There’s a moment in this conversation I can’t quite shake.

A mom drops her child’s favorite stuffed animal into the trash while her four-year-old begs her not to. If that makes your stomach tighten, you’re not alone.

Because even if you’ve never had a “trash can moment,” you’ve probably had that moment. The one where you hear yourself and think, “Wait…is this how I want to parent?”

That’s exactly where this conversation with Wendy Snyder begins. Not from perfection, but from honesty, growth, and a deep desire to do better than what we were handed.

And the surprising part? She doesn’t just share what went wrong. She shows us what to do instead in a way that feels doable and hopeful.

If you’ve ever wondered why punishment doesn’t work, why strong-willed kids push every button, or why you keep reacting in ways you swore you wouldn’t, this episode will meet you right there.

Inside, we talk about:

• The story behind that “trash can moment” and why it changed everything
• What’s really happening during power struggles
• The discipline belief most of us inherited and why it backfires
• A simple 4-step process to set limits without yelling or shame
• Why connection changes everything
• How to support strong-willed kids without breaking their spirit
• What breaking generational cycles actually looks like
• The long game of parenting and what success really means

Underneath it all is a quiet shift. Maybe parenting isn’t about controlling our kids better, but understanding them and ourselves more deeply.

If that’s the kind of change you’ve been craving, you’re in the right place.

Resources We Mention for Respectful Discipline

• Pre-order Wendy’s new book at Amazon, Bookshop.org, or wherever you find your books, and then grab the preorder bonuses here.
• Listen to Michele Borba’s interview about helping our kids build empathy.
• Scripts for calm connection with Bryanna Kappadakunnel
• Listen to Wendy’s episode on parenting “cactus kids”
• My episode on the Fresh Start Family podcast about building connection through cooking

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