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Self-control is one of the hardest skills for kids to learn, and one of the most important. It’s what helps them wait their turn, keep working when something feels hard, and handle frustration without falling apart or giving up. Today kicks off a three-part series on the podcast about helping kids develop self-control. In today's episode, I share how you can help your child build emotional self-control. In the coming weeks, I’ll focus on verbal and physical self-control. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/427 The post Are You Making Self-Control Harder for Your Child? (Self-Control Series, Part 1) – 427 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Do you wish you had more friends, but find yourself hesitating to reach out? You might think you don’t have the time or that making friends takes too much effort. You might assume other moms already have plenty of friends, are too busy, or wouldn’t be interested. Those thoughts can make it harder to take the first step and get to know someone. This week, I’m replaying an older episode about making new friends where I talk about common thoughts that can get in the way and how to create more opportunities for connection. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/426 The post Making New Friends as a Mom – 426 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Your child talks back, lies about something small, or ignores your directions. You wonder: If this is happening now, what will they be like five years from now? In this week’s episode, I’m talking about why worry about your child’s future can make their current behavior feel so urgent, how that worry shapes your reactions, and how to respond to what’s actually happening. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/425 The post When Worry About Your Child’s Future Shapes Your Parenting – 425 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Your child is yelling because you said no, talking to you disrespectfully, or following you around trying to change an answer you’ve already given. You’re trying to stay calm, but part of you is thinking, How much of this am I supposed to put up with? "Expanding your window of tolerance" can sound like learning to become more patient with behavior you don’t want to allow. So what are you actually learning to tolerate? Tune in to today’s episode to find out. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/424 The post Calm Parenting Doesn’t Mean Tolerating Bad Behavior – 424 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

“Why am I always so tired?” “Why are my kids so disrespectful?” “Why is parenting so hard?” These can sound like self-reflection questions, but the assumptions built into them can keep leading you back to the same answers. This week, I’m bringing back one of the earliest episodes of the podcast because its central idea still holds true: The questions you ask shape what you notice and the answers you find. In this episode, I explain how to recognize questions that leave you feeling defeated and replace them with questions that help you understand yourself, consider new possibilities, and decide what you want to do next. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/423 The post Self-Reflection Questions for Moms – 423 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Your child’s teacher says they had a great day, but once they get home, the smallest thing sends them over the edge. After-school meltdowns can make it seem as though your child saved their worst behavior for you, but there may be more contributing to the reaction. In this episode, I’m looking at the demands your child manages at school, the transition home, and what happens during the afternoon. I’m also sharing how to stay grounded when your child is overwhelmed, hold boundaries without arguing, and recognize when the pattern deserves more attention. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/422 The post After-School Meltdowns: How to Help Your Kids Without Having One Too – 422 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

The school nurse’s number flashes on your phone again. Your child has a stomachache, a headache, or another symptom that feels serious enough to make them want to leave school. They’ve been medically checked, and everything appears to be normal. The nurse says they’re okay. Your child insists they’re not. Now you’re caught between two concerns: What if you overlook something important? What if picking them up reinforces school avoidance by teaching them that leaving is the only way to feel better? There’s another possibility besides “They’re sick” or “They’re trying to get out of class.” Your child’s body could be responding to something their mind hasn’t recognized or put into words. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/421 The post When Kids Keep Asking to Go to the School Nurse – 421 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

When your child is struggling with homework, it’s hard to know how much you should get involved. If you step in, are you helping or taking over? If you back off, are you teaching responsibility or letting your child fall behind? The answer isn’t always obvious, especially when missing assignments and low grades start making you anxious. This week, I’m bringing back an older episode called "Homework Help." If homework and grades are already creating tension in your home, this episode will help you think differently about what may be going on and what your role should be. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/420 The post Homework Help (replay) – 420 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

My daughter thanked me at dinner the other night for "not letting" her drop out of college. She's an adult, so I couldn't have stopped her if I'd tried.🤷🏻‍♀️ What I did instead is why she thanked me. Like me, you may be working hard to parent differently from the way you were raised. You don't want your kids to feel afraid, dismissed, or powerless. You want a close relationship built on trust. Somewhere along the way, being the one in charge can start to feel like the opposite of being close. You worry that every limit you hold could damage the relationship you're working so hard to build. How do you lead your kids without controlling them? How does that change as they grow? For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/419 The post Take Back Your Parental Authority – 419 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Your child finds out they aren’t in class with any of their friends. They say their teacher is too strict. They come home crying and tell you they have no one to sit with at lunch. Your mind immediately jumps to: “This shouldn't be happening.” “They're going to be miserable.” “I need to do something.” While some situations require you to step in, a difficult first day or week of school doesn’t always mean something has gone wrong. A new school year is a transition, and kids need time to adjust to unfamiliar teachers, classmates, expectations, and routines. Today, I’m bringing back an earlier episode about how you can support your child through that adjustment without allowing your own worries to take over. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/418 The post Adjusting to a New School Year (replay) – 418 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

You’ve been looking forward to having your child home from sleepaway camp. Then they walk through the door exhausted, disappear into their room, complain that there’s nothing to do, or get annoyed the first time you remind them to put something away. It’s easy to wonder: Did they miss me? Are they happy to be home? Did camp change them in ways I don’t like? The transition from camp to home is bigger than it may appear. Your child is returning from a completely different world, and they may need time to figure out how the person they became at camp fits back into family life. In this episode, I’m sharing three adjustments kids make after sleepaway camp and how you can give your child room to bring their growing confidence, competence, and independence home with them. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/417 The post Helping Your Child Adjust to Being Home After Sleepaway Camp – 417 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

I’m currently in Georgia for my eighth summer as a grief specialist at Experience Camps, a nonprofit that provides free, one-week camps for kids who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. While I’m there, I’m replaying Episode 158, “Lessons from Grief Camp,” which first aired on August 17, 2021. Even if your family isn't dealing with grief, the lessons in this episode apply to every parent. They're about what makes kids more likely to talk about their difficult emotions with you and how you can create the conditions that help them open up. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/416 The post Lessons from Grief Camp (replay) – 416 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Your child is in a bad mood. You offer suggestions, make a joke, or point out what’s going well. Nothing seems to help, and before long, you’re in a bad mood, too. It’s easy to feel responsible for turning their mood around. But what if supporting them doesn’t require changing how they feel? In this episode, I talk about why some kids seem moodier than others, why their moods can affect you so quickly, and how to support them without needing to cheer them up or taking their behavior personally, so their bad mood doesn’t have to become yours. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/415 The post When Your Child Is Moody: What Helps and What Doesn’t – 415 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Everyone gets angry. But not everyone recognizes it, lets themselves feel it, or knows what to do with it when it shows up. Sometimes anger is obvious. Other times, it looks more like irritation, resentment, anxiety, tension, or the need to control everything around you. You may not think of yourself as an angry person at all, but that doesn’t mean the anger isn’t there. In today's podcast episode, I’m talking about what happens when you suppress or repress anger, how it can affect your parenting, and what your body needs when anger shows up. You don’t have to choose between giving yourself permission to feel angry and helping your child feel safe. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/414 The post How to Release Anger Without Taking It Out on Your Kids – 414 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.

Have you ever looked at your child and thought, “Wow. You're so much like me”? At first, that recognition can feel sweet. You understand them in a way other people might not. But it can also create some blind spots. You may think you know what they’re feeling, what they need, or why something matters so much to them, when part of what you’re seeing is your own history. In this week’s episode, I’m talking about **three common traps of parenting a child who reminds you of yourself**, and what helps you notice when the similarities are helping you understand them versus keeping you from seeing them clearly. For full show notes and information, visit https://lessdramamoremama.com/413 The post When Your Child Reminds You of Yourself – 413 appeared first on Less Drama More Mama.