What if it's not what you think it is?

Two weeks ago I listed the 11 most common fears/challenges experienced by parents of strong-willed kids.  In this episode I address each one.

The work is in NOT letting these fears take hold of the way you parent, but rather gain awareness and understanding while you get to the bottom of what's really going on.

Listen to that episode first, then circle back here for the freedom to zoom out and let some fears go entirely.

IN THIS EPISODE, I SHARED...

• Why conflict should be embraced, not feared
• A reason to relax if you're the *least* preferred parent currently
• Insight that will help let new perspective in

DON'T MISS:

• An illustration to help you imagine how your child might feel at the end of everyday

// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE//
Part 1 - Ep. 138 - The 11 Most Common Challenges of Parenting a Strong-Willed Child
Ep. 108 - Break the Cycle

// CONNECT WITH DANIELLE //
Website: parentingwholeheartedly.com
IG: @parent_wholeheartedly
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START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Do you wish you had more mom friends?  You're not alone.

Unfortunately villages don't just happen. They're created!

Today’s guest, Emily Siegel, is a friendship mentor, podcast host, working mom of two adorable little boys, and the leader of The Connected Mom Life Community.  She helps busy moms create the circle of friends they crave because she firmly believes we weren’t made to mom alone, and she’s on a mission to see that we stop trying.

In our conversation she highlights the three most common misconceptions moms believe that hold them back from the relationships they'd love, how to make friendships *stickier* and whether or not it's okay if our spouse is our main source of connection in this season.


IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVERED...

• Why making mom friends feels harder than dating
• The comment to make to test the waters and see if a potential friend is a "safe" person
• How to fit friendship into your life as a busy mom by making the most of the time you have

DON'T MISS-

• Emily's fail proof pick-up line to get a mom's number

// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE//
Laura Tremaine

// CONNECT WITH EMILY SIEGEL //
Website: TheConnectedMomLife.com
Instagram:  @theconnectedmomlife


I believe in you + I'm cheering you on.
Come say hi!  I'm @parent_wholeheartedly on Insta.
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START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Hard, frustrating, exhausting - is an understatement. Your lived experience as a parent of a strong-willed child is one many can't understand, including yourself sometimes!

There are very real dynamics, fears, and perceptions that make showing up moment to moment extremely difficult, and it's impossible to solve for them without being able to name them first.   

This episode is going to give words for what you haven't yet had words to describe.

IN THIS EPISODE, I SHARED...

• Proof you're not the only one late night Googling and stressing about these things...
• The valid + understandable reasons why you feel the way you do
• What you have control over and what you don't

DON'T MISS:

• Why you might feel defeated as a "Can do" Parent with a "Do it For Me" Kid

// CONNECT WITH DANIELLE //
Website: parentingwholeheartedly.com
IG: @parent_wholeheartedly
APPLY: parentingwholeheartedly.com/apply

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Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Today's guest, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, is an author, TV personality, and cohost of the popular podcast For Crying Out Loud. She co-created and hosted the late-night comedy parenting show Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor for NickMom on Nickelodeon. She’s the author of Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay; Naptime Is the New Happy Hour; It’s Not Me, It’s You; I’m Kind of a Big Deal; and Gummi Bears Should Not Be Organic.

In this episode (and her new book DRUNK-ISH: Loving and Leaving Alcohol (On sale January 16, 2024)), she recounts the rise and fall of her relationship with alcohol, from her online fame as a wine-loving mommy blogger, to her denial, to the disastrous evening when she drove drunk with her kids in the car that marked the end.

The moral of the story we hope you hear from this episode is that it’s less important to figure out whether or not you’re an alcoholic, and more important to decide whether you could benefit from stopping drinking.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVERED...

• Her compulsion to keep secrets or stay silent when feeling like she was failing motherhood early on
• "Mommy wine culture" and all the reasons we happen to drink
• Hesitations, pre-conceived notions, and fears about life as a sober mom

DON'T MISS-

• Indicators of a problem to watch out for in your (or a loved one's) relationship with alcohol

// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE//
Ep. 79: Really Wanted and Really Hard
Book: Pregnancy Sucks: What to do when your Miracle Makes you Miserable
Book: Toddlers are A**holes: It's Not Your Fault

// CONNECT WITH STEFANIE WILDER-TAYLOR //
Website/Books: stefaniewildertaylor.com/books
Instagram:  @SWilderTaylor
Apple Podcasts: For Crying Out Loud
Pre-Order: Drunk-Ish: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving Alcohol (out January 16th, 2024)

I believe in you + I'm cheering you on.
Come say hi!  I'm @parent_wholeheartedly on Insta.
Apply to work together: parentingwholeheartedly.com/Apply

Send us Fan Mail over Text.

Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Tis the season for under-stimulated kids, over-stimulated parents, an influx of gifts and stuff everywhere!  

If you have the urge to throw everything away right now, you’re not alone!

If you’d love to have LESS at your house but feel guilty for getting rid of perfectly good (educational even!) toys, this episode is for you.

Today I’m sharing the benefits of less toys for you and your kid(s), your goals to set out and attain, and I break down the steps to take to go through things one shelf at a time.

Cheers to more cooperation, more focused independent play, and more SANITY in 2024!

IN THIS EPISODE, I SHARED...

• A step-by-step approach to tackle toys at your house with no guilt whatsoever
• Advice on how to involve your kids
• My thoughts on toy rotation, books, gifts, and all their trinkets + trash :)

DON'T MISS:

• The key mindset shift that sets the tone for everyone!

// CONNECT WITH DANIELLE //
Website: parentingwholeheartedly.com
IG: @parent_wholeheartedly
APPLY: parentingwholeheartedly.com/apply

Send us Fan Mail over Text.

Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Originally Aired: September 8th, 2020

If nothing prepares you for parenting... how can you possibly be prepared to parent a child with special needs?

After trying everything & realizing her son wasn't able to get the help he needed, Paulette risked everything to leave her home country of Puerto Rico.

After devoting her all to her son, Paulette felt like the ultimate failure when she realized she was missing obvious signs her daughter was behind at school.  Paulette felt like she wasn't doing enough and it was all her fault.

This episode is an ode to a dedicated teacher, the sacrifices we make as moms, and learning to step back to watch our kids fly.

// CONNECT WITH PAULETTE //
Lead Media LLC is now Unstoppable Latina - Strategy & Marketing for Latina Consultants
Facebook
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*FREE* CALM BIG EMOTIONS GUIDE
www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/emotions

// SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION //
wholeheartedly.as.me/call

I believe in you & I'm cheering you on.
Come say hi!  I'm @parent_wholeheartedly on Insta.

Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Write a Review & Share with a friend!

Send us Fan Mail over Text.

Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Originally Aired: October 6th, 2020

Keeping a brand new human alive when you've never done it before is... A LOT.

When Grace Henke's daughter could not stop screaming, she took her right back to the hospital their first night home!

Supplementing, lip/tongue ties, constipation, gas, panicking about milestones is all overwhelming enough, let alone the constant comparisons to others & the doubt in your own abilities.

Is my daughter alright? Is she behind? Am I behind?

After a whirlwind of a few months, Grace is here to share how she's combating the pressure, embracing her daughter for exactly who she is, and becoming confident as a new mom.

She also dives into her perspective on anti-obedience dog training and the parallels to positive parenting!  MIND BLOWN.

// CONNECT WITH GRACE //
https://fairlovedogtraining.com/

*FREE* CALM BIG EMOTIONS GUIDE
www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/emotions

// SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION //
wholeheartedly.as.me/call

I believe in you & I'm cheering you on.
Come say hi!  I'm @parent_wholeheartedly on Insta.

Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Write a Review & Share with a friend!

Send us Fan Mail over Text.

Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Originally aired: October 13, 2020 (Ep. 26)

"You want your parents to be involved in your child's life, but at what cost?"

Both of Jamie's parents are alcoholics and are still in a gut-wrenching divorce that's been going on for years.  She has been working daily to break the chain of trauma, and what once crippled her has made her so much stronger.

"It was a scary thing to realize that this is no longer something that only affects me.  This affects my kids.  I have to ensure my kids are safe."

Disappointment.  Lies.  Heartbreak.  Guilt.  Grief.

If you've ever been stuck trying to navigate boundaries with your extended family, this episode is for you.  Get ready to take notes from Jamie's example.

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Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

Parents to a 4-year-old strong-willed son and an almost 2 year-old daughter, Omaya + Andrew are here to share the biggest mindset shifts they internalized that made it possible for them to go from constantly splitting up their family to avoid setting off their strong-willed child to watching their sibling relationship thrive and taking both kids hiking as a solo parent!

They reflected on what they've done well to parent together as true partners, processing the information in real time and tagging each other out in the moment. 

But most importantly, they hope by hearing their story you'll not only feel incredibly validated, but realize how possible it is to make sense of all the theories when you have individualized insight.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVERED...

• The problem with spending your energy trying to rationalize with someone who’s behavior is by definition, irrational
• What it really means to respond to the emotion, not the action
• How empowering it is to move from avoidance to acceptance of your child's BIG emotions

DON'T MISS:

• What to do with your fears that your child is the *worst* child of all the kids you know

// CONNECT WITH DANIELLE //
Website: parentingwholeheartedly.com
IG: @parent_wholeheartedly
APPLY: parentingwholeheartedly.com/apply

Send us Fan Mail over Text.

Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident

No matter the occasion, when buying a gift for the kid(s) in your life, you want to WOW them without breaking the bank or seeing your investments lying in the "toy graveyard" 2 months from now, taking up space or making a mess, never to be played with again.  
I GOT YOU!

I've compiled a huge list of mostly unconventional items your strong-willed child will lose their mind for, and continue playing with for months or years to come!  They're not super expensive, they're not super messy, they're not annoying, and they still retain the "fun to watch them open" factor!

The overall GOAL for gifts for strong-willed kids is that the gifts create a feeling of being BIG/grown up, getting to be the boss, feeling important or in control through play.

Remember, if we don't proactively give them outlets to get this very real need met, we leave it up to them and they'll find a way, it just won't be mutually beneficial.

// CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BLOG POST //
https://www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/blog/best-toys-for-strong-willed-kids

IN THIS EPISODE, I SHARED...

• My "5 Rules to Live By" when buying toys
• Oodles of practical gifts you haven't thought of, like over 100+ 
• Ideas that give strong-willed kids a huge sense of power + control!

DON'T MISS:

•  The 3 gifts that take the cake!

// CONNECT WITH DANIELLE //
Website: parentingwholeheartedly.com
IG: @parent_wholeheartedly
APPLY: parentingwholeheartedly.com/apply

Send us Fan Mail over Text.

Support the show

START HERE:
CALM + CONFIDENT: THE MASTERCLASS
Master the KIND + FIRM Approach your Strong-Willed Child Needs WITHOUT Crushing their Spirit OR Walking on Eggshells
*FREE* - www.parentingwholeheartedly.com/confident