Have you ever looked at your child and thought, “Wow. You're so much like me”?

At first, that recognition can feel sweet. You understand them in a way other people might not.

But it can also create some blind spots.

You may think you know what they’re feeling, what they need, or why something matters so much to them, when part of what you’re seeing is your own history.

In this week’s episode, I’m talking about **three common traps of parenting a child who reminds you of yourself**, and what helps you notice when the similarities are helping you understand them versus keeping you from seeing them clearly.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/413

The post When Your Child Reminds You of Yourself – 413 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Have you ever reacted to your child and wondered afterward, “Why did that feel so big?”

The thing they did was small. Your reaction was not.

This week, I share the story of a mom in my program who had a huge reaction over a tray of sliders.

She came to coaching convinced she knew exactly why she’d reacted.

Minutes into our session, we weren’t talking about sandwiches anymore.

We weren’t even talking about her son.

We were talking about a pattern that began decades earlier.

In this episode, I’ll show you how we got there and why it matters if you’ve ever had an overreaction you couldn’t explain.

If your reactions have ever left you feeling confused or ashamed, I hope this episode helps you understand yourself with a little more compassion.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/412

The post Why You Overreact as a Mom – 412 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

For years on this podcast, when I've talked about my dad, it's been in the context of understanding myself, my patterns, and some of my struggles.

Most of us carry complicated feelings about our parents. We can wish some things had been different and still be grateful for what they gave us. Both can be true.

This week, in honor of Father’s Day, I’m sharing the parts of my dad and our relationship that I haven’t talked about enough, and that I’m especially grateful for.

You'll also discover a hidden talent of mine you've never heard on the podcast before.🤔

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/411

The post This One’s for My Dad: A Father’s Day Tribute – 411 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

"Mom, I'm bored."

It's 10 a.m. and you've already refereed two arguments and answered the same question four times.

And there are still nine more hours until bedtime.

Summer sounded so relaxing back in May.

No morning rush, lunches to pack, or homework to oversee.

But those pressures just got replaced by different ones: constant togetherness, less structure, more driving, more meals, and more chances for everyone to get on each other's nerves.

By mid-summer, you may notice you're more irritable and quicker to react than you want to be. And when that happens, the instinct is to assume you need better parenting strategies.

Usually you don't.

Your tank is running low, and this episode is about refilling the tank.

I share five specific, doable things that protect your capacity, so summer feels a little easier until the buses come back.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/410

The post Five Things To Make Parenting Feel Easier This Summer – 410 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Over the past 14 years of coaching moms, I've learned a lot and changed my mind about a few things.

You might assume I'm talking about time-outs, sticker charts, rewards, consequences, or some other parenting strategy.

The truth is, my views on those things haven't changed all that much.

What has changed is where I begin with a client and my understanding of why it's so hard to put good parenting advice into practice in the first place.

In this week's podcast episode, I share how my coaching has evolved, what led me to explore nervous system work, and why the advice I give today sounds different than it did earlier in my career.

If you've ever struggled with reactive parenting and wondered why knowing what to do doesn't always translate into doing it, this episode is for you.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/409

The post The Parenting Advice I No Longer Give – 409 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

From the outside, you look like you're doing fine. Maybe even great.

So why does it feel like you're one "that's not fair!" away from losing it?

It's the difference between two things that look similar from the outside, but feel nothing alike on the inside.

One of them is exhausting.

The other creates a little more ease and a little less struggle.

In this episode, I'm breaking down which one you've probably been doing, why it stops working, and what it looks like to move toward something different.

If you're tired of working so hard just to keep it together, press play.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/408

The post Holding it Together vs. Having it Together – 408 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Today’s episode is the final one in the Mental Health Awareness Month podcast collaboration I organized with a few other parenting and mental health podcast hosts. We each chose one episode from our own show to share on the others’ podcasts throughout the month.

This episode comes from Dawn Friedman’s podcast, Tell Me It Will Be Okay.

Dawn has worked with kids and families for more than 30 years as a preschool teacher, clinical counselor, parent educator, and parent herself. Her work focuses mostly on supporting parents of anxious kids.

In this episode, Dawn talks about something she calls “judicious giving up,” which is about stepping back from the urge to immediately fix a parenting problem and getting curious about what’s actually going on underneath it.

Sometimes the bedtime struggle isn’t really about bedtime.

Dawn also talks about how parenting struggles can bring up our own fears, expectations, identities, and beliefs about who we think we’re supposed to be as parents.

At the end of the episode, I share some of my own thoughts about nervous system patterns, emotional reactions, and why insight alone usually isn’t enough to change the way we respond.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/407

The post Parenting Problems Aren’t Always What They Seem with Dawn Friedman – 407 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

"I don't want to go."

When your anxious child says these things, it can feel kinder (and easier) to let them skip the party, stay home from school, or avoid taking the bus.

But short-term relief often creates bigger anxiety in the long run.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm sharing an episode from Cynthia Coufal's podcast, The Teen Anxiety Maze. Cynthia is a school counselor and teen anxiety coach who has spent more than 25 years helping kids understand and manage anxiety while building confidence and independence.

In this episode, Cynthia breaks down the connection between avoidance and anxiety, why some kids convince themselves they don't care about things they deeply want, and the powerful shift from “I have to” to “I choose to.”

At the end of the episode, I share a few of my own thoughts about what stood out to me and how it connects to the work I do with moms.

This episode is packed with practical examples and an important perspective on discomfort, resilience, and what helps anxious kids (and moms) grow.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/406

The post Helping Anxious Kids Do Hard Things with Cynthia Coufal – 406 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I put together a small podcast collaboration with a few other hosts who talk about parenting, anxiety, and emotional health.

Each week, I’m sharing one of their episodes here on the podcast, followed by a few of my own thoughts on what stood out to me and how it applies to you.

Today’s episode comes from Leah Davidson’s podcast, Building Resilience.

Leah is a speech-language pathologist and nervous system resilience coach who works primarily with women in midlife. In this episode, she talks about parenting older kids without over-functioning.

As kids get older, our relationships with them change. You may go from being very involved in their day-to-day lives to feeling more on the outside, observing instead of guiding. And even though your intention hasn’t changed, the way your efforts are received can start to shift.

If you’ve been feeling unsure about when to step in, when to stay quiet, or how to stay connected without taking things personally, this episode will give you a helpful framework.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/405

The post When Your Kids Don’t Need You the Same Way Anymore with Leah Davidson – 405 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

You've probably heard the phrase, "If you don't ask, you don't get."

And yet, asking for what you want can feel surprisingly hard.

You hint. You wait. You hope someone notices. And when they don't, you end up feeling frustrated, unseen, or resentful.

When you don't ask, you don't just miss out on what you want. You limit how much support you allow yourself to have.

This comes up a lot around Mother’s Day, when so many moms hope to feel seen and appreciated but end up feeling let down.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why so many moms struggle to ask for what they want — and what to do about it.

For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/404

The post Asking For What You Want – 404 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.