Parents are exhausted. Kids are disconnected. Stress is spilling into every corner of family life. And it’s not a “me” problem or a “them” problem.
It’s an every-one-of-us problem.
Where do you see yourself in this?
Today I went to a Back-to-School event in Virginia Beach. Thousands of families came—for backpacks, supplies, physicals, haircuts, and community resources (like me).
I met grandparents raising grandkids. Adoptive and foster families. Widowed families. Families with deployed parents. Families who just moved. Blended families. And yes—even what we once called “traditional” families.
Every single one of them was struggling.
Parents told me they’re burned out to the point of crispy. They talked about snapping at everything, being overwhelmed by stay-at-home demands, or coming home from work too exhausted to cook (hello, drive-through). They worried about their kids’ depression, constant screen time, and behaviors they don’t know how to manage.
What stunned me was how few had ever shared these concerns with their child’s doctor. Kids hiding in their rooms. Kids avoiding family and friends. Kids sneaking food. Kids irritable all the time. Parents weren’t sure if those worries “counted.”
And when I said, “I can hear how worried you are,” it was like a light switched on—like they’d been given permission to believe their concerns mattered.
But here’s the kicker: these struggles—disconnection, electronics, food battles—have become so common we’ve started calling them “normal.”
This is not normal.
Normal childhood is connection, play, friendship, learning, and growth. Families eating and laughing together. Families unwinding by connecting, together.
The fact that so many families aren’t living this way doesn’t mean parents are failing. It means stress has taken over. Exhaustion is speaking louder than joy. And parents are screaming for help.
And they said it out loud today:
- “I need help regulating my emotions.”
- “I need someone to tag in when my kids are glued to my hip.”
- “I need to know my son is going to be okay.”
- “I need a freaking break.”
So I asked: “Where do you turn for help?”
That’s when the shrugging started.
I nudged: school is starting, so yes, there will be time apart—but what else? YMCA? Other parents? Because I promise you, every parent is wrestling with versions of the same thing.
Here’s the truth: we need to come together. Because right now, we’re not okay.
Parents’ version of hiding in their rooms isn’t rest—it’s collapsing on the couch, alone, after barely holding it together all day. It’s eating dinner apart while kids scroll on their phones. It’s survival, not connection.
And survival is not enough.
Yes, resources are thin in today’s political climate. But we can’t wait for someone else to fix this. It starts with saying the problem out loud, without shame or sugarcoating:
Parents need help. Families need connection. Kids need us.
So consider this the Bat Signal. The village has to wake up. Every single one of us has a role to play. Because it’s not about my kids or your kids.
It’s about our kids.
It’s about family.
It’s about us.
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