Emotional exhaustion in parenting is a real thing. Here is one simple solution that can help you feel better.

Faith-Filled Encouragement for Moms of Tweens, Teens, and Young Adults
Emotional exhaustion in parenting is a real thing. Here is one simple solution that can help you feel better.
(Inside: Parenting is hard, but go with your gut. One of the most powerful resources we have is that pressing on our heart that knows the next step.)
They need the adults in their lives who love them more than anyone else and will put time into reflecting on what they need to learn, how they need to grow, and what they crave. Then guide them in that direction with lots of explanations, relationship-building, grace, and care. Kids need our lived-and-learned wisdom wrapped in love and tenderness.
You just dropped your kid off at practice, picked up another, and are trying to decide what to make for dinner. Your days are filled with work, parenting, and waiting for password reset emails.
You are parenting tweens and teens.
It’s an amazing life phase, but also challenging in unique ways. In it all, you’d love a little encouragement to help you laugh, grow in faith, see parenting hacks, get ideas to connect with your kid, and celebrate the awesome momma you are.
I got you, friend. Sign up for Empowered Moms and Kids monthly emails and get encouragement in your inbox geared for someone exactly in your life chapter. It’s totally free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Plus, you’ll get instant access to all the great resources in the freebie library. Join our community below.
My two oldest sons are in high school now, and I’m still in a coma because of it. Even though I’ve taught high school for over two decades, I’m confused as to how I’m actually old enough to be a parent of a high schooler.
Teaching high schoolers has always been a passion of mine, but now parenting them is as well. I could research, write, and talk about this topic until eternity. I hope you are encouraged by some of my articles.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TEENS
You Can’t Fix Your Struggling Teens’ Problems, But You Can Do This One Powerful Thing
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TWEEN/TEEN
How to Get Your Teen/Teen to Their “Aha Moment”
400+ Conversation Starters for Families of Teens
PARENTING
Dear Kids – Know the Difference Between “Chores” and “Maintenance”
Your Teen’s Maddening Behavior is Age-Appropriate and Here’s Hope
Raising Tweens and Teens – THIS is what it looks like…
Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.
(Inside: Parenting teens and tweens will rip your heart out. There will be a moment when you find yourself emotionally spent.)
There will be a moment when you’re sitting on the bathroom floor, back against the tub, feet tucked at the base of the sink, emotionally spent.
Your kid is the one sitting alone at the lunch table.
Your kid is repeatedly self-sabotaging in her actions, and no matter what you do, nothing helps.
Your kid has health and/or mental health challenges that just won’t shake.
Your kid got cut from the team in a sport he’s spent a decade playing and being in that uniform means the absolute world to him. The “no” hit like a nuclear bomb.
Your kid doesn’t seem to care – about anything.
Your kid is painfully distant – you don’t have the kind of longed-for relationship you want, and you just don’t recognize your teen anymore.
My two oldest sons are in high school now, and I’m still in a coma because of it. Even though I’ve taught high school for over two decades, I’m confused as to how I’m actually old enough to be a parent of a high schooler.
Teaching high schoolers has always been a passion of mine, but not parenting them is as well. I could research, write, and talk about this topic until eternity. I hope you are encouraged by some of my articles.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TEENS
A Simple and Effective Way to Encourage Your Teen
*ou Can’t Fix Your Struggling Teens Problems, But You Can Do This One Powerful Thing
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TWEEN/TEEN
How to Get Your Teen/Teen to Their “Aha Moment”
How to Get Your Tween/Teenage Son to Open Up to You
400+ Conversation Starters for Families of Teens
PARENTING
Parenting is Hard: This One Thought Can Help You Better Thrive
Dear Kids – Know the Difference Between “Chores” and “Maintenance”
To the Mom of a High School Freshman
Your Teen’s Maddening Behavior is Age-Appropriate and Here’s Hope
Raising Tweens and Teens – THIS is what it looks like…
HEARTWARMING STORIES IN RAISING OLDER KIDS
I Will Miss These Years of Raising Tweens and Teens
7 Reasons Why Raising Tweens & Teens is the Best
To the Mom Who Mourns That Kids Grow Too Fast
You just dropped one kid off at practice, picked up another, and are trying to decide what to make for dinner. Your days are filled with work, parenting, and waiting for password reset emails.
You are parenting tweens and teens.
It’s an amazing life-phase, but also challenging in unique ways. In it all, you’d love a little encouragement to help you laugh, grow in faith, see parenting hacks, get ideas to connect with your kid, and celebrate the awesome momma you are.
I got you, friend. Sign up for Empowered Moms and Kids monthly emails and get encouragement in your inbox geared for someone exactly in your life-chapter. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Plus, you’ll get instant access to all the great resources in the freebie library. Join our community here or below.
Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.
(Inside: Good parenting skills start here. Do you feel like you’re saturated with parenting advice? What should be your focus? This one thing will help you conquer the parenting season like the champion you are.)
I fumbled at my car radio.
I don’t need to hear anybody roar… No hearts going on… And I’m not gettin’ jiggy with it (I just took you’ll waaaay back, didn’t I.) I. Just. Can’t. My brain impulsively sends my fingers to the radio deck searching for off. At the end of every day, the longing for silence overtakes me.
It started at age 22 when I went from the back of the classroom to the front. In a blink, I had responsibilities that felt heavy.
(Amazing, but heavy.)
Filled with IEPs, 504 plans, curriculum, school/state/parent expectations, and a bazillion students, I learned that a high school teacher’s job is fast-paced. There are about twenty minutes to eat lunch (that includes a bathroom break), four minutes to help students during passing period, and exactly zero minutes to think.
The silence of my ride home became my place to unpack my day. (Why is this student not engaged in learning anymore? How can I encourage that student whose mom is fighting cancer? How do I better teach that concept next time?)
It’s when my mind analyzed and problem solved. An essential tool for a teacher.
Just like classroom teachers juggle weighted responsibilities, so do parents…
(“Son, you’re doing football! It’ll be great! You’ll love it! *You totally know your kid will NOT love it. And never be a football star.*) If your hand is up – yeah, me too.
Parenting is heavy. (Amazing, but heavy.) And – of course – we all want to be good parents. We want to follow all the parenting advice out there:
Parents are oversaturated with how-to-be-a-good-mom/dad resources mixed with heavy responsibilities. The noise – even the good noise – is loud.
Just like teachers, parents long for silence. This is why we subconsciously lock ourselves in the bathroom. Or linger way too long at Target when we’re kidless. Silence calls out to us and says, “You need me. You’re making some of the most important decisions of your life during your parenting years (in careers, in raising children, in finances, in everything). I can help you find those ‘best answers.'”
Let me explain…
If you’re like me – type A, practical, math/science oriented – we can think we don’t need silence. We’re tough. Capable. Me-time is selfish. Silence is for the weak. (Feel free to laugh here.)
Except, science doesn’t support that. (I think that’s called irony.)
There’s much scientific research supporting the health benefits for both the body and mind through deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, prayer, and/or silence. The practice of silence strengthens immunity, reduces stress, and supplies perseverance – it builds us up both physically and mentally. In the stillness, we analyze, brainstorm the next steps, and make our best decisions.
Related article: Breathing Techniques – A Guide to the Science and Methods
I was just what that season needed. And something I continually come back to through all the ups and downs and twists and turns of parenting.
I created a mini e-book to maximize those 8 minutes of quiet time to empower us.
(Side note, because it needs to be said: As always, life doesn’t always obey formulas. There are days when these meditations for moms’ practice will feel awesome and other days when you just should put it all away, and go watch You’ve Got Mail. Each season of motherhood calls for different ways to encourage and sustain us. But, this tool is a good one. It’s one to have in our toolbox, one to keep coming back to – it really is powerful.)
In the silence, parents need to be built up in 3 areas:
The mini-ebook contains 7 days of meditation/silence/prayer (using deep breathing and mindfulness techniques) that will empower us in the three areas mentioned above. I included scripture because God’s Word strengthens me in powerful ways and I thought you’d enjoy the empowerment too.
Of course, my outline is a guide – make any changes so it works for you.
So, are you in? Ready to reclaim 8 minutes of our lives? Push the off button? Ready to take one small step that will launch us 10 steps forward?
Let’s do it. Grab the ebook here.
Because the single best thing you can do as a parent is to take care of yourself so you can better parent with patience and direction. The benefits to you and your kids are priceless.
If you are thinking this, I have just the guy. Dr. Kevin Leman’s books have given me tangible tools to parent. His humorous, wise words will build your confidence too. Here are some of my recommendations through my Amazon Affiliate links:
Parenting Your Powerful Child: Bringing an End to the Everyday Battles
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours
Why is self-care so hard for moms? Y’all, I ignored it for so long, that I had an epic mom crash. (I talk about it over here.) I never want to go there again, so it’s game on, self-care!
I recently listened to a podcast by the author of my favorite book on creativity (affiliate link), Liz Gilbert, where she talked about how she feels like she has been given the divine responsibility of being in charge of “Liz,” so needs to do what’s best for “Liz.”
Okay, I hope I don’t mess up the interpretation of what she said too much, but let me tell you how it went into my heart…
God gives us the sacred responsibility of taking care of ourselves. So, I need to see myself in the 3rd person. I need to step outside of myself and say, “Cheryl doesn’t need to be doing that. She’s done enough..she needs sleep, or to say ‘no,’ or to sit and pet her beloved dog.”
For this go-go-go, do-all-the-things girl, that way of explaining our self-obligation was powerful. Self-care is vital. We better serve our families and communities when we are in a good place. So, be encouraged by the full series on self-care and other inspiration for moms.
Christian Meditations for Busy Moms Just Like You
60+ Encouraging and Inspirational Best Books for Mothers
Need Hope? Look for it – Hope will Always Come Back to You
8 Reasons Why “Me Time” for Moms is Good FOR YOUR KIDS
The Power of Finding Peace and Joy In the Choas of Momlife
Moms Need a Break and Good Things Can Come of It
Good Parenting Skills: The Single Best Thing Parents Can Do
You just dropped one kid off at practice, picked up another, and are trying to decide what to make for dinner. Your days are filled with work, parenting, and waiting for password reset emails.
You are parenting tweens and teens.
It’s an amazing life-phase, but also challenging in unique ways. In it all, you’d love a little encouragement to help you laugh, grow in faith, see parenting hacks, get ideas to connect with your kid and celebrate the awesome momma you are.
I got you, friend. Sign up for Empowered Moms and Kids monthly emails and get encouragement in your inbox geared for someone exactly in your life-chapter. It’s totally free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Plus, you’ll get instant access to all the great resources in the freebie library. Join our community below.
Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.
Being a parent is hard. However, even though motherhood can be hard, this one question will refocus our thoughts in a life-giving way.