The interesting thing about difficult “anything” is that often it has more to do with the person experiencing the difficulty rather than the object of that difficulty, be it one’s profession, schoolwork, a specific task or educating and guiding others.
Expectations in terms of achievement or the time and manner in which those achievements are realized play a major role in those experiences. Recognizing, as well, how one’s point of view along with one’s reactions to disappointment along the way can aid or hinder.
For example, forcing a child to choose a particular profession no matter how lucrative or safe may not be in the best interest of the child or one’s relationship with that child. Would the resistant or unsuccessful child be considered “difficult”?
If the child doesn’t fit the “mold” of one’s dreams, is that a failure in the child or of unrealistic expectations of the parent?