need access—to your own emotions, to rest, to repair, and to the support that helps you come back to center when life pulls you off balance.

And when you notice you don’t have that access—that’s often the clearest signal that it’s time to ask for more support, not less.

In Case No One’s Told You Lately

You are doing so much. And if you feel stretched thin, it’s not because you’re failing. It’s likely because you’ve been carrying more than anyone sees, for longer than anyone knows.

You may not have the support you need right now—and it’s okay to acknowledge that. It’s hard, especially when you give so much of yourself to your family. But your mental health is not a luxury—it is essential. It is what helps your family function.

And it is absolutely okay to need help finding your way back to yourself.

You matter, too.

You don’t have to carry it all by yourself. Reach out for the support you deserve as a parent.

Willow & Moss Counseling – Trauma-Informed Care for Children, Teens, and Adults | Play Therapy & EMDR | Cherokee County, Serving Woodstock, Holly Springs, Canton, and Kennesaw

Hannah Reed, MS, LPC, RPT

Hannah Reed, LPC, RPT, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, and EMDR-certified therapist who works with kids, teens, and adults through her private practice, Willow and Moss Counseling. She focuses on supporting healing, growth, and self-understanding with clarity, compassion, and curiosity.

http://www.willowandmosscounseling.com/hannah

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