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When Adriane’s youngest was little, his favorite two words were “thank you.” He said them after everything, even when it didn’t make sense. She thought she was raising a really grateful kid, until she realized they were just words.
In this episode, Adriane shares 10 research-backed ways to cultivate connective gratitude, the kind kids actually feel and live out, not just say. Gratitude isn’t a feeling that magically appears; it’s a skill kids need to learn. With Thanksgiving coming up, this is the perfect time to start building it into your family’s everyday rhythms, and keep it going all year long.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
🎁 FREE Gratitude Toolkit
📖 Read the blog post: 10 Tips for Raising Grateful Kids
📚 Resources mentioned:
Episode 35: 4 Surprising Reasons Your Kids Are Ungrateful
Greater Good Science Center: What Parents Neglect to Teach About Gratitude
Sensory series (interoception)
Emotions Play Pack
Gratitude journal*
Habit Stacking Mom podcast
🌱 Need more support?
Purpose Parent Transformation Program
Play coaching for kids
Book a free Parent Support Discovery Call
Connect with Adriane:
*This episode contains affiliate links. See the disclosure policy for details: https://raisingkidswithpurpose.com/about/disclosure/
You planned the vacation, bought the birthday gift, and drove them everywhere, and you didn’t even get a “thank you.” If you’ve ever looked at your kids and thought, “What did we do? We’ve created ungrateful monsters,” this episode is for you.
In this episode, Adriane shares what she learned when she dug into the research on why kids seem ungrateful. Often it isn’t ingratitude at all. You’ll hear what a group of high school girls said about being labeled “ungrateful,” why “there are starving kids in other countries” never works, and how a surprise package of pajamas taught Adriane more about gratitude than any birthday ever did.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Resources mentioned:
Need support?
*This post contains affiliate links. See the disclosure policy (https://raisingkidswithpurpose.com/about/disclosure/) for details.
"Don't kick it in the middle!" Every parent on my son's 9- and 10-year-old soccer team yells it, and every single time, the ball goes right down the middle for the other team to kick in the goal. Then the coach changed his words, and they stopped getting scored on as much as they were.
In this episode, I break down why your child's brain can't really process a "don't," why "don't" is every parent's go-to (it's not your fault!), and the simple flip that helps your kids actually hear you.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Your challenge this week: Catch yourself saying "don't" or "stop," and flip it into what you want to see. Then email me and tell me how it went!
Resources mentioned:
Now go raise those kids with purpose!
How many times have you told your child to "say you're sorry," only to hear a quick "I'm sorry" and then watch them do the same thing an hour later? That's because "sorry" is just a word. What we actually want is the skill underneath it: empathy.
In this episode, I walk you through "Walk in Their Shoes," an activity I created for my PURPOSE Learning Program that went a little crazy on Instagram. It teaches kids empathy through play and experience instead of lectures, and you can try it at home this week.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Guided questions to ask while your child stands in the character's shoes:
Try it at home this week:
Resources and links:
Try this with your kids, then leave a review and tell me how it went! Every review helps another parent find this podcast when they need it most. And subscribe so you don't miss what's next.
Now go teach your kid some empathy!
In the final episode of this 3-part series, Adriane tackles the question her own 14-year-old asked her point blank: "If yelling doesn't work, why do you do it?"
In this episode:
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Book a free Parent Support Discovery Call
Free resource — The Calm Mom Toolkit: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/e4x8o5
Catch up on the series:
Program mentioned:
P.U.R.P.O.S.E. Parent Transformation Program (6-month program, including the "Optimizing Emotional Regulation" module referenced in this episode)
If this series helped you, leave a quick review to help another overwhelmed parent find this podcast exactly when they need it. Thank you for listening to this whole series!
In Part 1, Adriane broke down the brain science behind why yelling backfires — and shared the story of the backyard scream that landed her with shingles. In this episode, she goes past the brain science into what yelling actually costs you: your connection, your child's trust, and — if left unaddressed — deep-rooted shame that can follow them into adulthood.
In this episode:
Reason #4: It Breaks Connection and Trust — why kids are biologically wired to seek safety in their caregiver, and what happens to that attachment when the caregiver becomes a source of fear
Reason #5: It Creates Shame Instead of Growth — the key distinction between guilt ("I did something wrong") and shame ("I am something wrong")
Reason #6: It Can Lead to Long-Term Emotional Struggles — the difference between chronic yelling and an occasional one-off
Resources & Links Mentioned:
💙 Free resource — The Calm Mom Toolkit https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/e4x8o5
🎧 Part 1 of this series — Episode 30: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/28-how-to-make-back-to-school-routines-last-beyond/id1879606964?i=1000786256734
🎧 Episode 29 — Rupture and Repair: How to Fix Parent-Child Conflict Before It Causes Lasting Damage
📚 Brené Brown's research on guilt vs. shame
📅 Book a free Parent Support Discovery Call
Loved this episode? Leave a quick review. It helps another overwhelmed parent find this podcast exactly when they need it. And subscribe so you don't miss Part 3!
In this episode, the first of a 3-part series, Adriane breaks down the first three of nine reasons why yelling doesn't work, backed by brain science, and gives you tools you can start using today.
In this episode:
Resources & Links Mentioned:
📖 Read the original blog post: 9 Eye-Opening Reasons Why You Should Stop Yelling at Kids: raisingkidswithpurpose.com/reasons-to-stop-yelling-at-kids/
🎧 Related — Episode 2: The Power of Pausing in Parenting: How to Stop Reacting and Start Responding
🎧 Related — Episode 29: Rupture and Repair: How to Fix Parent-Child Conflict Before It Causes Lasting Damage
🎧 On teaching through play — Episode 21: Why Your Kid Keeps Disobeying You And What Works Faster Than Timeouts
🎧 Episode 22: How to Be a Playful Parent When You're in Parental Burn Out
🎧 Episode 23: 5 Playful Habits to Build a Stronger Bond With Your Kids
🧠 Dr. Laura Markham, clinical psychologist — Aha! Parenting
Programs mentioned:
P.U.R.P.O.S.E. Parent Transformation Program (covering Rupture, Reflection & Repair, and Optimizing Emotional Regulation)
Loved this episode? Leave a quick review. It helps another overwhelmed parent find this podcast exactly when they need it. And subscribe so you don't miss Part 2!
Rupture and Repair: How to Fix Parent-Child Conflict Before It Causes Lasting Damage
Ruptures with our kids are inevitable, but repair is what makes the relationship stronger, not weaker. In this episode, Adriane revisits a blog post she wrote back in 2020 about a rupture with her son and breaks down the exact process for repairing conflict with your kids: acknowledging harm, taking responsibility, validating feelings, and making amends. She also shares a personal story about receiving an unexpected repair from her own dad, and why healing these patterns now can break the generational cycle for good.
In this episode:
Read the original blog post:
Grab the free Emotion Coach printable (mentioned in the blog post above):
Stop the Fighting Toolkit (mentioned in this episode):
Purpose Parent Transformation Program — book a chat:
Purpose Learning Program for Kids:
Episode 2: The Power of Pausing in Parenting: How to Stop Reacting and Start Responding:
Books mentioned by Dr. Daniel Siegel (some co-authored with Tina Payne Bryson):
This post/episode contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
Loved this episode?
Questions or thoughts on this episode? Email [email protected]
This August felt different. The first day of school was the least stressful one Adriane's ever had, and it wasn't luck. It's because the same routines her family has used for over a decade are finally just... baked in. In this episode, Adriane revisits her friend Emily McDermott's 5 must-have back-to-school routines (from a guest post Emily wrote for the blog last year) and shares what's actually kept these routines sticking well past week one for years, not just for the start of school.
In this episode:
Resources & Links Mentioned:
If this episode helped, Adriane would love a quick review. It helps another overwhelmed parent find this podcast exactly when they need it.
Every single word you speak to your child is either building an identity that says "I am enough, I am worthy, I am loved, I am seen" or quietly teaching them that their worth is connected to what they do next. In this episode, we're talking about positive lunchbox notes for kids, the neuroscience behind affirmations, the real difference between self-esteem and self-love, and how back-to-school season gives you a built-in, easy way to start.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
📥 Grab your FREE 30 Positive Lunchbox Notes for Kids (+ bonus jokes): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/d1h9r9
📖 Read the full blog post: https://raisingkidswithpurpose.com/chat
🎧 Related episode — 17 // Why Praise Doesn't Work to Motivate Kids (And What to Do Instead): https://self-compassion.org/practices/self-compassion-loving-kindness-meditation/
Programs mentioned:
Supplies mentioned:
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast!
From the publisher's feed
The Raising Kids With Purpose Podcast is where overwhelmed moms and parents, especially those raising neurodivergent, high-energy, or strong-willed kids, learn emotional regulation for parents so they can regulate themselves FIRST and show up as their kids’ strongest advocates.
Through the PURPOSE framework of Pause & Presence, Understanding the Whole Child, Rupture, Reflection & Repair, Play, Optimizing Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Regulation, Setting Boundaries, and Empowering Growth, parenting coach Adriane Thompson shares intentional and conscious parenting tools that support calm parenting, present parenting, and responding instead of reacting.
This podcast offers parenting support for moms navigating parenting stress, reactive parenting, and parenting burnout, helping you build emotional regulation skills, create a calm household, and support your child’s brain development in healthy ways—without losing yourself in the hardest moments.
This is peaceful parenting advice you wish your parents had.