To the Parent Who Feels Like They’re Failing: You’re Not Alone

I want to speak to the parent who is quietly falling apart.

If that is you, I see you.

I have stood where you stand.

And I need you to hear this clearly. You are not failing.

When my daughter Maddie was alive, she was special in ways that are hard to describe. She was silly. Smart. Kind. Creative. She made people feel seen. Truly seen. Our home was full of love. And still, something shifted.

It happened quietly. Slowly. Almost invisibly.

If you are watching your teen pull away, shut down, or spiral, this is for you. You may be trying to read between the lines. You may be second guessing every word you say. You may be wondering how things reached this point.

You have tried talking.
You have tried giving space.
You have tried staying calm while your insides shake.

Nothing seems to land. And now the doubt creeps in.

As a parent who lost a child to suicide, I know this pain intimately. I also know how easy it is to miss the small moments that matter when fear takes over.

A walk together.
A shared meal.
A smile that lasts a few seconds longer than yesterday.

Those moments count more than you think.

This weight can feel heavier if you are parenting alone. Or co-parenting in a situation filled with tension. Or carrying the load while someone else is absent. Many parents are doing the best they can with the tools they have. When kids struggle, parents often struggle in silence. I certainly did.

Parenting through a mental health crisis is overwhelming.
You might cry in your car after school drop off.
You might feel dread during dinner.
You might lie awake thinking you should be doing more.

That does not mean you are doing it wrong.
It means you care deeply.

One question comes up again and again.

“How do I support my teen when they will not talk to me?”

Communication challenges with your teen is one of the most common questions I receive. Almost five times more than most other questions.

The answer is not found in perfect words. It lives in presence.

Try this tonight.

Sit with your child. Ask gently, how are you really feeling lately. Then stop. Sit in the quiet. Let it be awkward. Let it be unfinished. Listen without fixing. Listen without correcting.

Your calm presence matters. Even when nothing is said.

I wish I had understood that sooner. I wish I had trusted that connection can exist even in silence.

The other two most common questions?

“How do I know if my young person is struggling, or just a normal teenager?”

“Where can I go for resources for my struggling teen?”

This is one of the reasons we created the MentorWell Parent Circle on the Skool platform.

And you can get these answers and more inside our community.

Parents kept telling me the same thing.
I feel alone.
I do not know who to talk to.
Everyone else seems to be handling this better than I am.

The Parent Circle is a space for parents helping parents. No judgment. No pressure. No pretending. Just real conversations with people who get it. You do not need to explain the basics. You do not need to clean up your story. You can show up exactly as you are.

Sometimes what helps most is realizing you are not the only one falling apart behind closed doors.

We are living through a youth mental health crisis. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people. Many families feel unprepared. Many parents feel lost. Support should not start at the breaking point. It should start earlier. With connection. With honesty. With community.

If you are reading this with tears in your eyes, please hear this.

You are not a bad parent.
You are not alone.
Your presence still matters more than you know.

Keep showing up.
Keep asking.
Keep loving them, even on the hard days.

If you need resources for you or your child, you can get them inside our community. Many of them are free, or not cost prohibitive

And if what you really need right now is to sit in a circle with other parents who understand, your seat is waiting for you in the MentorWell Parent Circle on Skool.

Please share this with another parent who might need it today. You never know who is barely holding it together.