This week we’re taking you back to the early days of the pod, with an ep that describes the kind of kiddo and parent I most love to work with. This is the episode that some of my most favorite clients have said, “You described my kid like I had never heard before. I finally felt like someone really understood what I was dealing with.”

Puzzling Kids are often sensitive souls who get overwhelmed by everything the world throws at them. Their frustration gets channeled into acting out, or escaping into screens and other distractions. They need plenty of understanding and support before they can break out of those cycles.

Their parents need lots of understanding and support, too! Puzzling Kids push our buttons. It’s so hard to respond to that confrontational energy with compassion, but the tools we’re taught to set boundaries and guide behavior will only make things worse unless we get to a place of understanding and addressing the overwhelm. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why Puzzling Kids are so prone to disruptive behaviors.

2. My firsthand experience helping Puzzling Kids, as a coach and a mom.

3. How genuine empathy can help you reach your Puzzling Kid, and avoid the off-ramp of overdiagnosis and medication.

4. Empathy for yourself as a parent in a very tough situation.

And much more! 

As always, thanks for listening. Head over to Facebook, where you can join my free group Mastermind Parenting Community. We post tips and tools and do pop-up Live conversations where I do extra teaching and coaching to support you in helping your strong-willed children so that they can FEEL better and DO better. If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it!

Get all the links, resources, and transcripts at https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-239

About Randi Rubenstein

Randi Rubenstein helps parents with a strong-willed kiddo become a happier family and enjoy the simple things again like bike rides and beach vacays.

She’s the founder of Mastermind Parenting, host of the Mastermind Parenting podcast, and author of The Parent Gap. Randi works with parents across the U.S.

At Mastermind Parenting, we believe every human deserves to have a family that gets along.

Randi’s Web and Social Links

• Website: https://mastermindparenting.com/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermindparenting

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_parenting/

Resources Discussed/Links

Live assessment: https://mastermindparenting.com/live-assessment/