Introduction

On this week's episode of Sense by Meg Faure we explore the question at the heart of connected parenting: Is Your Child Seen? The One Thing Kim Kleidon Says Every Parent Gets Wrong. Meg sits down with Kim Kleidon, former ABC Radio broadcaster, storytelling coach, and host of What We Teach Our Children. Kim has spent years distilling the wisdom of over 75 conversations with parents, educators, and researchers worldwide.

What Children Need Most

Kim's answer is simple: children need to feel seen. Not entertained, not scheduled. Just genuinely noticed. She says five minutes of real presence, eye to eye, interested and engaged, matters more than hours of planned activity. That quality of attention is what children carry with them. It shapes their emotional resilience and their sense of self.

Phones, Presence, and Being Seen

Kim shares a striking insight from her interviews. Children today feel they are competing with their parent's phone. What they often see is the top of a parent's head. This has real consequences for neurological and emotional development. Meg adds that unseen children find ways to be seen. In toddlers, that means tantrums. In teenagers, it can mean defiance or self-expression that surprises parents.

Stories and the Bedtime Hack

Kim is a passionate advocate for storytelling as a parenting tool. A rhythmic, calming story at bedtime helps a child's brain transition into sleep. It also builds language, connection, and emotional intelligence. Meg introduces book sharing, a research-backed approach using wordless picture books. Parents narrate and connect the story to their child's own experience. Studies show it strengthens language, connection, and emotional self-awareness.

Stop Over-Scheduling

Kim's most repeated message across 75-plus conversations: stop trying to control everything. Children do not need to be learning or entertained at every moment. Boredom is not a problem. It is where creativity begins. Free play and unstructured time are not gaps in development. They are the very soil in which it grows.

Why You Must Listen

Is Your Child Seen? The One Thing Kim Kleidon Says Every Parent Gets Wrong is not a conversation that adds to your plate. It quietly removes what was never necessary. Kim closes with one powerful practice: ask your child directly, how can I serve you better? The answers, she says, will change everything. Listen today and share it with every parent you know.

GUEST : Kim Kleidon

Website: KimKleidon.com

Podcast: What We Teach Our Children Available on: Spotify, Amazon, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio

BOOKS BY KIM KLEIDON Huggle Snuggle Cuddle Flutter by Butterfly Grandpa's Garden

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