Is your child struggling with stress — or is it something more?

In this episode of Thriving Kids, Dr. Dave Anderson sits down with Dr. Dylan Gee, a professor of psychology at Yale University, to explore the vital difference between managing stress and simply trying to avoid it. While it’s natural to want to "pave the road" and remove obstacles for our children, learning to tolerate discomfort is one of the most important emotional skills a child can build.

We discuss the "avoidance trap," where stepping in to solve every problem can actually make a child's stress worse over time. Dr. Gee explains how kids can learn to recover from hard moments and why your own emotional state as a caregiver is the most powerful tool for helping a stressed child feel safe and supported.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Avoidance Trap: Why helping kids avoid stress can undermine their ability to build long-term resilience.
• The Power of Parental Regulation: How staying calm and regulated helps your child cope when things feel overwhelming.
• Validation and Labeling: Why identifying big emotions like "frustrated" or "scared" is the first step toward managing them.
• Challenging Extreme Thinking: How to guide kids away from "all-or-nothing" thoughts and toward more balanced perspectives.
• Filling the Coping Toolbox: Practical strategies like deep breathing, mindfulness, and creative expression to help kids bounce back.