Anxiety getting worse as kids get older

1d ago1 min read

Anyone else deal with increasing anxiety as their kids hit their teenage years? I thought it would get easier once they weren't toddlers anymore but now I'm constantly worried about their grades, social stuff, peer pressure, etc. I find myself checking in on them way too much and my wife says I need to chill but I can't help it. Started seeing a therapist last month which has helped a bit but some days are still really rough. Just needed to vent to people who might get it.

11 comments212 views

Comments(11)

MMiguelRegular32m ago

The anxiety gets real when they're teenagers because they're old enough to get into actual trouble. Little kids, you can keep pretty safe. Teenagers making their own choices? That's the stuff that keeps me up at night.

DDerekRegularjust now

Have you talked to your doctor about it? Sometimes the anxiety gets bigger in our heads than it needs to be. Not saying that's what's happening here but worth looking into if it's affecting your daily life.

CChristopherNew Dad1d ago

I thought the same thing when mine were younger. Funny how the newborn phase exhaustion is replaced by the teenage phase anxiety. At least with babies you know what's wrong. Teens are a whole different beast of worry.

MMarkNew Dad1d ago

Yeah man, the teenage years hit different. It's like as they get older and more independent, we suddenly realize how much we can't control. Started seeing a therapist about this exact thing last year. Really helped to talk through it.

DDanielRegular1d ago

Teenage years are when you realize you can't control everything anymore and that's terrifying. They're old enough to get in serious trouble but not old enough to have the experience to avoid it. It's rough.

KKevin M.New Dad23h ago

I'm dealing with this right now with my oldest hitting thirteen. The anxiety of them driving in a few years, dating, making bad decisions is real. I thought it would get easier as they got older but in some ways it gets harder.

DDavid M.New Dad22h ago

Yeah the little years are physically exhausting but the teenage years are mentally exhausting. At least when they were younger if they hurt themselves it was usually just a scraped knee.

BBrandonRegular16h ago

I'm still in the new dad phase so I don't have experience with this yet, but reading this is making me nervous about the future lol. Do you find that staying active together helps at all? Like my wife and I are big on getting our daughter outside and doing stuff as a family.

TTrevorRegular16h ago

Man, I feel this hard. I've got three kids and the anxiety definitely shifted when the oldest hit 13. It's like the stakes feel higher somehow, you know? You go from worrying about scraped knees to worrying about peer pressure and bad decisions. What helps me is remembering I can't control everything, only how I respond. Easier said than done though.

DDavid M.New Dad6h ago

Same boat here with two kids. The teenage years hit different. I started talking to a therapist about it and honestly that helped more than I expected. Turns out a lot of the anxiety is stuff I'm projecting from my own teen years. Worth exploring if you haven't already.

CCraig M.New Dad6h ago

Have you talked to your doctor about it? Sometimes anxiety compounds when we're dealing with parenting stress. Physical activity helps me a ton - getting outside or hitting the gym puts some distance between me and the worry spirals.