How Change Makes Us Better Parents: 3 Lessons for 2026

We're stepping into 2026 in the middle of profound change—some we chose, and much we didn't.

Wars continue in Gaza, Sudan, and the Congo. Countries are being invaded, governments overthrown. In the United States, immigration enforcement has escalated to terrifying levels. Women's reproductive healthcare is being more restricted state by state. Education policies are shifting in ways that will fundamentally shape our children's futures.

And all of this trickles down. Political divisions seep into family gatherings and friend groups. The stress of navigating systems—healthcare, childcare, workplace policies—compounds.

Meanwhile, you're trying to show up for your kids—whether nursing a newborn or supporting a struggling teen—while managing family expectations and cultural traditions, juggling work, and trying to protect your own boundaries when everyone needs something from you.

It's not just one thing. It's everything, all at once. And you're walking a tightrope—trying just trying to stay present when everything feels like it's falling apart.

Here's what I've learned through my own journey—three pregnancies during a demanding corporate career, leaving that career to build something new, and now, five years later, evolving again: Change doesn't make parenting harder. Resisting change does. The parents who thrive aren't the ones who have it all figured out. They're the ones who've learned to move with the shifts rather than against them.

So here are three lessons I've learned as I've navigated profound personal and professional transformation this past year. These lessons carried me through when everything felt uncertain.

Lesson 1: When systems break, they force you to build better ones

Last year, my client relationship management system (CRM) got hacked. Everything I'd built to manage clients, schedules, payments—I couldn't access. No client information was retrieved but I made the decision to migrate to a completely new system while managing health issues, kids' activities, and a business that needed to keep running.

It was exhausting. But the forced change revealed something: I'd been managing too many different systems to run my business. I actually knew it, but was always "too busy" to deal with it and kept putting off the inevitable. The hack forced me to consolidate into one platform that actually works better.

Sometimes the breakdown IS the breakthrough. When childcare falls through, when your birth plan goes sideways, when your postpartum reality looks nothing like you imagined—you're forced to build something better than what you originally planned.

You don't need a perfect system. You need one that works for your actual life, not the idealized version. Sometimes starting fresh is faster than fixing what's broken.

But rebuilding systems is one thing. Releasing the need to control everything—and everyone—is another.

Lesson 2: You can't build a business—or a family—by managing everyone else

One of the reasons I left corporate was to have the flexibility to be on my own. But as Yogamazia grew with independent contract instructors, on top of managing a physical location, I realized I was recreating the exact thing I'd left.

Then clarity struck: what Yogamazia does in the world isn't bound by walls and the sanctuary I've always envisioned goes deeper than a single physical location. So after 5 years, I simplified: It's just me and a project manager now.

You're going to hear a lot of advice about how to parent "right". You'll get pressure to manage your child's sleep, behavior, and milestones. But here's the truth: that’s just not possible.

The best parents aren't the ones micromanaging every detail. They're the ones present for what actually matters. Focus your energy on showing up, not performing perfectly.

And showing up fully? That requires honoring the one person you can't afford to ignore: yourself.

Lesson 3: Your body will force you to slow down—listen before it has to shout

Over the last year, I had a heart issue raise its head and later on was also diagnosed with perimenopause. On top of that I dealt with shoulder problems for the majority of 2025, which limited mobility for my regular physical yoga practice. Now I'm on daily medication for the first time in my life.

Meanwhile, my daughter joined a competitive dance team. My husband travels a lot. I'm managing all of my kids' schedules, a household, and trying to build a business. Something had to give.

Pregnancy, birth, postpartum and menopause all have one thing in common: they're your body's way of forcing you to recalibrate. You cannot push through this season the way you push through your work demands. Your body won't let you.

And your children are watching whether you honor your limits or override them. Model for your children that taking care of yourself isn't selfish, it's sustainable.

What This Means for You in 2026

You didn't choose all the changes you're facing. Some feel unbearable. Some feel beyond your capacity to navigate. But you're more capable than you think.

Not because you have to do this perfectly. Not because you have to stay calm and centered every moment. But because you get to decide who you become through the transition. So before this month ends, try this:

• Notice where you're exhausting yourself trying to control what you can't. What would it feel like to release that and focus your energy on what you can actually influence?
  

• Identify one thing you're carrying out of obligation that no longer serves your well-being. What would it take to let that go?
  

• Pay attention to what your child is learning from watching you navigate uncertainty. Are you modeling the resilience you want them to develop?
  

The world is changing. Your life is changing. You're changing. That's not the problem. That's the process. And you're exactly the parent your child needs to guide them through it—not because you have all the answers, but because you're willing to figure it out together.