Exceptional Parenting Podcast

Little kids with big emotions usually just feels like having kids who have MASSIVE tantrums, lots of tears, and probably a lot of resistance too. 

In the heat of the moment, it's hard to remember that their actions are a result of their emotions. And, let's face it, when the tantrums are lasting longer more often than most, it's just draining to even think about doing anything other than yell or try to stop it in its tracks. 

But that doesn't help anyone. 

In this episode, you'll learn what big emotions could look like in your child, why most parenting hacks don't work in the moment, and what will work.

Full show notes at https://exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode75

Want to yell less at kids? Consider these two things first

The other day I pulled up Pinterest to see what would appear when I searched "how to yell less at kids." I wasn't surprised that over 1,000 articles came up, all with catchy titles promising to end the yelling spell once and for all. Each article had something different to try. Some were a little far fetched "when you ask your kid to do something, and they ignore you, wait until they ask you to do something and ignore them" Really??

Because this podcast is all about tangible, no fluff parenting solutions, I wanted to share with you why we yell and why NONE of those parenting tips or hacks will work in the long run. Instead, I give you two things to consider when changing any parenting habit. 

If you can put these two ideas into place, I promise you'll find yourself naturally wanting to yell less at kids, have more patience, and enjoying more time with the kids. All without feeling like you're forcing it or putting on a show.

Full show notes at https://exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode74

There's more than enough parenting advice out there for; how to be more patient, yell less at kids, and transform into the mom who actually loves motherhood. While some of those tips might work for a while, most likely, all that parenting advice won't last long term because it's missing one important piece. 

That piece is exactly what Nancy DeMaria shares in this episode and is what she wrote her book about "Little Secret, Big Change." While her parenting advice might seem countercultural, the truth is, it works. In fact, before even meeting Nancy, I experimented and found what she teaches to be so true in my home. 

Her secret? How we feel about ourselves and the way we approach our own feelings will drive us to respond in a certain way as a parent. In other words, if we feel like a failure, we will act like a failure. If we feel like a great mom, we will act like a great mom. 

Find out how to do this and learn why this is the only parenting advice you'll need in this episode.

You can find the full show notes here https://exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode73

This episode is close to my heart as I interview a friend and former student Shira Parnes. She isn't a parenting expert, behavior expert, or anything of the likes. She's a mom who works a full-time job, has young kids, and just like most of you- at one point felt like she wasn't cut out to be the mom her kids needed. 

In this interview she shares how she felt about parenting, wanting to be a good parent, but feeling like she was falling short, and not loving it for a while. Then as she shifted her thinking and her perspective, her feelings changed too. 

She admits she's not perfect. But she can confidently say today that she loves being a mom and shares how that shift came about for her. Hint: it didn't come from mom hacks, parenting tips, or following any 5 step plan. What she shares is as real and honest as it gets and I know you'll relate to her story. 

After you listen to this episode, reach out to me on Instagram and let me know how this helped you. I'm @wendybertagnole over there and I can't wait to hear from you. 

Full show notes available at www.exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode72

We all have an idea of the kind of parent we want to be. Maybe it's a mom who doesn't yell or a mom who loves every minute of parenting. In this episode, Alyssa Blask Campbell and I explain why those ideas can be more harmful than good when it comes to helping us be a more positive parent. 

Both Alyssa and I have seen things like the "no yell challenge" and all the pressure it puts on parents to essentially "be perfect" even if it is for a short time. Alyssa brings in research and I add personal experiences of why that isn't a sustainable way to improve our parenting. 

What does work? In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of the internal work we do on ourselves as parents, and how that helps us naturally be better parents. You'll also learn, and hopefully, internalize that we are all human. We all have emotions, and that's ok! Even as parents it's ok. All of our emotions are signals for us to dig deeper into why we react, and this episode will help you see how to respond more than react. 

How to Create a Successful, No-Stress, Sensory Diet for Kids in 4 Simple Steps

Join the FREE online workshop at www.yourkidstable.com/workshop

Full show notes at https://exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode71

After watching a Facebook ad claiming there's "one thing all sensory parents should have." The ad stated that it could help avoid and minimize meltdowns. I honestly wanted to scream!

While sensory gadgets, tools, toys, and diets have their place and can be so much fun, relying on them to help regulate our kids is a misleading idea for so many reasons. 

Here in this episode, you'll learn;

*Three reasons sensory gadgets don't work.

*Why I don't have any sensory gadgets and don't feel bad about it.

*What I teach my students to use instead, which will work in the long term and is more effective. 

If you want to get out of the rut of feeling like your home is a therapy office, or feeling like you're glued to all the sensory gadgets in your home, this episode is for you and will be a breath of fresh air.

How to Create a Successful, No-Stress, Sensory Diet for Kids in 4 Simple Steps

Join the FREE online workshop at www.yourkidstable.com/workshop

Full show notes at https://exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode69

"What do I tell my kid about his sensory preferences and why he has to go to therapy?"

This question has come into my DM's in different forms, so many times, so today I wanted to share with you a simple way to explain sensory to the whole family, and help you see why it's important. 

In this episode you'll learn: 

How to get others on board with sensory 

How to help your child understand sensory

Why it's a good thing for everyone to understand sensory

And so much more. 

Let me know your thoughts as you listen to it. I'd love to hear!

How to Create a Successful, No-Stress, Sensory Diet for Kids in 4 Simple Steps

Join the FREE online workshop at www.yourkidstable.com/workshop

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Recently I've been getting a lot of questions in my DM's about sensory kids. Parents want to know why their kid seems to do things they "know" they shouldn't do. Why their kid is so intense, and why it feels so much harder to parent them than other kids. 

The answers to these questions all make sense when we take a peek through a sensory lens and shine a light on what's happening in their brains, and get a sense of what it might feel like to be in their shoes. 

This episode does all of that and more. So if you've ever wondered if your kid will always be that way, and if it's just a phase, listen in to get a bit more clarity on it.

Full show notes can be found at exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode66

Author, speaker, and mom, Debbie Reber knows what it's like to have a kid who has the biggest meltdowns, receive regular calls from the school about her kids "behavior" and all the things most of us know so well, too. 

In this episode, Debbie shares the shift she created that started decreasing the frustration, the anxiety, and the tears she and her son both felt with all of those struggles. 

Debbie has coined the term "differently wired" to explain that kids with or without a diagnosis, who may be developing atypically, don't have to be seen as "difficult". She started seeing this shift in herself when she focused on the gifts her son's brain is naturally wired for, and how she could help him use those to catapult his learning in other areas. In this episode, she shares all of that with us as well. 

In this episode you'll learn;

• More about how to implement this powerful mindset shift into your life
• Why that shift can make a huge (and positive)  impact on your child's development
• How current social trends can be triggers for us as adults and how to combat those

Find the full show notes at www.exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode65

If there's one question I get asked over and over again, it's this "how do I know if my kid is just being bad or if it's sensory?"

There are hundreds of articles on the internet about the difference between a meltdown and a tantrum, the difference between sensory and behavior, and quite frankly, I think all of those articles miss an important point, which I uncover today.

Here I'm going to share that with you and clear up any confusion around behavior by simplifying everything else you've heard and showing you how to deal with any behavior you are seeing in your home.