Emily gets real in sharing some of the greatest challenges she has come up against as a mother, both with foster and biological children.

Motherhood is wonderful but definitely comes with some challenges. We don't need to face them alone! Sometimes we really need someone who "gets" the extreme behavior our children are facing, or help to get through deep burnout and overwhelm. I want to be that support for moms who are right there. This is where Enlightening Motherhood LLC was born. As a compassionate Parent Guide Life Coach, I am here to support other mothers get to the root of the challenges they are facing, one at a time, create better mindsets, and walk away with a realistic, personal and actionable goal. To come to know me and the services I offer better (including pricing), please check out http://enlighteningmotherhood.com and/or email me at [email protected].

Emily interviews her good friend, Sierra, who is open about her diagnosis of depression and anxiety, how it affects her motherhood, and what she would want others to know. (We also give a good plug on how being authentically imperfect can bless you!)

Ashley and Emily discuss takeaways, thoughts, and real life examples of Chapters 5-7 of The Explosive Child by Ross Greene. We talk about different ways of handling children's challenging behavior, what it might look like if they are in the heat of the moment versus when we are able to be proactive and talk with them when everyone is calm. Plan B is a newer way to approach solutions for situations where your child might typically exhibit challenging behavior (explosions, fits, meltdowns, hitting, screaming, imploding, running away, etc.), that takes some time, but could be worth the investment in the long run!

You can access the ALSUP that we mention here: https://livesinthebalance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ALSUP-2020.pdf.

Ashley shares takeaways from Sarah Boyd's Your Sensitive Child Masterclass. Find more resources and support for parenting Highly Sensitive Children at www.resilientlittlehearts.com

Emily delves into ideas about how giving sincere praise to others *might* really help them out, but how it *will* benefit the one giving the praise.

Questions? Comments? Episode requests? Email us! [email protected]

Emily shares the life hacks that she's learned with the laundry to change it from something overwhelming to something that's a small and simple part of her daily routine.

Ashley & Emily discuss their takeaways in Chapters 3-4 from Ross Greene's The Explosive Child. Lagging Skills (aka Pathways) are abilities that children don't have (yet) and Unsolved Problems (aka triggers) are scenarios in which challenging behavior is likely to occur. Explosions or other unwanted behavior is often predictable, which makes it solvable! Identifying the lagging skills and triggers - without playing the blaming game or placing guilt - is the first step to solving such behaviors. (We will discuss the resolution in future episodes.) The ASLUP (Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems) form with a list of potential Lagging Skills can be found on Dr. Greene's website at https://livesinthebalance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ALSUP-2020.pdf. 

Questions? Comments? Episode requests? Email us! [email protected].

Emily gives advice that has helped her to decrease the amount that she yells at her children (though the same principles apply to yelling at other people, too!). She explains some potential triggers, helpful thought work, and potential alternatives. This includes tips that may help people that may loose their temper more often than they like or otherwise have emotional disregulation that they would like to work on controlling a little more. Questions? Comments? Podcast requests? Email us! [email protected]

Ashley and Emily summarize, discuss, and apply chapters 1-2 of The Explosive Child by Ross Greene, with the message that both kids AND parents do well when they can, and how that perspective can bring much more peace in our personal lives, and help to prepare us to better get to the root cause of explosive behavior. Questions? Comments? Podcast requests? Email us! [email protected]