Reflective Parenting Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we are joined by Chelsea Conaboy & Dr. Jodi Pawluski. We discuss all things parent brain - if you’re not sure what that is, this episode is for you. Why is it important to talk about the postpartum period and the brain? Is “mommy brain” negative? Does parenting keep you young? Does a father or non-birthing parent’s brain change when their child is born? Is...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we are joined by Alanna Gallo, a former educator who sold all her stuff and travels with her 4 kids! 3:30 - What did play look like when your children had a home base, compared to when you left to travel? 8:00 - If you come back to living in one home would you re-create it the same way? 10:23 - What is an open-ended toy? What are the most beneficial toys for in...

Send us Fan Mail Hi friends! I received this question from a listener so I thought I would answer it in today's episode.  This parent asked, "If my husband and I have been working hard to validate our 13-month-old feelings but our parents do not, will this be harmful to our child's development and emotions?"   It is important to validate our child's feelings, however, if c...

Send us Fan Mail We all yell because...we are human. We have moments when we lose our cool and our kids can also have these moments.  However, in today's episode, I would like to walk you through a process I did to control my own yelling.  If you are yelling more than you would like at your child, listen to today's episode for a few minutes. It will help you start the work. Are you yelli...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Abigail Gewirtz child psychologist and author of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place . 3:22 - Are being worried and being anxious the same thing? How do you know it’s a problem to bring up with your child’s doctor? 6:26 - If I’m an anxious person, how can I teach my child to manage anxiety? 9:36 - Should I hide my emotions from my child?...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we are joined by Melinda Wenner Moyer, award-winning science journalist and author of How to raise kids who aren’t assholes . Here’s what we talked about: 5:19 - What inspired the book 9:31 - Why is your main message “communication is key?” 12:32 - How can we raise a kind human? 15:48 - How can we foster our child’s emotions if we weren’t raised that way? 21:25...

Send us Fan Mail Hi friends! In today's solo episode, I talk about a new habit I have been doing this year that has really brought me tons of joy.  It only takes me 5 min per day! I have noticed a change in how I perceive difficult moments with my kids and how mindful I am of small beautiful moments with my children. Listen to this short episode to learn more about my new habit and to listen...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode (100th!!!) we are joined by co-host Claudia Belliveau and guest Dr. Bruce D Perry. he episode highlights the vital role of self-regulation in parenting, especially in navigating holiday gatherings and family dynamics. Dr. Bruce Perry discusses the importance of understanding brain development and the processes involved in engaging with children emotionally.  • T...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Julie Scorah a licensed neuropsychologist at McGill University. Julie practices as a clinician and is involved in research about how to make autism resources more accessible to the families that need them. Here’s a preview of what we talked about: 11:21 - What should parents be looking for in terms of symptoms? When is the proper age to get...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Cheng Qian, Stanford & Harvard trained Clinical Psychologist. We speak about all things difficult behaviors. Specifically Dr. Qian gives useful, effective and simple tips & tricks to deal with your child’s difficult behaviors. Here’s a preview of what we talked about: 4:03 - When to seek professional help for tantrums 6:47 - What can...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year Curious Neuron Parents!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday. In today's episode, I reflect on some aspects of my holidays that you might have experienced and I share my 2023 goals.  Here is what I chatted about:  Should kids use a screen the entire time they are with the family during family gatherings? What my husband did when my 3-year-old didn't want to...

Send us Fan Mail Content warning: Sexual abuse We need to talk about this. We need to learn how to protect our children from sexual predictors.  I reached out to author Jayneen Sanders to learn more about what we can do to protect our kids.  Here is what we discussed: Questions you should ask your daycare about how they teach kids body safety (all daycare should!) We revisit parts of our last conv...

Send us Fan Mail This is not your conventional toy and app review. I will name a few that I love (not sponsored), however, I want to give you a framework to help you choose them on your own! First, I review what play should look like in our homes. Open-ended and self-directed play is the best! I review some of our favorite toy companies and give you a list of TYPES of items and toys you can includ...

Send us Fan Mail The word I would like you to remember today is "dysregulated". Is my child dysregulated? Am I dysregulated? How can I regulate my child? The reason why I am chatting about this in today's podcast is that I attended this outdoor event this week and as the night went on and the children around me clearly became dysregulated, they started acting out and parents started...

Send us Fan Mail Content warning: sexual violence, sex industry, difficult conversations In today’s episode we are joined by Sarah Jones , Tony winner writer, performer and director of Sell Buy Date. Sarah and I had very important and uncomfortable conversations about sex, the sex industry, sex education, and gendered violence. You might be thinking, “what does this have to do with being a parent?...

Send us Fan Mail Perhaps you are looking forward to the holidays or perhaps you are not.  Unwanted comments from family members judging how you are parenting your child, big emotions from your child because they are tired and overwhelmed, and hanging out with that family member that always drinks too much and says uncomfortable comments. (sigh) In today's episode, I chatted with child psychol...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode of the Curious Neuron podcast, I chatted with Amira Allen, Ph. D. and visiting professor at Drake University along with 3 parents (2 moms and 1 dad). We discuss the research behind paid leave and the benefits it brings to not only the parents but the children as well. However, we all know the benefits of paid leave, but do you know how many months many pare...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I share the tough night I had with my 3-year-old as a reminder that kids can actually learn how to regulate their emotions but that they need our guidance and it comes in baby steps. My son wasn't happy that he had to take his bath and go to bed. He was dancing and having fun. It took over an hour to regulate aka calm him down and guess what...I didn&...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we’re joined by Amy Morin, psychologist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Today we focus on how we as parents can be mentally strong. Being a parent is really hard, and sometimes we can set ourselves up for success by realizing things we are and aren’t doing. Amy has a great way of putting things into perspective & she makes working o...

Send us Fan Mail Hi friends! You don't want to miss this conversation I had with 2 dads.  Both are following positive parenting and have been doing the work to do things differently than how they were raised.  They touched on so many points that need to become conversations in our society. Whether you are a dad, mom, or grandparent, this episode will offer you lots to think of and conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we are joined by Emily Calandrelli from Emily’s Wonder Lab! Emily is an MIT engineer turned Emmy-nominated science TV host, producer, and Author. Like me, she was a first-generation university student, meaning she was the first in her family to get a degree. What I find most interesting is that Emily wasn’t particularly into science as a child - but being creat...

Send us Fan Mail Parenting is hard…period.  We all know this. We tell our friends too, yet when we are alone we are so hard on ourselves.  Let’s bring back self-compassion. Maybe you messed up these past few years and yelled more than you would like. Maybe you said something you regret today. Maybe you haven’t been yourself and neglected your mental health. Or perhaps you missed the signs of your...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we meet with Bryana Kappadakunnel from @consciousmommy. We’re doing things a little differently this week: we’re covering the TOP 10 questions that parents ask me about their child’s behaviour. Tune in to hear how Bryana would deal with rudeness, hitting, whining, trouble sleeping, lying, ungratefulness and constant interrupting. I love how Bryana gives us a fr...

Send us Fan Mail In today's solo episode, I discuss something I experienced after giving birth to my first child. I could not stop thinking about the fact that life isn't forever. Now that I had a baby and my life meant everything to me, I was faced with realizing that I will not live forever.  I share a story about my grandfather and what he said on his deathbed and how this changed the...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Emily Coffey who researches music, language, sleep, and how it relates to neuroplasticity. Have you ever wondered if you should be signing your child up for music lessons? Or if your child should learn more than one language at a time? What about how your brain might be influenced by sleep? All of these common questions are discussed in tod...