Your Kids Don’t Suck: Cultivating Closeness with your Kids through Non-Coercive, Conscious Parenting

What are the wins in doing the deep work of dismantling coercion and control in our parenting? Why do it? Why work so hard to break generational patterns? What does it give you, your family, your child? In this episode, Cara and Rythea focus on the profound closeness, joy, and harmony that comes from diving into this parenting philosophy. They give examples with their children and partners of brea...

Alesandra Rodriguez, mom of four kids in a blended family, tells her powerful story of a radical turnaround with her whole family. After joining Rythea’s support group, Alesandra and her husband dove their entire family deep into the counter-culture philosophy of collaborative parenting. After experiencing an ah-ha moment with her teen kid in crisis, Alesandra began a shift into a parenting realit...

A few years ago, Rythea had no idea what TikTok was... But she jumped on the app with the encouragement of a friend and her spontaneous video about parenting went viral. Find out what happened next in this episode of Your Kids Don’t Suck, where Cara and Rythea use three TikToks to talk about how humor woke up large numbers of eager parents who were waiting for an alternative to mainstream parentin...

In this episode, Cara and Rythea delve deep into an inspiring story of deconstructing a fundamentalist Christian upbringing to embracing non-coercive parenting, with their guest, Siegwen, a single parent of four. Siegwen shares their powerful story of transformation, recounting the challenges of breaking free from a fundamentalist Christian environment and the pivotal moments that led them to embr...

Content Advisory: This episode contains discussion of childhood sexual trauma in a therapeutic context This episode offers parents an example of what a therapeutic process looks like and how it leads to personal accountability, and then (hopefully!) closeness with our children. In this episode, therapist Rythea Lee shares with us her process when it comes to getting reactive with her kid. Rythea e...

Welcome back to Your Kids Don't Suck! Today, we're thrilled to have Kelsie Olds, also known as The Occuplaytional Therapist on social media. Kelsie is a parent and occupational therapist specializing in child-led and neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy. We discuss: Kelsie's Training and Approach : Rythea and Cara delve into Kelsie's background as an occupational therapist, exploring what...

In this episode, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone delve into listener questions about navigating conflicts between children and/or siblings, and co-parenting with differing parenting styles. Drawing from their expertise in non-coercive, collaborative parenting, Rythea and Cara provide insightful guidance on fostering connection with your child(ren) within difficult family dynamics. Rythea emphas...

Welcome to another episode of "Your Kids Don't Suck"! In this episode, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Yolanda Williams, a radical justice educator, mother, and conscious parenting coach. Rythea and Cara delve into a crucial discussion with Yolanda on the pervasive influence of capitalism on our lives and, more specifically, on self-care. Together...

It's an episode you've been waiting for - Cara and Rythea tackle the ever-controversial topic of screen time. As parents themselves and therapists working with families, they delve into the complexities surrounding this issue and offer practical insights for navigating screen time boundaries within family dynamics. We start by exploring why screen time has become such a polarizing and emotionally...

In this episode of Your Kids Don't Suck, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone dive deep into the world of non-coercive parenting within the framework of coparenting relationships. Joined by Rythea's partner Will and Cara's husband Sanjay, the conversation unfolds into a heartfelt exploration of parenting dynamics and philosophies. Sanjay and Will offer unique perspectives on parenting, bringing dive...

S1 EP9: Join us as we engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the concept of obedience. Cara and Rythea delve into its definition, highlighting real-life examples of non-coercive parenting drawn from Cara's day-to-day experiences with her toddler. The hosts explore practical ways to implement collaboration with young children, emphasizing its crucial role in fostering trust, connection, play,...

S1 EP8: What does it look like to have grown up being treated like someone of equal value to your parent? Rythea Lee’s long-time sister-of-choice, Naomi Sparrow, parented in a non-coercive way long before there was a name for it. She didn’t call it that, she says: “I tried not to hurt my kid, justify it, and get away with it.” Naomi worked to protect her daughter's autonomy with no support or refe...

S1 EP7: We're diving into a Q&A format, addressing two thought-provoking questions from our listeners. Many of us grapple with the realization that our parents may have unintentionally or intentionally hurt us in the past, but the decision to confront them as an adult is a complex one. We share our insights on whether it's the right time for one listener to tackle this emotionally charged issu...

S1 EP6: We heard you and you want to know: How the hell do you collaboratively and consciously parent when you have multiple kids?! Non-coercive, conscious mom-to-five, Tanisha Henderson is here to answer this question and SO MUCH MORE. The episode begins with Tanisha sharing her personal journey to becoming a conscious, collaborative parent. She discusses her inspirations, pivotal moments, and th...

S1 EP5: What are, if any, the differences between non-coercive, conscious parenting and permissive parenting? So many people get confused by collaboration and mutuality with kids and think it points to a free-for-all, hands-off approach. Here we explore the fears that often prevent parents from embracing non-coercive conscious parenting and emphasize how societal norms and pressures can make paren...

S1 EP4: We're diving deep into the often uncharted waters of parenting and how our own trauma affects parenting. Just about every parent has some kind of trauma from their past. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a trauma survivor, it’s possible your body has some natural reactions to stress that you find overwhelming. Tools for trauma responses in the body can be so helpful. Also, we live in...

S1 EP3: Rythea and Cara are joined by Vivek Patel of @meaningfulideas to discuss the framework of non-coercive, collaborative parenting. Rythea tells the story of what led her to this parenting lifestyle and how Vivek’s support and body of work brought her to where she is now. Also in this episode: What's wrong with coercion? How does coercion relate to boundaries and limits with our kids? Real li...

S1 EP2: What are the 10 promises of non-coercive, conscious parenting and what we (as parents doing it!) can assure will happen if you step on this path. This includes the discussion of: Kids and big emotions How to guide our children without controlling them The benefits of mutual respect and collaboration Discussion of the underlying fears of trusting our children's choices What "problem" behavi...

S1 EP1: What happens when two Mothers (who have never met until now) step off the traditional parenting path and become non-coercive, conscious parents? What does it look like as they aim to treat their children as equals, collaborators, and dare we say, friends? On this podcast, Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone dive deep into the counter-culture journey of non-authoritarian parenting and invite you t...