Building Trust in the Home: Practical Insights for Parenting

What does it really mean to build trust with our children, and what quietly erodes it over time?

In this episode, Rabbi Yudkowsky and Rabbi Greenwald explore trust not as a technique, but as a way of being in the home. They touch on the subtle messages parents send through consistency, communication, and everyday interactions, and how those messages shape a child’s inner world.

The conversation raises difficult and honest questions about control, guidance, and what happens when children struggle or push back. Along the way, the rabbis challenge common assumptions about parenting and invite listeners to reconsider what truly helps children grow into confident, grounded adults.

This episode offers perspective, reflection, and a deeper way of thinking about trust, without easy answers or quick fixes.

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Welcome

0:05 Creating a Trustworthy Environment

1:04 The Marshmallow Experiment

2:12 Nature vs. Nurture in Trust Development

3:31 Teaching Delayed Gratification

4:34 Parental Influence on Trust

5:42 The Role of Consistency and Honesty

8:49 Challenges in Parenting and Trust

15:43 The Importance of Struggles and Challenges

21:12 Guiding Children Through Mistakes

24:27 The Power of Gentle Guidance

25:47 A Fathers Persistent Influence

27:18 Creating a Trusting Environment

28:15 The Impact of Corporal Punishment

31:38 Understanding and Addressing Rebellion

34:35 Building Trust with Teenagers

43:45 Summary and Key Takeaways on Trust and Parenting

Rabbi Yudkowsky and Rabbi Greenwald explore one of the most complex and emotionally charged challenges of parenting: trust. This is episode two of a three-part series focused on what it truly means to trust our children.

The rabbis unpack some common fears that if unacknowledged or ignored can block our ability to trust.

They distinguish between external compliance vs internal motivation -- obedience driven by pressure or fear and growth that emerges from choice, ownership, and self-direction. They challenge the assumption that constant intervention leads to better outcomes, examining the subversive impact of control on a child’s confidence, agency, and long-term development.

The conversation extends into the religious and spiritual realm, considering the difference between cultivating authentic connection to mitzvot and values as opposed to outward conformity.

They describe how trusting our children is an outgrowth of trusting ourselves and having the courage to give our children space to struggle, learn, and grow.

Ultimately, this episode reframes trust as an act of faith in the process of growth and in our children’s potential. And it explains how meaningful connection—both in parenting and in Avodas Hashem—cannot be forced, only nurtured. 9f9tjijf

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Check out Rabbi Greenwald new book:

https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422645352.html

Rabbi Yudkowsky and Rabbi Greenwald explore what it truly means to build trust with our children. They discuss how trust is formed from early childhood through consistent care, emotional safety, empathy, and clear expectations.

The conversation examines trust as a two-way relationship, balancing boundaries with understanding, and allowing children to learn from mistakes without fear. Drawing on parenting psychology, lived experience, and spiritual insight, the Rabbis offer practical guidance for fostering self-belief, responsibility, and emotional security in children.

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