Open Book Parenting

03/19/2026

Exposures need to be more than theoretical, they need to be rooted in the child's real life and real environment. Planning ways to face and overcome anxiety is something children learn and relearn throughout their growing. Parents are the best resource they have to keep facing their anxious challenges as they step through to the next phase of growth.

03/18/2026

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that you can be such a good parent that you have a perfect kid. Which means you can give up on trying to nail every aspect of parenting and you can remember that we are ALL growing people. Our kids are growing in more obvious ways, but we are growing, too. And parenthood -- learning to support, accept, and tend to our kids -- is one major way we get the opportunity to grow, too. Give up the checklist, focus on the process, and try to enjoy the view along the way! 🧡

03/18/2026

This episode of TELL ME IT WILL BE OK is all about giving up! Or rather, giving up judiciously. Sometimes we rush in with an idea of the problem we need to solve but actually the problem we're trying to solve is NOT the problem. The problem is something else entirely that's creating the situation we see as a problem. Want to learn more? Check out this excerpt and then head to your podcast app. search up TELL ME IT WILL BE OK and listen in!

03/18/2026

03/17/2026

Anxious children tend to be more fearful and learning how to support them in their fear without getting trapped in the Parenting Pitfalls is tricky. Scroll through to learn more about how to manage your anxious child's scary moments and let me know if you have any questions!

03/16/2026

If you've ever tried some generic parenting advice and could not make it work, maybe the issue is the advice. Maybe it's a poor fit for your unique family having this particular experience. That's fine! Parenting support should help you be more YOU and support your child in being their best selves, not some stereotypical idea of what kids and families and parents ought to be! If you can tune into who your child is, and who you are each parenting challenge gets easier because you understand yourself and your child more and more and more. Check out this excerpt of TELL ME IT WILL BE OK, my podcast about parenting anxious kids in a worried world.

03/16/2026

If you have an idea of what your child ought to be doing and your child isn't doing it and you're both overwhelmed, it might be time to pull back and think of what steps we need to take to get them there. So if you have a child who will NOT get their room clean, maybe they don't have the skills that they need to do it. Maybe our expectation simply isn't realistic. We might need to give up on a CLEAN ROOM and instead accept that we are in the process of growing someone capable of cleaning a room. When we give up on the goal, we might find it's a lot easier to work TOWARDS the goal. Suddenly we're not failing! (And neither is our child!) Suddenly we're in process! And that's a much nicer place to be!

03/15/2026

When I'm working with parents on getting out of the Parenting Pitfalls that trap their families in child anxiety, this is a lot of what we're talking about. Healthy boundaries are good for all of us and in the parent/child relationship, they help our children grow. Need help establishing YOUR healthy, anti-anxiety boundaries with your anxious child? Reach out!

03/15/2026

Today's podcast update is all about learning to give up in order to get to your goals. Sounds contradictory, I know, but trust me, it works! This excerpt highlights why quick and easy fix are generally ineffective. Get the whole episode wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to subscribe so you're always up to date!

03/14/2026

What this means is that those Parenting Pitfalls -- the ones I'm always warning you about -- tend to creep up without us noticing them. They seem like a good idea at the time and they even can be a great idea! But then as our child grows, we realize that instead of growing out of them, the family is getting trapped. (This is how we can end up with a 9-year old who still needs us to lie down with them to go to sleep or an 8-year old who won't tell the server whether they want fries with that.) No guilt, ok? When we know better, we can start tackling those Pitfalls! They CAN be overcome!

03/13/2026

Mr. Rogers shared this thought in response to a parent who wrote and said, "I wish I were like you ... patient and quiet and even-tempered, and always speak respectfully ... but that just isn't my personality. I often lose my patience and even scream at my children." Instead of telling parents how to behave, Mr. Rogers shares that real parents have real feelings and ultimately isn't that a benefit? After all our children have real feelings, too, and if they have children they will also struggle. Our children don't need us to be perfect, thank goodness. And who could live up to that? Not even Mr. Rogers!