Inspired by a conversation about adulting badges, we're asking our audience what parenting badges they've earned lately while sharing some of our own. From failed family outings and cereal-for-dinner nights to surviving summer break and mountains of laundry, we're creating badges for the parenting experiences you can only earn by living through them.

Join us as we compare our hard-earned badges, laugh at the chaos, and remind ourselves that sometimes making it through the day deserves a little recognition too.

What parenting badge have you earned lately?

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

“Unless you live it, you just don’t understand.”

That feeling comes up a lot for parents raising kids who struggle emotionally, behaviorally, socially, or at school. This week we're talking about the grief of feeling unsupported by family — and the relief of finding people who truly see your child and your experience without judgment.

We also talk about:

If you’ve ever felt alone in your parenting journey, we hope this episode reminds you that your people are out there.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

One day your child is talking to their friend like normal

No explanation. No conversation. Just done.

This week we’re talking about what it feels like when another parent decides your child isn’t “good enough” and you’re left trying to pick up the pieces without really knowing why.

We also get into something a lot of parents don’t talk about enough, especially if your child is the one who tends to get misunderstood. Whether it’s behavior, ADHD, autism, or just being wired a little differently, these situations can hit even harder.

We share real stories, the anger, the confusion, and the hard truth that sometimes you can’t fix it.

If your child has ever been excluded, judged, or misunderstood, you are not alone in this.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

If you’ve ever fed your kids fast food in the car, missed something important, or gone to bed feeling like you didn’t do enough… this episode is for you.

We’re talking about mom guilt—the kind that shows up in the middle of busy schedules, expensive groceries, picky eaters, and trying to be everywhere at once. The kind that makes you question if you’re getting it all wrong.

But what if the things you feel guilty about… aren’t the things your kids will remember?

This is an honest conversation about parenting in survival mode, asking for help, letting go of impossible standards, and realizing that your kids might be holding onto the laughter—not the stress.

You’re not alone in this. And you might be doing better than you think.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

This week we discuss:

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

Everything feels more expensive right now, and parents are the ones carrying the stress of trying to make it all work. Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. Housing costs more. Even the little things add up fast.

And when you’re raising kids, especially kids who need extra support, that pressure does not stay on the budget spreadsheet. It shows up in the guilt, the exhaustion, the second-guessing, and the constant feeling that no matter how hard you work, it is still not enough.

Today's conversation is for parents who are doing the math, cutting back, feeling stretched, and wondering why it still feels so hard. You are not failing. It really is that expensive right now.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

Some days it feels like your life is a dumpster fire. Other days it feels like the whole world is. Either way, parenting doesn't stop. This week we're talking about what it's like to keep functioning when everything feels overwhelming - whether it's chaos in your own family, stress from the news cycle, or a child who is struggling in ways other people can't see. Because the truth is, the school emails still come. Dinner still has to happen and work still expects your to show up with a smile. We're talking about surviving parenting when life feels like too much - letting go of perfection, leaning on friends, finding humor in absurd moments, and sometimes just getting through the day 10 seconds at a time. If you've ever looked like you had it together on the outside while everything felt chaotic behind the scenes, you're not alone.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

This week is a shorter conversation — because sometimes that’s all we have the bandwidth for.

We were told parenting would get easier when our kids got older. We believed it. And then… they got older.

The double stroller stress turns into adult-problem stress. The toddler chaos turns into late-night phone anxiety. The mental load doesn’t disappear — it just changes.

If you’ve ever thought, Shouldn’t this feel easier by now? you are not alone. The stress shifting doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means you’re still a parent.

Take a few minutes with us this week. We’re right there with you.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

This week we’re talking about what happens when the IEP says everything is going well — but real life tells a different story.

Grades are passing. Goals are met. On paper, things look fine. And yet many parents still feel uneasy, especially as their kids get closer to transition age. We talk honestly about the disconnect between school success and real-world readiness, and the shock that can come when you realize the system is focused on this school year while parents are thinking about adulthood.

This conversation is about trusting your gut, rethinking what advocacy is really for, and naming the fears parents carry when they’re trying to prepare their kids for life beyond school.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only one still worried when everyone else says things are fine — you’re not.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community

When you’re parenting, it can feel like everyone’s needs are urgent — kids, appointments, school calls, medications, work — and somehow your own stuff always ends up last on the list. This week Melissa, Tracy, and Perl talk about the invisible load parents carry when they’re managing multiple children’s needs and their own. From living at the pharmacy, to juggling appointments, to teaching kids time management when you’re barely keeping your head above water, this is a conversation about what it’s really like behind the scenes. There are no perfect systems here — just real parents sharing what’s helped, what hasn’t, and why letting go of rigid expectations can sometimes be the healthiest choice. If you’ve ever felt like you’re treading water while trying to hold everyone else up, this episode is for you. You’re not failing. You’re carrying a lot — and you’re not alone.

For one on one support at no cost to parents of children with behavior and mental health challenges in PA visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/one-on-one-help

Find out more about the PA Parent and Family Alliance and how you can support our work at https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/donation

To access any tip sheets and booklets we talk about visit: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/parenting-resources

To be the first to know about our events, read stories of success from families raising children with mental health challenges and more sign up to join the Parent Alliance community: https://www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/join-the-community