You Are the Parent: How to raising capable kids without overparenting with Dr. Siggie

Send us Fan Mail

Many of us have absorbed the message that emotions matter, then ended up stuck in the moment, rescuing, fixing, and working hard to keep our kids happy. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Siggie, author of the new book You Are the Parent, about the missing piece: recognizing and validating a child’s feelings without letting those feelings run the household.

We talk about why overparenting leaves parents exhausted and kids more anxious, and why looking inward at your own triggers matters so much. We also get into how a child’s temperament (feisty, flexible, or fearful) changes the way you need to show up, and how to turn disagreements with your co-parent into conversations. Along the way, we tackle rudeness, morning power struggles, and why “your power is in your restraint.” 

In this episode:

• Validation, not accommodation: all emotions are okay, but not all behaviors are, and kids build resilience when we let them struggle safely with us beside them as their coach.
• Know your child: the “easy” child may just be agreeable by nature, the feisty child isn’t flawed, and comparing or questioning a child’s shyness or fear can backfire.
• Rudeness and power struggles: correct the trigger underneath the behavior, skip the long “because” speeches, and stay on task with a brief, calm “I hear you, now let’s go.”
• Pause and try again: slowing down helps us respond instead of react, and “let’s try that again” works for parents and kids alike.

About our guest

Dr. Siggie is a parenting expert with over 1.6 million followers on Instagram and the author of You Are the Parent. She offers courses for parents of younger and older children, plus courses on siblings and anxiety, and a library of downloadable tips and tools.

Links

• You Are the Parent by Dr. Siggie US link: here
• Dr. Siggie’s website: here
• Dr. Siggie’s Instagram: here
• Join the Reflective Parenting Podcast Book Club to learn about her book all month: here

Support the show

• Join the Reflective Parent Book Club for only $9.99 for the year: https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-book-club

1. Watch my Tedx Talk on YouTube called The Over-Educated, Emotionally Underprepared Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDYJFY_9K9E&t=19s

• Grab my course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/