Ever find yourself wishing you could raise kids who think beyond themselves, show emotional resilience, and eat their veggies without a bribe? Well tune in and buckle up. 

This week on the Good Enough Parenting podcast, I sat down with Sarah Robertson-Barnes, sustainability writer, educator, and host of Sustainable in the Suburbs — and she’s here to remind us that parenting with the planet in mind doesn’t have to mean going full homestead (or giving up take out).

We talked about the small, practical ways we can parent more sustainably — and how those choices actually help our kids grow. Turns out, being mindful about waste, food, and nature doesn’t just protect the planet; it builds impulse control, flexibility, and problem-solving skills. 

Plus, Sarah swears that some sustainable swaps are great for your family budget and your *picky eaters. (Apparently composting can make them feel like magicians??)

We also got into the deeper stuff: how connecting kids to the planet helps them move past their natural egocentricity, how to avoid eco-burnout, and why being mindful about our waste and consumption is not about perfection – it’s about progress. 

So take a deep breath, skip the guilt, and tune in for some down-to-earth wisdom that might just make your next meal — and your next parenting moment — a little greener.

You can find Sarah HERE and check out her podcast Sustainable in the Suburbs for more ideas on reducing waste, rethinking consumption, and even throwing a trash-free birthday party (yes, it’s possible).

Because hauling your own Tupperware to your favorite restaurant may not solve the climate crisis, but for now it might just be good enough. 

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

Hiring a nanny sounds simple—until you realize you’re basically trying to find a magical Mary Poppins who can keep your kids alive and make healthy snacks and not judge the state of your laundry room and somehow feel like part of the family without actually being family. 

No pressure, right?

Enter the magnificent Sarah Davis, founder of Olive You Nanny. On this week’s Good Enough Parenting episode, I sat down with Sarah to talk about the art (and heart) of finding the right caregiver for your family. She’s been in the childcare world for over 25 years and has helped thousands of parents not only find the right person for their family but also figure out what makes a nanny-family relationship actually work.

We got into all of it—the interviews, the red flags, the tricky “we adore you but also you work for us” dynamic, and how to set up boundaries that keep everyone feeling respected (and sane).

We even explore why having other caregivers for our kids’ lives isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s actually a huge step toward gender equality and sanity for moms.

Bonus Gift! Sarah has created The Nanny Playbook, a step-by-step guide that helps families find and build lasting, healthy relationships with their nannies. AND she’s giving Good Enough Parents $50 off this incredible resource! Just use code “playbook” at checkout 

Get THE NANY PLAYBOOK HERE

If you’ve ever wondered how to find a caregiver you can trust with your kids—or how to keep things smooth once you do—this episode is for you. 

Because the right nanny doesn’t just support your kids. They support you too. And that’s more than Good Enough. 

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

Before I had kids, I was sure I’d never use screens to entertain my kids at restaurants, I’d never threaten consequences without follow through. And I’d never change the core of who I was just because these little beings entered my life. Oh, the confidence of those pre-parenting days.

Fast forward to today, and sometimes my reality looks more like threatening to cut my daughter’s hair when she won’t shower or accidentally letting my son stay up all night on video games because I fell asleep on the couch.

It got me thinking: what does modern parenting look like to people who don’t have kids? Are we making it look exhausting? Over-complicated? Maybe even a little unappealing?

That’s why, in this week’s episode of Good Enough Parenting, I sat down with my longtime friend Jim—someone who doesn’t have children but has watched plenty of us navigate parenthood. Think of him as a cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead-style, observing our parenting world from the outside.

We talk about:

 ✨ What surprises him most when he’s around kids
 ✨ Where parents may be overthinking—or underthinking
 ✨ How friendships shift once kids enter the picture
 ✨ What he wishes parents knew about how their choices affect the people      around them

And maybe most importantly, Jim reminds us of who we thought we’d be as parents before family life swept us up.

This one’s equal parts funny, eye-opening, and a little humbling. I think you’ll love it.

Sometimes we need our kid-free friends to help us remember that we were never meant to be the perfect parent – just good enough.   

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

It’s officially late July, which means we’re deep in the season of sticky popsicles, sunscreen battles, and the kind of sibling squabbles that make you rethink that “no screens before noon” rule. In this week’s episode, we’re pressing pause on the chaos to do a little mid-summer check-in.

Is summer feeling more magical mischief or creepy cult vibes? (Looking at you, Midsommar’s Florence Pugh.) Either way, now’s a great time to ask:

• What’s actually working for your family right now?
• What habits need a little tweak (or a full-on overhaul)?
• What does each person—yes, including you—need for the rest of the season?

I’m sharing the small shift that helped calm our chaotic mornings, why “we’ll see” days are going on our calendar, and how one family’s digital detox brought unexpected peace (and fewer remote-control fights). Spoiler: No one’s tossing devices in the ocean… but some might get gently tucked away in a box for a while.

Whether your summer has been dreamy, messy, or a bit of both, this episode is your gentle reminder to reflect, recalibrate, and maybe even sneak in a beach read and a bagel run.

Take a deep breath. You're doing better than you think. And that’s good enough. 

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

How did you pick your kid’s name? It’s my favorite question to ask families as soon as I meet them. It tells me about:

Partnership Dynamics 

“Oh we got in a big fight over that one! But my wife had the final say like she always does…”

Family History 

“My grandmother had died a few weeks before she was born so we named her after her”

And MOST importantly it tells me 

The vision they had for their kid even before they were born

“I wanted a strong, masculine son so I went with Alexander… like The Great”

So much wrapped up in a few short syllables. Names are like labels – they can give us feelings of comfort and safety but can also be limiting and confining.

And labels don’t allow for the full spectrum of our beingness.

On this month’s “Good Enough Parenting” episode, I share where my name came from and explore why we are so drawn to labeling our kids with diagnoses that may or may not suit them. 

In this episode:

• How diagnoses like ADHD and anxiety are more of a continuum than a binary 💡
• What Pride Month can teach us about full-spectrum parenting  🏳️‍🌈
• Why your child’s story is still being written (and yours is too)  📖

Identity and development are more fluid than we’d like to believe—and that’s both frustrating and freeing. 

Whether you’re questioning a diagnosis, navigating your kid’s self-expression, or like me, just trying to make it through another school concert season this one’s for you.

 From sonograms to rainbows to Ritalin, this episode is a reminder that parenting isn’t about finding the right label, but about staying present as our kids unfold – and that’s good enough. 

🎧 Hit play, and let’s make peace with not knowing.
 ——

Like what you hear? Follow, rate, and share with a fellow “good enough” parent in your life.

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

ENCORE EPISODE! 

The summer season is officially upon us! Which means it’s time to wrestle your toddler to the ground so you can apply some ghost-whitening sunblock while your six year old screams “I hear the ice cream truck! Can we get one?” at 10am. 

Are you already counting the days until Labor Day? 

Fear not! There are ways we can find more sweetness and less stress this summer with our families. 

On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I’ll share with you my favorite tips for not just surviving but actually enjoying this season of seemingly endless time together.  

And the good news is …. It involves a lot of 

BENIGN NEGLECT

(my #1 parenting motto!) 

We don’t need to be the end all be all for our kids this summer. 

Let them make their own snacks. Let them be bored. Let them skip the summer worksheets for more sprinkler time. 

Everyone benefits when we give our kids some space. So sometimes they’ll have a chipwhich for breakfast this summer. You’ll make them a veggie filled smoothie in September. 

And that’s good enough.

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

You know that moment when your kid comes home from a full day of school and sports—covered in mystery smudges and smelling like a locker room—and then acts personally offended when you suggest a shower? Yeah, me too. 

If your kid melts like the Wicked Witch the moment they hear the water running, you’re not alone.

This week on Good Enough Parenting, I’m joined by Sabrina Yavil, mom of 3 boys, former beauty executive and founder of Gryme, a personal care brand created just for kids. We talk about why bath time can feel like such a battle, how our kids are actually wired for self-care independence (even when they're filthy), and how simplifying your routine with the right products can save your sanity—and your relationship.

The goal? Helping our kids build self-sufficient habits using clean products that actually make bath time easier—for them and for us.

✨ Bonus: Sabrina shares what she learned from 20 years in the beauty industry—and why so many kids’ products are secretly full of junk.

If you’ve ever bribed your kid to use soap, threatened to cancel dessert over conditioner, or wondered if your kids are actually allergic to water. … this episode is for you.

And remember, if bathtime battles get overwhelming this summer, sometimes a dip in a pool or a run through the sprinkler is good enough. 

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

In honor of Mother's Day, we are revisiting one of our most popular episodes "How to Have a Happy Mother's Day" because who couldn't use a littler reminder that the day is actually supposed to feel good for YOU ❤️

A few years ago, I got a call around 3:00 on Mother’s Day. A dear friend asked me if I would be able to meet her for a drink before dinner. Hell yes. We had both had less than ideal days that were meant to celebrate us but instead were filled with cranky kids and unmet expectations. We needed to commiserate.

And at the risk of sounding like a terrible mother I’m going to be honest – our cocktail hour was the best part of my day. We laughed, we cried and we went back to our families restored and reconnected.

It reminded me of what my dear friend and mentor Carrie Contey has always said about Mother’s Day – ask for what you want.

For some women, spending Mother’s day with their children or their own mother or mother-in-law is perfect. For others, not so much. It can be a vulnerable day, especially if you have lost your mother, have a tricky relationship with her, or if motherhood is not living up to your expectations at the moment.

So now is the time to ask for what you want from this day. Does being with your children and having them make you breakfast in bed sound ideal? Do it. Do you want to binge Netflix shows you never get to watch because you’re asleep in your kid’s bed at 8pm? See if your partner (or babysitter) can bring your kids to Kung Fu Panda 4 while you order a pizza with your favorite toppings. Do you want to journal and cry about missing your mom? Just as valid.

I want a mix – a little time with my family and a little time to myself. So you’ll probably find me eating home made pancakes in the morning followed by a matinee viewing of a movie SOLO and maybe even a cocktail with a friend afterward. And I’m going to ask for this now – so my partner knows what is going to fill my cup on a day meant to celebrate me. No surprises, no disappointments.

What do you want your Mother’s Day to look like? Despite what Hallmark tells us, there’s no wrong way to do it. As long as you do it your way, that's good enough. 

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

I try not to stay too tuned into the daily news cycle (because going into an anxiety spiral every time my phone dings with a news alert is not my favorite way to spend the day) but it’s hard to ignore just how bananas things feel right now. 

This is especially true in our economy -  inflation, tariffs, layoffs, budget cuts—it’s enough to make any adult anxious. But guess what? Our kids feel it too. If we’re feeling unsettled as adults, imagine how it feels for our kids, who only catch snippets of grown-up conversations and headlines they don’t understand.

So in this month’s episode of “Good Enough Parenting” I wanted to take a deep dive into how to talk to your kids about money in a way that builds emotional resilience, teaches lifelong financial literacy, and helps them feel safe—especially in unpredictable times.

I’ll walk you through:

• 💰 Why your relationship with money is the biggest influence on your child’s
• 💡     How to give age-appropriate explanations about money, saving, and values
• 💵     Simple ways to set up allowance systems that actually teach financial skills
• 😬 The power of letting kids make mistakes with money (better to learn at five than fifty!)
• 🌈    How to shift the vibe in your house from scarcity to noticing everyday abundance

Plus, I share a resource that completely changed my own relationship with money: a free 3-day workshop called Good with Money by my mentor Kate Northrup—coming April 17! If you’ve ever felt your stomach drop when opening your credit card bill SIGN UP HERE NOW! 

Times are tricky. The future feels uncertain. Helping our kids remember what really matters in our lives may not shift the markets, but it will bring more peace (and maybe even prosperity!) to your home. And that’s good enough. Resources Mentioned:
📚 Money: A Love Story by Kate Northrup
🎉 Free Workshop: Good with Money - Starts April 17 SIGN UP HERE!

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

The number one question I get from parents is... 

How do I get my kid to just… DO the things I need them to do ??

And if you’ve been with me for a long time, you know my usual answer: Don’t start a sticker chart! It’s a short term solution that usually leads to more stress than success. 

BUT (get ready for it)… today I’m going to tell you that when done right 

sometimes sticker charts can work

Yep. Messy Mixed Messages.

On this month’s Good Enough Parenting episode I’m sharing  the key ingredients for sticker chart success:

✅ Your relationship is the real motivator. Kids don’t listen to charts—they listen to people they feel seen and valued by.

✅ The goal has to be clear. No vague “be good” nonsense. Try “Put Your Shoes on When Asked”

✅ Short time frames = success. No “be kind all week.” More like “use gentle hands in the car on the way to school”

✅ Earn, don’t punish. Losing stickers for every slip-up just makes kids quit. Focus on building success.

✅ Motivators matter. Yes, some experts say “no sweets or screens” as rewards but I once bribed my kid with cans of soda to get them hooked on reading. No regrets. 

Most importantly—reward charts are a jumpstart, not a forever plan. The goal isn’t stickers, it’s habits. If it’s working, great. If it’s stressing everyone out? Ditch it.

Because at the end of the day, connecting with your kid is the best way to get cooperative behavior—not some piece of paper covered in Paw Patrol stickers.

And even if your junk drawer is basically a graveyard for half-finished “stay in bed” and “clear your plate” charts, don’t worry. That’s still good enough. 

With love,

Carley

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• Rita Pierson’s TED Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion
• Good Enough Parenting Episode #20: Better Behavior with Brain Basics

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!