This Is Not What I Was Expecting

Sometimes raising an independent teenager means doing something that feels completely unnatural as a parent: not fixing it.

When your teen forgets something, makes a questionable choice, struggles to stay organized, or faces disappointment, it can be incredibly hard not to jump in. Especially when you’ve spent years building support around a child who genuinely needed it.

This week we talk honestly about learning to step back while our teens learn to step up. We share our own experiences with responsibility, ADHD and organization, driving, chores, jobs, appointments, self-advocacy, and those small failures that can become important life lessons.

Because preparing our kids for adulthood isn’t about expecting them to suddenly know how to be adults. It’s about giving them safe opportunities to practice while we’re still 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

Need a tool to help you prevent you're own meltdowns? Check out our Emotional Safety Plan worksheet! 

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

Have you ever walked out of a school meeting, doctor’s appointment, or conversation about your kid and thought, WHY DIDN’T I SAY THAT?! Same. Speaking up for your child sounds easy until you’re sitting across from someone with a title, a degree, or a whole lot more confidence than you have. Suddenly you’re worried about being annoying, confrontational, or labeled “that parent.” This week we’re talking about the very real discomfort of speaking up, what we’ve learned from getting it wrong (repeatedly), and some ways we’ve found to make those conversations a little less intimidating. No perfect scripts. No superhero parenting required. Just three moms trying to get better at using our voices when our kids need us to.

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 asked your partner or your kids, "What does everyone want for dinner?" only to hear a chorus of "I don't know," this episode is for you.

That one simple question somehow turns into meal planning, grocery shopping, picky eaters, food budgets, sensory needs, and one more decision at the end of an already exhausting day.

In this episode, we're having an honest conversation about the mental load of feeding a family. We talk about what actually works in our homes—from "fend for yourself" nights and crockpot meals to getting teenagers involved in cooking, stretching grocery budgets, and giving ourselves permission to stop chasing perfect family dinners.

Because sometimes the goal isn't a Pinterest-worthy meal. It's simply making sure everyone is fed.

So tell us—what's your family's go-to dinner when nobody knows what they want? Share your favorite budget-friendly meals, time-saving tips, or family traditions in the comments. We'd love to hear what works in your home.

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

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