This lack of time and constant professional pressure are becoming major sources of stress for parents, with a direct impact on their bond with their children.

Data confirms this phenomenon: 6 out of 10 Romanian parents report struggling with stress and chronic fatigue, and the situation is even more acute for those with young children. According to a Reveal Research study on parenting challenges in Romania, 65% of parents with children aged 0 to 6 say they feel constantly exhausted.

Stress has a definite impact on daily life. 55% of parents say that fatigue affects their ability to communicate, and 40% say they are unable to maintain a work-life balance. Experts warn that, under these circumstances, family time is increasingly reduced to a checklist of chores and responsibilities, causing the emotional connection with the child to suffer.

Similar findings are also reported in international research on parental burnout. The Parental Burnout Around the World Study, conducted among 17,409 parents in 42 countries, shows that parental burnout occurs in all the cultures studied, but is significantly more common in developed Western countries, where social expectations for parents are higher.

"There is a 'hidden contract' that we learn from our first caregivers: we must do, be, or say certain things in order to be accepted and loved. This pattern extends throughout our lives and influences how we relate to our own children — especially the desire to 'fix' things or to be a better parent than the one we had," says Kelly McDaniel, therapist and author renowned for the Mother Hunger concept.

McDaniel will be in Bucharest for the first time on October 17-18, where she will explore these themes at ParentED Fest 2026.