Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Emily Upshur and I talk about...

- How to best approach daycare transitions and is there a right or a wrong answer to this question?

- The most important questions to ask yourself to determine which of these scenarios will be easiest for your unique child.

- Is it better to have a single, potentially steeper transition or a slower, more incremental transition?

- The key things to consider (like sleep habits, separation anxiety, etc.) to help you determine which is best for your individual situation.

- Zooming out to see how this change will impact the entire family system and adding these factors into your decision making process.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

📚 Transitioning to a new daycare

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about turning parenthood into a career asset with Lauren Smith Brody

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping child with separation anxiety

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about being a working parent with Daisy Dowling

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Neha Ruch is sharing strategies for embracing flexibility as you balance, shift, and grow in both your career and parenthood.

In this episode we explore:

- How to redefine what "career" means to you at this stage of life and navigate the evolving roles of being a working or stay-at-home parent.

- Why downshifting your career can be a valuable smaller step if you're not ready to take a full pause.

- Preparing for this transition to feel less overwhelming—emotionally, financially, and in terms of your shifting identity.

- Supporting women in feeling validated and respected in their choices to dial up or down in their careers.

- How motherhood can be a time to foster creativity and the importance of staying connected to what brings you joy—whether it's for work or personal fulfillment.

- A good first step for moms who don't know where to begin in making this shift.

- What a "family administration" meeting is and how to evaluate what's working and what's not—giving yourself permission to let go of what isn't serving you.

Don't miss this episode that will help you redefine what career means to you!

LEARN MORE ABOUT NEHA:

https://www.motheruntitled.com/

READ NEHA'S NEW BOOK:

📚 The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids--and Come Back Stronger Than Ever

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

🎧 Listen to Neha's first Securely Attached episode, Redefining what it means to be a stay-at-home parent with Neha Ruch

📱 I sang my sister's praise in this episode! Check out @mychicnest to follow along with her interior design account.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Going back to work after baby: Maintaining a healthy and secure attachment bond Q&A with Dr. Emily Upshur

🎧 Turning parenthood into a career asset for working moms and dads with The Fifth Trimester's Lauren Smith Brody

🎧 What it means to be a working parent today: Challenging parental guilt, managing your time, and setting effective boundaries with Daisy Dowling

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Emily Upshur and I talk about...

- Unpacking your own feelings about swearing (or any undesirable behaviors) your child is engaging in.

- How to teach your child to attune to their environment and know when and where certain behaviors are appropriate and when and where they are not.

- Zooming out to identify what your child's intention is when they are swearing (to test boundaries, in anger, in silly moments, etc.) to help you know how to respond.

- When and how to use strategies that have the greatest likelihood of getting this behavior to stop.

- A playful script that can defuse the tension and keep you from feeling triggered.

- The big differences to the approaches you may want to try based on who is the recipient of inappropriate or hurtful language.

- How to get your children to disengage from each other's negative behaviors, instead of being fueled by each other.

- How Dr. Sarah and Dr. Emily handle swearing in their own homes with their kids.

- The benefits of swearing that may surprise you.

REFERENCES AND RELATED RESOURCES:

• Swearing may be a sign of a higher intelligence

• Cursing can increase pain tolerance

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what to do when kids say they hate themselves

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about what to do when kids say they hate you

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about enforcing consequences that teach

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

A deep dive on combating parental burnout to start off 2025 with more balance.

In this episode I dive deep into…

- Understanding what parental burnout actually is and how it is different from regular "stress" in parenthood?

- The pros and cons of the rise of the "Parenting Industrial Complex."

- The output/input formula that will inevitably lead to depletion, and why parents of sensitive children are more susceptible to an imbalance in this equation.

- An exercise you can use to address (and flip!) your personal output/input equation to create more balance for yourself.

- Taking a Family-Systems approach to addressing and treating parental burnout.

- How parental burnout can impact the parent-child relationship, leading to more dysregulated behaviors from our kids, us losing our cool, and creating a self-perpetuating negative feedback loop.

- Why traditional self-care strategies don't work for combatting parental burnout, and my recommendations for practical, realistic, and attainable strategies that actually do!

LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. SARAH BREN:

https://drsarahbren.com/

FOLLOW DR. SARAH ON INSTAGRAM:

@drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

• The Surgeon General Report: Parental Mental Health & Well-Being

• In one study, Parents whose children experienced anxiety or ADHD had two to four times higher risk of experiencing parental burnout (anxiety: OR, 2.54; ADHD: OR, 4.41) compared with those whose children had no anxiety or ADHD. [1]

• Addressing systemic problems with Raena Boston, Lauren Smith Brody, and Alexis Barad-Cutler

• Encouraging your child to engage in independent play

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Quit the never-ending to-do list: How to find balance in the home, at work, and in parenthood with Chelsi Jo

🎧 Is fun the antidote to burnout? How play could be the key to mental health and well-being with Dr. Mike Rucker

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about...

- Translating the question: I don't want a sibling may actually just mean, "I miss you."

- Zooming back to assess the environmental factors that may be taxing your child, especially when there are a lot of transitions and changes going on.

- How to change the narrative in your young child's mind so they don't associate losing quality time with Mommy and Daddy to having more siblings.

- When to simply validate your child's feelings and when to know if it's time to try to make some changes.

- A script of exactly what you can say to help your child feel more contained and regulated in these moments.

- Why helping your child feel seen in the moment can foster their secure attachment, which may end up indirectly solving the problems you're experiencing.

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about secure attachment and growth mindset with Melinda Wenner Moyer

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to work with the brain rather than fight against with Dr. Dan Siegel

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about whether it's bad to "baby" the baby

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Discover how to use the power of play to strengthen your child's emotional regulation and foster meaningful connection, with Dr. Abbré McClain and Dr. Jacqueline Salazar.

In this episode, we explore:

- How play and relationships can be foundational elements for teaching kids emotional regulation skills.

- Why coregulation doesn't have to be so serious and can be employed through play and playfulness.

- The therapeutic function of play interventions and how they work in play therapy.

- How to adapt play strategies for different developmental stages and unique children.

- Why playing with your kids is different from entertaining them, and how child-led play can be less exhausting for parents.

- Quality over quantity: How even small moments of playfulness can make a big difference in strengthening parent-child bonds.

If you're looking for practical ways to build emotional regulation skills while bringing more joy and connection into your family's life, this episode is filled with actionable insights to get you started!

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

• Dr. Abbré McClain

• Dr. Jacqueline Salazar

READ THEIR BOOK:

📚 The Self-Regulation Workbook for 3- to 5-Year-Olds: Play-Based and Creative Activities to Build Coping Skills and Handle Big Emotions

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

📱@chicago.wellness.center

📱 @drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

👉🏻 Download my free guide, Strengthen Your Child's Emotion Regulation Skills Through Play, to help your child learn to calm their brains and bodies.

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Understanding parental dysregulation: How to identify and manage your triggers with Dr. Amber Thornton

🎧 Supporting our children's emotional regulation and sensory processing experiences: With occupational therapist Laura Petix

🎧 The psychology behind dysregulation with Cara Goodwin

🎧 Teaching children emotion regulation skills through coregulation with Dana Rosenbloom

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg and I talk about...

- Breaking down the different strategies you'd use with kids whether this is a single one-off big fight, or if conflict is more prevalent in your home.

- What a conversation with your child might sound like and how to adapt it to be most authentic to you.

- Specific things to do in order to lessen the negative impact of parental conflict on your kids.

- How to help your child make sense of what happened in a narrative that allows them to understand they are safe and the fight wasn't their fault.

- A developmentally appropriate way to share with your child that sometimes the people we love the most are the ones that we get into the biggest arguments with.

- How to reassure and repair with a baby ore very young child who is still too little to understand your words.

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about creating a thriving partnership with Dr. Suzanne Burger

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about understanding parental dysregulation with Dr. Amber Thornton

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about resolving conflicts with Dr. Rick Hanson

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Discover the impacts of EdTech in schools and how parents can advocate for their children's education with technology attorney Andy Liddell

- What EdTech is and how technology like iPads and Chromebooks are being integrated into classrooms.

- The hidden dangers of screens on the learning experience, what is at risk when hands-on learning is replaced by more passive educational experiences, and how to optimize information retention, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

- The role of big tech in surveillance capitalism, persuasive design, and selling children's data.

- How much control do schools have over blocking and restricting content on school-issued devices? (Spoiler: Most technology comes with no restrictions in place.)

- How tech in classrooms is displacing social interactions, interfering with relationship development, overstimulating vulnerable children, and putting stress on an already fragile system.

- What parents can do to teach media literacy, advocate for their child's privacy, and push for more thoughtful use of technology in schools

If you're concerned or just curious about the influence of technology on your child's learning and development, this conversation is packed with strategies and insights to help you navigate these challenges with confidence and purpose.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ANDY & EDTECH LAW CENTER:

https://edtech.law/

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

1. Read the research on EdTech conducted by Jared Cooney Horvath, PhD, MEd

2. Social Media Victims Law Center

3. Wait Until 8th

4. Fairplay

5. Everyschool

6. Social Studies Documentary

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Regulation, reward systems, and rest: Rewiring the way our kids interact with screens with Alé Duarte

🎧 The battle over screen time: Helping our children form a healthy relationship to technology with Emily Cherkin/

🎧 Have phones displaced our ability to play and have fun? How to be intentional with your tech use with Catherine Price

Beyond the Sessions is answering YOUR parenting questions! In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Hershberg, Dr. Emily Upshur, and I talk about...

- Bullying is often an expression of pain, so leading with compassion for your child is often your best entry point.

- How to readjust your goal, rather than just trying to shut down your child's behaviors, for a higher likelihood of getting through to them.

- Examples of real-life scenarios that middle school girls may be experiencing and how to navigate them.

- The most common reasons middle schoolers act this way, so you can help you identify what the root cause may be to help you get to the heart of the matter.

- Conversation starters you can use to prevent your child from getting defensive and shutting down.

- At some point, this moves beyond exploring your child's feelings and these behaviors simply need to stop - when and how to transition to this point.

ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about peer rejection in toddlerhood

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about peer rejection in early adolescence

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about helping your child learn to foster secure friendships with Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore

🎧 Listen to my podcast episode about how to talk to your teen with Elizabeth Bennett

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Go to https://drsarahbren.com/question to send us a question or a topic you want to hear us answer on Securely Attached - Beyond the Sessions!

Motherhood comes with immense challenges, but when mothers come together, they can spark transformative change. In this inspiring episode, Erin Erenberg, founder of Totum Women and co-founder of the Chamber of Mothers, shares her journey becoming a powerful advocate for maternal rights.

In this episode, we explore:

- Erin's personal and professional journey that inspired her to empower and support mothers.

- The Chamber of Mothers mission: Uniting mothers as advocates to create a better America.

- How this bipartisan group is working to include "point of view diversity" and bridge mothers across all sides of the aisle.

- How the Chamber of Mothers plans to work with the upcoming administration to continue fighting for the rights of all mothers in America.

- What is galvanizing the people who are still motivated, and how to fight any feelings of dread people may be experiencing.

- Strategies for accessing accurate information and taking care of ourselves in an overwhelming time of political divide.

Learn how to join a movement that's not only advocating for mothers but creating a brighter future for the next generation!

LEARN MORE ABOUT ERIN ERENBERG:

https://www.totumwomen.com/blogs/news/more-on-our-founder

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHAMBER OF MOTHERS:

https://chamberofmothers.com/

JOIN A LOCAL CHAMBER:

https://chamberofmothers.com/local-chapters/

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

Chamber of Mothers: @chamberofmothers

Dr. Sarah Bren: @drsarahbren

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

1. Moms Demand Action - https://momsdemandaction.org/

2. Vote Mama - https://www.votemama.org/

3. National Women's Law Center - https://nwlc.org/

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PODCAST EPISODES YOU MAY LIKE:

🎧 Motherhood as advocacy: A conversation about paid family leave, abortion access and gun reform with Raena Boston

🎧 Turning parenthood into a career asset for working moms and dads with The Fifth Trimester's Lauren Smith Brody

🎧 The pressures of motherhood in our society: And how we can come together to feel less alone with Alexis Barad-Cutler