Less Drama More Mama

Self-control is one of the hardest skills for kids to learn, and one of the most important. It's what helps them wait their turn, keep working when something feels hard, and handle frustration without falling apart or giving up. Today kicks off a three-part series on the podcast about helping kids develop self-control. In today's episode, I share how you can help your child build emotional self-co...

Do you wish you had more friends, but find yourself hesitating to reach out? You might think you don't have the time or that making friends takes too much effort. You might assume other moms already have plenty of friends, are too busy, or wouldn't be interested. Those thoughts can make it harder to take the first step and get to know someone. This week, I'm replaying an older episode about making...

Your child talks back, lies about something small, or ignores your directions. You wonder: If this is happening now, what will they be like five years from now? In this week's episode, I'm talking about why worry about your child's future can make their current behavior feel so urgent, how that worry shapes your reactions, and how to respond to what's actually happening. HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVE...

Your child is yelling because you said no, talking to you disrespectfully, or following you around trying to change an answer you've already given. You're trying to stay calm, but part of you is thinking, How much of this am I supposed to put up with? "Expanding your window of tolerance" can sound like learning to become more patient with behavior you don't want to allow. So what are you actually...

"Why am I always so tired?" "Why are my kids so disrespectful?" "Why is parenting so hard?" These can sound like self-reflection questions, but the assumptions built into them can keep leading you back to the same answers. This week, I'm bringing back one of the earliest episodes of the podcast because its central idea still holds true:  The questions you ask shape what you notice and the answers...

Your child's teacher says they had a great day, but once they get home, the smallest thing sends them over the edge. After-school meltdowns can make it seem as though your child saved their worst behavior for you, but there may be more contributing to the reaction. In this episode, I'm looking at the demands your child manages at school, the transition home, and what happens during the afternoon. ...

The school nurse's number flashes on your phone again. Your child has a stomachache, a headache, or another symptom that feels serious enough to make them want to leave school. They've been medically checked, and everything appears to be normal. The nurse says they're okay. Your child insists they're not. Now you're caught between two concerns: What if you overlook something important? What if pic...

When your child is struggling with homework, it's hard to know how much you should get involved. If you step in, are you helping or taking over? If you back off, are you teaching responsibility or letting your child fall behind? The answer isn't always obvious, especially when missing assignments and low grades start making you anxious. This week, I'm bringing back an older episode called "Homewor...

My daughter thanked me at dinner the other night for "not letting" her drop out of college. She's an adult, so I couldn't have stopped her if I'd tried.🤷🏻‍♀️ What I did instead is why she thanked me. Like me, you may be working hard to parent differently from the way you were raised. You don't want your kids to feel afraid, dismissed, or powerless. You want a close relationship built on trust. S...

Your child finds out they aren't in class with any of their friends. They say their teacher is too strict. They come home crying and tell you they have no one to sit with at lunch. Your mind immediately jumps to: "This shouldn't be happening." "They're going to be miserable." "I need to do something." While some situations require you to step in, a difficult first day or week of school doesn't alw...

You've been looking forward to having your child home from sleepaway camp. Then they walk through the door exhausted, disappear into their room, complain that there's nothing to do, or get annoyed the first time you remind them to put something away. It's easy to wonder: Did they miss me? Are they happy to be home? Did camp change them in ways I don't like? The transition from camp to home is bigg...

I'm currently in Georgia for my eighth summer as a grief specialist at Experience Camps, a nonprofit that provides free, one-week camps for kids who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. While I'm there, I'm replaying Episode 158, "Lessons from Grief Camp," which first aired on August 17, 2021. Even if your family isn't dealing with grief, the lessons in this episo...

Your child is in a bad mood. You offer suggestions, make a joke, or point out what's going well.  Nothing seems to help, and before long, you're in a bad mood, too. It's easy to feel responsible for turning their mood around.  But what if supporting them doesn't require changing how they feel? In this episode, I talk about why some kids seem moodier than others, why their moods can affect you so q...

Everyone gets angry. But not everyone recognizes it, lets themselves feel it, or knows what to do with it when it shows up. Sometimes anger is obvious. Other times, it looks more like irritation, resentment, anxiety, tension, or the need to control everything around you. You may not think of yourself as an angry person at all, but that doesn't mean the anger isn't there. In today's podcast episode...

Have you ever looked at your child and thought, "Wow. You're so much like me"? At first, that recognition can feel sweet. You understand them in a way other people might not. But it can also create some blind spots. You may think you know what they're feeling, what they need, or why something matters so much to them, when part of what you're seeing is your own history. In this week's episode, I'm...

Have you ever reacted to your child and wondered afterward, "Why did that feel so big?" The thing they did was small. Your reaction was not. This week, I share the story of a mom in my program who had a huge reaction over a tray of sliders. She came to coaching convinced she knew exactly why she'd reacted. She was only partly right. Minutes into our session, we weren't talking about sandwiches any...

For years on this podcast, when I've talked about my dad, it's been in the context of understanding myself, my patterns, and some of my struggles. Most of us carry complicated feelings about our parents. We can wish some things had been different and still be grateful for what they gave us. Both can be true. This week, in honor of Father's Day, I'm sharing the parts of my dad and our relationship...

"Mom, I'm bored." "There's nothing to eat." "Can you drive me?" "He's touching my stuff." It's 10 a.m. and you've already refereed two arguments and answered the same question four times. And there are still nine more hours until bedtime. Summer sounded so relaxing back in May.  No morning rush, lunches to pack, or homework to oversee. But those pressures just got replaced by different ones: const...

Over the past 14 years of coaching moms, I've learned a lot and changed my mind about a few things. You might assume I'm talking about time-outs, sticker charts, rewards, consequences, or some other parenting strategy. The truth is, my views on those things haven't changed all that much. What has changed is where I begin with a client and my understanding of why it's so hard to put good parenting...

From the outside, you look like you're doing fine. Maybe even great. So why does it feel like you're one "that's not fair!" away from losing it? It's the difference between two things that look similar from the outside, but feel nothing alike on the inside. One of them is exhausting. The other creates a little more ease and a little less struggle. In this episode, I'm breaking down which one you'v...

Today's episode is the final one in the Mental Health Awareness Month podcast collaboration I organized with a few other parenting and mental health podcast hosts. We each chose one episode from our own show to share on the others' podcasts throughout the month. This episode comes from Dawn Friedman's podcast, Tell Me It Will Be Okay . Dawn has worked with kids and families for more than 30 years...

"I don't want to go." "Can I just stay home?" "I don't even care about that anyway." When your anxious child says these things, it can feel kinder (and easier) to let them skip the party, stay home from school, or avoid taking the bus. But short-term relief often creates bigger anxiety in the long run. For Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm sharing an episode from Cynthia Coufal's podcast, The Tee...

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I put together a small podcast collaboration with a few other hosts who talk about parenting, anxiety, and emotional health. Each week, I'm sharing one of their episodes here on the podcast, followed by a few of my own thoughts on what stood out to me and how it applies to you. Today's episode comes from Leah Davidson's podcast, Building Resilience . Lea...

You've probably heard the phrase, "If you don't ask, you don't get." And yet, asking for what you want can feel surprisingly hard. You hint. You wait. You hope someone notices. And when they don't, you end up feeling frustrated, unseen, or resentful. When you don't ask, you don't just miss out on what you want. You limit how much support you allow yourself to have. This comes up a lot around Mothe...

Divorce is often talked about as a legal process or a decision between two adults. This week's episode shifts the focus to your child's emotional health. My guest, Erica Komisar, is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, and parenting expert who has spent decades helping families through divorce. She says that divorce itself isn't what harms children most. It's the instability, conflict, and dis...