Ce interviews Susan Notis, founder of In Balance Parent Coaching and co-author of The Perfectly Imperfect Family. Susan shares her integrative coaching approach to guiding family from exhaustion and chaos to connection and balance. Susan and Ce explore the differences between secure attachment and enmeshment and the importance of creating balance in your parenting life to support healing in your child.  

▶️ Watch the video version of this episode here → https://youtu.be/YarnIX-r1Gk

✨ Become a VIP Parent and get access to this week's exclusive printable resource -- https://www.patreon.com/posts/143602958

📗 Read this week's companion blog -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/finding-balance-in-parenting

💡 Susan's FREE Workbook Chapter -- https://inbalancelifeandparentcoaching.kit.com/2008a4fbfd

💡 Susan's FREE printable age-appropriate chore list -- https://inbalancelifeandparentcoaching.com/free-offersubscribe

🌐 Check out Susan's website -- www.inbalancelifeandparentcoaching.com

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

In this Episode, Ce breaks open the truth about holiday stress for parents of children from difficult beginnings--those navigating trauma, adoption, foster care, neglect, abuse, and attachment wounds. While Target and Walmart sell sparkle and matching pajamas, the reality for trauma-impacted families is sensory overload, routine disruption, meltdowns, and extended relatives offering loud (and sometimes subtle) opinions about how you should be parenting. Ce has some suggestions to make it all just a little bit more tolerable.

→ Become a VIP Parent and get access to exclusive printables and bonuses -- https://www.patreon.com/posts/144329294

→ Read this week's companion blog -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/holiday-triggers

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

In this eye-opening episode, Ce shares what’s really happening when a trauma-impacted child’s behavior looks calculated, controlling, or manipulative. It’s not evil genius (or other automatic fears)—it’s learned survival logic.

Using clear neuroscience, Ce explains how negative reinforcement wires the brain to seek relief from shame, fear, and powerlessness. You’ll learn why your child’s brain sometimes picks control over connection—and exactly how to teach it to choose love instead.

“Control is safety for the child who’s never been safely controlled.”

“When you stop allowing lying work, the brain stops investing in it.”

“Relief rewires faster than reward.” --Ce Eshelman, LMFT

→ Become a VIP Parent and get access to exclusive printables and bonuses -- https://www.patreon.com/posts/143444654

→ Read this week's companion blog -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/when-it-looks-calculated-but-isnt

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

In this heartfelt guest episode of Unmuted Love, Ce Eshelman, LMFT, sits down with Kristina Nation, a parent coach and mother who walked her own teen daughter through the stormy, unpredictable seas of teen depression.

Kristina opens up about the fear, helplessness, and quiet courage it took to stay connected when her daughter struggled to find her way. Together, Ce and Kristina unpack what depression can really look like in young people and how it can impact parents.

This isn’t a how-to episode. It’s a how-to-keep-connected one. You’ll hear about finding professional help, supporting your child without smothering, surviving the waiting seasons, and learning to care for your own nervous system so you can be the grounded anchor your child needs.

→ Check out Kristina's book, The Power of Everyday Grace - https://www.amazon.com/Power-Everyday-Grace-Parenting-Depression-ebook/dp/B0DKC9V594

→ Visit Kristina's website to learn more - www.empoweredparenting.family/resources

→ Become a VIP Parent and get access to exclusive printables and bonuses -- https://www.patreon.com/UnMutedLove

→ Read this week's companion blog -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/when-your-teen-falls-into-depressions-darkness

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

In this deeply personal and luminous conversation, Ce interviews Arleen Tyndall who opens her heart about the journey from performing perfection to embracing her humanness. From the outside, Arleen’s life looked polished and put-together, but underneath, she was carrying the weight of generations of pain, silence, and emotional disconnection.

Her awakening began in Bali, where she went to explore her ancestry and unexpectedly uncovered the buried stories of generational trauma that had been living inside her body and her family line. What she found there changed everything.

Arleen shares how confronting her lineage of generational violence and emotional repression allowed her to return home to Vancouver, BC, no longer repeating old patterns, but instead, living in full awareness and self-compassion. Through this transformation, she found peace not in perfection, but in permission—to be fully, messily human.

→ Check out Arleen's website for free resources and more brilliant insights -- https://www.arleentyndall.com/gifts

→ Read The Perfectly Imperfect Family, the book Arleen co-authored -- https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F6VJ5BHJ

→ Become a VIP Parent and get access to exclusive printables and bonuses -- https://www.patreon.com/UnMutedLove

→ Check out this week's companion blog for more -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/arleen-tyndall-journey-to-freedom

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

In this episode, Ce Eshelman, LMFT, takes us on a heartfelt, humorous, and deeply healing journey through why play is the nervous system’s first language—and why adults need to learn it, too. Drawing on the wisdom of some of the great attachment thinkers and healers of our time--Dan Hughes, Bruce Perry, Dan Siegel, Kim Goulding, and Robyn Gobbel--Ce explores neuroscience, attachment wisdom, and personal honesty about play. She explores how play builds safety, attunement, and co-regulation, even for children (and parents) who didn’t grow up knowing how. Ce believes we can all break the generational silence of "Get out of my hair...go outside and play," by building fun, joyful, and playful relationships with our children.

→ Read the companion blog post: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/play-is-the-language-of-children

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

Shame is sneaky. It hides in our nervous systems, whispers in our parenting ears, and if we’re not careful, it quietly (or not so quietly ) repeats from one generation to the next. In this episode of Unmuted Love, Ce shares some of her personal story about how shame gets passed down from our parents, through us, and into our kids from difficult beginnings—kids who are already extra-sensitive to shame.

→ Check out the companion blog post here -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/shame-is-not-your-family-heirloom

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

Parenting a child from a difficult beginning is not for the faint of heart. And when the weight of blocked care, compassion fatigue, and plain old burnout slaps you down, it’s not because you’re weak or unloving—it’s because your nervous system is crispy. In this episode, Ce breaks down daily micro-moments of self-compassion—tiny pauses that keep your love alive in the middle of chaos. This episode is your permission slip to stop white-knuckling through.

Check out the companion blog here -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/small-pauses-big-impact

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

You already know the five senses. Maybe even the sixth (proprioception) and seventh (vestibular). But what most parents never hear about until they’re tearing their hair out: the eighth sense—interoception.

In this episode, Ce takes you through real-life examples of interoception struggles (yep, you’ll be nodding along), explains why kids from difficult beginnings struggle most, and why a good occupational therapist can be a game-changer.

Resources & Links

•  Become a VIP Parent to check out the Checklist for quick reference → https://www.patreon.com/posts/143288540
•  Read the blog post companion: When Your Child’s Body Keeps Secrets → https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/the-eighth-sense

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!

Does your child’s rage or rejection feel like it slices right through your chest? You’re not imagining it—it really does hurt. But often, that pain isn’t just about what’s happening in the moment. It’s an old wound—your wound—being reactivated.

In this episode of Unmuted Love, Ce unpacks the sneaky way your child’s trauma behaviors can poke at your deepest places of shame, rejection, and unworthiness—what psychology calls narcissistic wounding.

We’ll talk about:

• What narcissistic wounding actually is (spoiler: not what it sounds like).
• The kinds of childhood experiences that create it.
• Why kids from difficult beginnings are experts at accidentally triggering it.
• Real-life parent/child scenarios where wounds flare.
• Tools for staying grounded so you can parent from your wise self, not your wounded self.
• Why this is not a sign you’re broken—it’s actually an invitation to heal.

You’ll walk away knowing how to spot your own “triggers” and how to step back into your compassionate self—even when it feels personal.

Because here’s the truth: when you heal these old wounds, you don’t just change your story—you change your child’s story, too.

Resources:

Parenting the Hurt Child by Gregory Keck & Regina Kupecky

Nurturing Adoptions: Creating Resilience After Neglect and Trauma by Deborah D. Gray

These are recommended for adoptive and foster caregivers to understand trauma's impact on child development and to build resilience-supportive homes. 

The Primal Wound by Nancy Newton Verrier

Considered a seminal work exploring the emotional and identity-related wounds of adoptees, helping adoptive parents empathize with adoptees’ inner experiences.

Check out the companion blog -- https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog/when-my-kids-small-behaviors-felt-so-personal

From Ce Eshelman:

Are you searching for a community of parents who will get you; who offer an attentive ear and open arms in the worst of times; who give you a standing ovation for the monumentally big "small steps" forward you make with your child? It is so painful to walk the jagged trail of this parenting journey alone and no one is ever alone in the Love Matters Parenting Society Therapeutic Parent Program. You will feel seen, understood, and actually deeply cared for. We know it as "love." The Society is a virtual program for parents of children who experienced trauma and others who support them or work with them professionally. You don't have to wait a minute longer. We are right here waiting for YOU!

Become a VIP Parent!

✨ Want access to exclusive printables, cheat sheets, and other valuable resources and bonus materials? Consider becoming a VIP Parent for just $5 a month on the UnMuted Love Patreon!

Additional Resources:

📖 Get your copy of Ce's new book: 20 Things Children from Difficult Beginnings Wish Friends and Family Knew

📖 Get your copy of Drowning with My Hair On Fire: Insanity Relief for Adoptive Parents

▶️ Watch Ce's YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@CeEshelman

🧐 Subscribe to the blog: https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/blog

🔍 Check out my websites: LoveMattersParenting.com and AttachPlace.com

📣 Hear the Success Stories: LoveMattersParenting.com/testimonials

👉 Find Ce on Social Media:

🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovemattersparenting

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovemattersparenting

Unmuted Love is a free podcast for parents of children from difficult beginnings of adoption and abuse trauma. Ce is an adoptive mom of two, step-mom of two, and an Attachment and Trauma Specialist. The Unmuted Love Podcast is part of Love Matters Parenting Society and The Attach Place Center for Strengthening Relationships, LLC. For more information about joining this vibrant community of parents, https://www.lovemattersparenting.com/lmps1.

🎧 Follow us on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode!