Securely Attached

While it's wonderful that there is much more talk about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and other perineal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) than ever before, the flip side of that coin is that sometimes when new parents experience a PMAD after the birth of their child they feel ashamed for not seeing it coming.   The reality is there is nothing you did or didn't do that causes you to...

We talk a lot about secure attachment on this podcast—which is certainly the best case scenario. But the reality is that not everyone forms a secure attachment bond. So what can we learn about insecure attachment patterns? And are there some forms of insecure attachments that are better than others?   Here to answer these questions and discuss the finding of his research on attachment theory is Dr...

RIE, which stands for Resources for Infant Educarers, is a parenting philosophy created by Magda Gerber that has gained a lot of attention in recent years. Yet, there are still some common misconceptions many parents have about this approach.   Here to shed some light on the teachings of RIE is the founder of Beech Street Parenting, Courtney Dern.   If you are pregnant or a new parent, you won't w...

Were you uninvited to a birthday party, laughed at by a group of mean girls, or maybe even bullied? If you had some tough times in elementary, middle, or high school, it's easy to inadvertently be projecting your own experiences onto your child as they develop their own social group.   Last week's Securely Attached episode was all about peer rejection in toddlerhood—how to make space for a dialogu...

When we hear our children say things like, "I don't want to play with her" or "that's my toy" it's easy for us to feel flooded and want to shut down the situations with comments like, "that's not very nice" or "you need to share."   But peer rejection is a normal and healthy part of development. While it may take some work for us to calm our own fight or flight response so we can be open to this,...

Human evolution is incredible. We come out of the womb knowing that our greatest chance of survival is to attach to a primary caretaker who will keep us safe. And that innate wisdom is what motivates children to seek closeness and connection to their secure base.   When children suffer from an anxiety disorder the threat detector in their brain is on overdrive and more and more they rely on their...

When we teach our young children to slow down, to notice their emotions, then equip them with tools for navigating their tricky feelings like disappointment, impatience, boredom, sadness, or anger, we lay the foundation for a kinder and more empathetic society.   It was an honor to speak to Dr. Dan Siegel, a pioneer in the field of psychology and the study of mindfulness.   It all starts with us!...

It can be difficult and scary to talk about death as adults, so having to do so with our kids can cause us to freeze up and shut down. But by being open and honest about death, an inevitable part of life, we lay the groundwork our children need to develop the tools to process loss and work through feelings of grief and pain.   Here to help us unpack our own anxiety, so we may break cycles of avoid...

There can be many reasons why children may experience prolonged separations from a parent. From planned separations like for military families or when one parent must take a job far away, to unplanned situations in the case of mental illness, substance abuse or abandonment.   I've received several listener questions asking for guidance on how to best help their child process and work through their...

When we become parents for the second or third time, one of the most common experiences (that people often don't talk about) is the grief parents feel for their big kiddo and the changes that are about to rock their world. That is just one of the many emotions, challenges and joys that come with expanding our families.   Here to talk about what it was like for her to transition from one child to t...

During the pandemic, "burnout" became a trendy buzzword getting thrown around social media, blogs, and moms groups. But what is the actual medical definition of burnout and how can learning about what it is help us to move out of the never ending state of exhaustion many parents are faced with today?   Joining me to clear the confusion and offer strategies for finding balance is Board Certified Ph...

The stereotypes surrounding fatherhood often revolve around a disengaged father figure described as "baby-sitting" their own child, lacking deep emotions, and blindly following their wife's advice.   But that is far from the reality for most modern-day fathers. Here to give us that often elusive real dad perspective is father of two and therapist, Eli Weinstein.   Eli will give us a peek into the...

In preschool, learning is far less about the ABC's and 1,2,3's and far more about developing an awareness of yourself and the world around you. Knowing how to best support your child and help them feel more comfortable transitioning to a school environment can be instrumental in setting them up for success.   Joining me this week to help parents learn how to guide their children through this trans...

Science has shown that the best way to help our kids become independent, confident, kind, empathetic, and happy is by talking with them. But while we may know that what we say to our children matters, we may not know exactly how to get started or what to do to encourage honest, open and thoughtful communication.   Here to help parents learn the secrets of effective communication is speech patholog...

Whether potty training isn't going as planned, or you're just nervous about gearing up to undertake your child's' transition out of diapers, that added pressure, frustration and anxiety can create a vicious cycle, making potty learning more difficult— for you and your child.   Here to offer a podcast style "potty class" for parents so they can identify potential problem areas (physically and emoti...

Moms are overwhelmed, exhausted and burnt out. There is a major lacking in systems to support new, working and stay-at-home moms… so basically, that's every mother.   It is important for us to fight for change, but the weight of that constant battle and stream of seemingly never-ending bad news can feel too heavy to carry at times.   Joining me to discuss the advocacy work The Chamber of Mothers i...

Being intentional about the way we parent our young children now can help lay critical groundwork that will allow them to flourish in adulthood. Lessons like independence, self-confidence, and resilience can all be fostered through helping to build emotional intelligence in our kids.   Joining me to discuss how you can help prepare your own children to tackle life in the real world is mother of 4...

Parenting in an age of ever changing technology—battling over screen time use, deciding when to allow your child to have a smart phone, and understanding how much screen time is too much—can be confusing for parents of children of all ages.   Joining me today to help parents learn to cut through the confusion and successfully navigate parenting in the digital age is The Screentime Consultant, Emil...

A few weeks ago I recorded an amazing episode on sex and intimacy after baby with The WTF Trimester creator, Chelsea Skaggs. And it seemed to hit a nerve, because I received tons of feedback from that episode! For some of you, learning how to communicate your needs to your partner in a way they would be able to hear you was just what you needed. But I also got some DMs from moms who are facing a d...

There is no shortage of doctor visits and wellness checks during your child's first few years. And that can cause some apprehension and anxiety for both parents and children.   I am so excited to welcome my family's own pediatrician, Dr. Rachel Geronemus, onto the podcast to fill us all in on what pediatricians want parents to know! This conversation is chalk full of helpful tips, like what you ca...

For many couples, the birth of a child can bring with it a shift in their intimate relationship. Having a child triggers such a sudden and massive transition to our identity, our body and sometimes even our sex drive, so it makes perfect sense that new parents can often find themselves on different pages when it comes to intimacy and sex.   And that is just one of the reasons I am so excited to ta...

Executive functioning skills are the systems, structures and routines we establish in our daily life that make us successful. Do you always put the mail on the end table when you walk in the door? That's a perfect example of this.   These skills are housed within the prefrontal cortex and that part of the brain isn't fully developed until we are in our 20s! So all children, whether they are neurot...

Raising children today in a world saturated with guns, active shooter drills at school and mass shootings on the news can leave parents feeling overwhelmed and unsure.   I wanted to talk directly to you about the psychology and developmental aspect of aggression and the impact of both toy and real guns on our children and society at large. This isn't about me telling you what is right or wrong, go...

As our children grow into the people they will be, so too do we grow into the parents we become. Alexis Barad-Cutler, the founder of Not Safe For Mom Group, found herself in that very situation when her youngest child, Gavi, expressed the need to be the "real Gavi" at 3-years-old.   In this episode Alexis shares her raw and powerful story of leaning in and learning how to support her gender noncon...

If you're listening to this podcast, you're probably already at least somewhat versed in the styles of positive, gentle, respectful or responsive parenting. But whatever you call it, there are many societal misconceptions about what these styles are. Here to help me bust some myths and dig into the research and brain science behind why we're shifting past behaviorism is Sarah R. Moore. From interg...