Where the F Is My Village

Angela O'Brien is a personal organizer and mom of two. Her daughter (20) has Down syndrome and her son is a college senior. Today Angela discusses the stress of deciding what's next for her daughter while also managing her grief that being empty nesters isn't in her near future.
Today she also shares how she especially loves working with parents of special needs kids to create a calm and peaceful environment for themselves and their families so that they can focus their own energies on the things that mean the most to them! 

Angela's website is www.yourspacereclaimed.net

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

Whether it's issues with school, friends, mental health, or physical health, the issues don't slow down just because there's already too much on our plates! This week Stefanie discusses the new  issues plaguing her kids and how she wants to go back to bed and not deal with it. Unfortunately that's not an option when you're the one in charge of "all the things"! 

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

Is your anxious child hard to live with? Do they walk around with a cloud over their heads ignoring the sunshine? Today Stefanie talks about how chronic irritability has a strong association with high levels of anxiety, and how hard it can be to for the whole family. She also discusses tactics she is trying (and mostly failing at) with her kids to attempt to recalibrate their mindset.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

Sivan Hong,  a mother of two boys, is the author and illustrator of the bestselling children’s book series Super Fun  Day , which shares social stories about kids with neurodiversity (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.).

Today we discuss the importance of a child understanding their diagnosis and celebrating their uniqueness. We also talk about how Sivan's books help kids and their caregiver's discuss their anxiety about being different, and how to make a plan to be brave out in the world.

https://sivanhong.com/books-%26-teachers-guides

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

You may have noticed a lack of episodes lately, and I am sorry! This episode is somewhat an explanation and apology and also a look inside the chaos inside my brain.  If you're raising a tricky kid it's possible you will relate to the constant juggling and feeling of "building the airplane while already in flight." There's more work to be done than anyone can handle and it can be so overwhelming it's debilitating.  Today's episode is a Stefanie Life Update and also a tale of how I still make the mistake of taking care of everyone but myself.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

Hi Villagers! Thank you for your patience this week. I'm sure some of you were really wondering where WTF was this week.

Like all parents of tricky kids, life can go off the rails sometimes. On this episode Stefanie discusses her week of chaos brought to you by a little boy with Swimmer's Ear.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

I'm sure we all had an idea of how parenting would look for us, and then we were handed tricky kids. I've talked about lowering the bar before, so today I talk about a few strategies I use to try to make life a little easier.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

If you try enough doctors, treatments, and medications, you're bound to have some failures. Today Stefanie discusses her recent rough introduction to a new clinic and how badly the first session of neurofeedback went.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

If your child is grumpy, angry, emotional, and a hot mess after school, you may find it confusing because their teacher says they were great all day for them. Well, research shows that children fall apart after school BECAUSE they were great all day. They used all their emotional energy and self control up at school and when they are home they let it all out. 
Today Stefanie discusses this behavior and how in neurodivergent kiddos these reactions can be even bigger due to masking. Neurodivergent kids put on a mask to try to hide their natural ADHD, OCD, or ASD reactions to things. They mask and pretend to be "normal" (aka neurotypical) all day long and they are exhausted by the time they get home. We discuss what this looks like and how to give love and support when your child needs safety and rest.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids

Happy Labor Day Villagers! If you're anything like me you're grateful for this three day weekend because you are TIRED. I wish I had some magic solutions to fix our chronic exhaustion, but today I can tell you how I'm doing and how I'm surviving "all the things". And maybe you can find some comfort in knowing you're not alone in being worn out sometimes.

A Podcast for People Raising Tricky Kids