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Loving Hard When They're Hard to Love: Essays on Raising Teens in Today's Complex, Chaotic World
"Did I do enough?" "Does my teen hate me?" "Where did I go wrong?" "Am I ready to let go?"As parents of teens, we ask "Am I the only one who feels this way?
As children grow up, parents stop talking about their struggles, and many feel completely alone and overwhelmed with the challenges facing today's adolescents. Desperate to maintain a connection to their evolving child, we often don't need advice as much as someone who encourages them to keep going—and reassures them it will be okay.
In Loving Hard When They're Hard to Love, blogger Whitney Fleming shares her favorite essays about raising three teenagers in today's chaotic world. Written from the perspective of a fellow parent, each story will leave you with tears in your eyes and hope in your heart because someone else is saying exactly what's been going through your mind.
The book covers the challenging parts of parenting adolescents, such as managing big emotions, navigating school and social issues, and learning to let go, but also the beautiful things simultaneously occurring, like watching them find their passions, take charge of their newfound independence, and move on to the next chapter.
It's a must-read for anyone who wants to feel less alone in their parenting journey.
As children grow up, parents stop talking about their struggles, and many feel completely alone and overwhelmed with the challenges facing today's adolescents. Desperate to maintain a connection to their evolving child, we often don't need advice as much as someone who encourages them to keep going—and reassures them it will be okay.
In Loving Hard When They're Hard to Love, blogger Whitney Fleming shares her favorite essays about raising three teenagers in today's chaotic world. Written from the perspective of a fellow parent, each story will leave you with tears in your eyes and hope in your heart because someone else is saying exactly what's been going through your mind.
The book covers the challenging parts of parenting adolescents, such as managing big emotions, navigating school and social issues, and learning to let go, but also the beautiful things simultaneously occurring, like watching them find their passions, take charge of their newfound independence, and move on to the next chapter.
It's a must-read for anyone who wants to feel less alone in their parenting journey.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2023
14 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 1, 2023
This book is EVERYTHING I needed. I originally planned to read it and then pass it along to friends. But instead, I highlighted page after page, reread it twice, and decided to keep my copy and just share the link with all of my friends who are deep in the throws of parenting teens.
Something that’s never talked about is how lonely the parenting journey becomes once your children turn into teenagers. Everyone only seems to share the highlight reels and no one is talking about the immense amount of worry, the heartache, the constant feelings of failure, the fear, the desire to snuggle up your biggest baby again, the sleepless nights, the endless prayers for safety, and the deep longing for someone to talk to who is feeling exactly what you’re feeling.
I wish this were different. I wish more people were open and honest. But they’re not. So I thank God for this book and for @whitneyflemingwrites. I now know that I’m not alone. And the things that I need to change about myself have become VERY obvious. My toes were stepped on in every chapter! Which is exactly what I needed!
“What I’ve learned from parenting teenagers is there are no ‘good’ parents and there are no ‘good’ kids. We are all just doing the best we can with the hand we got dealt. I no longer want to be a good parent, whatever that means. I want to be the parent my kids need, however that looks on any given day.”
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Something that’s never talked about is how lonely the parenting journey becomes once your children turn into teenagers. Everyone only seems to share the highlight reels and no one is talking about the immense amount of worry, the heartache, the constant feelings of failure, the fear, the desire to snuggle up your biggest baby again, the sleepless nights, the endless prayers for safety, and the deep longing for someone to talk to who is feeling exactly what you’re feeling.
I wish this were different. I wish more people were open and honest. But they’re not. So I thank God for this book and for @whitneyflemingwrites. I now know that I’m not alone. And the things that I need to change about myself have become VERY obvious. My toes were stepped on in every chapter! Which is exactly what I needed!
“What I’ve learned from parenting teenagers is there are no ‘good’ parents and there are no ‘good’ kids. We are all just doing the best we can with the hand we got dealt. I no longer want to be a good parent, whatever that means. I want to be the parent my kids need, however that looks on any given day.”
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
January 31, 2024
4.5 stars…This book was comforting, raw, impactful and emotional. I loved that it was written by a mother and wasn’t filled with scientific facts or studies from doctors, therapists or any other professional. It wasn’t filled with earth shattering advice but simple everyday lessons and guidance that made sense and was easy to digest. I took notes while I read which will be helpful to refer back to. I recommend this book for any parent of a tween or teen, but it is written from a girl mom perspective.
August 30, 2023
I would recommend this book to anyone who has preteen/teen daughters. 99% of the stories applied to my current life and what it’s like raising my girls. Being a mom of preteen/teen girls is sometimes lonely, frustrating, emotional but also rewarding and full of love. I shed a lot of tears reading this book. 5 stars.
July 25, 2023
I discovered this book at JUST the right time. 🤯 it helped put so many of my own struggles in perspective and have some more understanding and patience.
January 1, 2024
My book, so I'm a little biased.
January 8, 2024
An amazing, heartfelt read!
May 25, 2025
Great read for any parent of teens. Her FB page is great too. WhitneyFlemingWrites
December 21, 2023
This collection of essays from Whitney Fleming is not a parenting book in the traditional sense but rather the story of becoming a parent and how that role changes and grows, just as a child does from infancy through teenager.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews