Lulubug's Podcast For Parents

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How do you help your child know their worth is bigger than what they achieve? And how can an honest conversation about mistakes help them feel safe asking for support?

Former NFL quarterback Max Hall joins the LULUBUG Parent Podcast to share how he tied his identity to football, and how injuries and prescribed pain medication led to a five year addiction. He reflects on the people who helped him recover, reconnect with his faith, and talk openly with his children about his past.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why kids need to see themselves as more than their grades, sports, or achievements
• How honest, age appropriate conversations about mistakes can help reduce shame
• How Max’s experience with addiction and recovery reshaped his sense of identity
• How parents and coaches can make it easier for young people to ask for help

A win, a mistake, or a hard season does not define your child. What might change if they knew they could talk with you about all of it?

Subscribe to the LULUBUG Parent Podcast for more conversations about helping children grow emotionally

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Making friends can feel exciting, awkward, scary, and overwhelming for young children.

In this episode of the LULUBUGS Parent Podcast, we talk about how parents can help children build the confidence and social skills they need to connect with others.

We discuss:

• Why making friends can feel difficult for young children
• How parents can help without forcing an interaction
• Teaching kids how to introduce themselves
• Helping children find common interests with other kids
• Encouraging kids to ask someone to play
• Building confidence in social situations
• What to do when another child does not want to play
• Helping children understand that friendships take practice

Making friends is a skill children can learn. With simple guidance, patience, and opportunities to practice, parents can help their kids feel more comfortable connecting with others.

Subscribe to the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents for conversations about childhood development, big feelings, behavior, learning, and practical ways to support your child.

Watch more from LULUBUG:

LULUBUG’s Garden: https://www.youtube.com/@LulubugsGarden
More LULUBUG Podcast episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@LulubugsPodcastForParents

Follow LULUBUG:

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Website: https://www.lulubugsgarden.com/

#ParentingPodcast #ChildDevelopment #BigFeelings

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Envy is a normal feeling, but it can be a difficult one for young children to understand.

When kids see someone else with something they want, receiving attention they wish they had, or succeeding at something they are struggling with, envy can quickly turn into comparison, frustration, sadness, or anger.

In this episode of the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents, we explore what envy can tell us about what a child is feeling and how parents can help them work through it without shame.

You’ll learn:

• Why envy is a normal part of emotional development• What may be underneath a child’s feelings of envy• How comparison can affect the way kids see themselves• How to acknowledge the feeling without encouraging unhealthy behavior• Why curiosity can be more helpful than immediately correcting the emotion• How parents can help kids recognize what they really want• Ways to build confidence and a healthier response to comparison

Envy does not have to be a feeling we teach children to hide. When we help kids understand what they are feeling and why, we can give them tools to respond with greater confidence, awareness, and empathy.

Subscribe to the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents for conversations about childhood development, big feelings, behavior, learning, and practical ways to support your child.

Watch more from LULUBUG:

LULUBUG’s Garden: https://www.youtube.com/@LulubugsGarden

More LULUBUG Podcast episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@LulubugsPodcastForParents

Follow LULUBUG:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulubugspodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulubugspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593967364918

Website: https://www.lulubugsgarden.com/

#ParentingPodcast #ChildDevelopment #BigFeelings

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When your child is sad, your first instinct may be to cheer them up, solve the problem, or make the feeling disappear. But sadness is not always something that needs to be fixed.

In this episode of the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents, we explore how sadness affects young children, why it is an important part of emotional development, and how parents can support their children without rushing them through the feeling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why sadness is a normal and important emotion for children
• How to recognize when your child may be experiencing sadness
• Why immediately trying to “fix” sadness may not always help
• How to validate your child’s feelings without making the emotion bigger
• What you can say and do when your child is having a difficult moment
• How to help your child feel safe, understood, and supported
• How experiencing sadness can help children build emotional skills for the future

Sometimes the goal is not to take the sadness away. It is to remind your child that they do not have to experience it alone.

Subscribe to the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents for more conversations about children’s emotions, learning, development, and navigating big feelings.

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What if your child’s late afternoon meltdown is not really a discipline problem? It might be a fuel problem.

One minute they are completely fine. The next, the wrong cup, a broken granola bar, or a sock that feels funny becomes a complete catastrophe. For young children, hunger can make already big feelings feel even bigger.

In this episode of the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents, we are talking about what it really means when kids get “hangry,” why young children may struggle to recognize that they are hungry, and what parents can do before and during a meltdown.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-Why hunger can show up as irritability, frustration, or a meltdown

-Why young children may not recognize or communicate that they are hungry

-Why the late afternoon hours can be especially difficult

-What research says about the common belief that sugar makes kids hyperactive

-How to help your child recognize their own body signals

-Simple ways to prevent hunger related meltdowns before they happen

-Why sometimes it helps to feed first and teach later

We also explore interoception, the developing ability to recognize signals inside the body, including hunger, thirst, tiredness, and stress, and how parents can help children start connecting those signals to what they are feeling.

The goal is not to blame every difficult behavior on hunger. It is to give parents one more thing to check before assuming a difficult moment is simply bad behavior.

Subscribe to the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents for conversations about childhood development, big feelings, behavior, learning, and practical ways to support your child.

Watch more from LULUBUG:

LULUBUG’s Garden: https://www.youtube.com/@LulubugsGarden

More LULUBUG Podcast episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@LulubugsPodcastForParents

Follow LULUBUG:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lulubugspodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lulubugspodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593967364918

Website: https://www.lulubugsgarden.com/

#ParentingPodcast #ChildDevelopment #BigFeelings

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Sometimes a child’s sudden outburst looks like anger, defiance, or misbehavior. But what if they’re actually confused?

In this episode of the LULUBUG Podcast for Parents, we explore how confusion can lead to frustration and anger, and why understanding what’s happening beneath a child’s behavior can completely change the way we respond.

Learn how to recognize when your child may be struggling to understand what’s happening, help them work through confusion, and turn difficult moments into opportunities for connection, communication, and growth.

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Your child suddenly has a stomachache before school, asks the same question over and over, or melts down before a new activity. As a parent, it's hard to know whether they're being resistant, nervous, or something in between.
 
 In this episode, Jil and Dr. Karen unpack what nervousness really looks like in young children, why it's often a body experience before a thinking experience, and how to help kids face new or uncertain situations without making the fear bigger. You'll learn simple, practical tools that build confidence and help children discover they can do hard things.
 
 Because courage isn't the absence of nervousness—it's learning that you can move forward even when nervousness comes along for the ride.

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Your child comes home from a birthday party or school and says, "Nobody played with me." But you saw them surrounded by other kids all day. As a parent, it's hard to know what to say—or how concerned to be.

In this episode, Jil and Dr. Karen unpack what loneliness really is, why children can feel lonely even in a crowd, and how connection differs from simply being around people. You'll learn how to recognize loneliness in young kids, respond in ways that help, and build a strong sense of belonging at home.

Because loneliness isn't a sign that something is wrong with your child—it's a signal that they're human and need connection.

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Your child can't stop talking about kindergarten one minute and is crying about it the next. They love the new baby... and want to send her back. As a parent, it can feel confusing and contradictory.

In this episode, Jil and Dr. Karen unpack why young children often struggle with mixed feelings, what's happening in the developing brain, and how to help kids understand that two emotions can be true at the same time. You'll learn simple, practical ways to help your child navigate life's biggest transitions with more confidence and fewer meltdowns.

Because emotional health isn't about choosing the "right" feeling—it's about learning that more than one feeling can belong at the same time.

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No parent gets everything right, and none of us can prevent every struggle our children will face. But what if there were ways to help them build emotional strength before the hard seasons arrive?

In this special guest episode, Jil and Dr. Karen sit down with Kaycee Rasmussen to talk about parenting through real mental health challenges, what her family's journey taught her, and the tools she wishes she'd had from the beginning. Together, they explore how to create an environment where kids feel safe talking about hard things and how parents can support their children without carrying the weight alone.

Because emotionally healthy kids aren't raised by perfect parents—they're raised by caring adults who keep showing up, learning, and growing alongside them.