Sara has always tried really hard to not just be a good parent, but a really good parent. The best parent. (When I coached her and her partner recently to create some content for the Parenting Membership that you'll hear more about in a few weeks, her partner said to her: You hold everyone else to a high standard. You hold yourself to a higher standard.)
Sara put a lot of pressure on herself, and this was even harder because she she didn't have the most amazing parental role models. They often fought in front of Sara and her sibling (with insults and name calling a regular part of the mix), and they didn't repair afterward.
The difficult communication between parents extended to the children as well - Sara started to fight back when she was spanked, which escalated to physical fights as she got older. If she tried to talk with her Mom about previous incidents then her Mom would make out that she was the victim, while her Dad would whiz her down to Baskin Robbins for ice cream to win back her love. Sara withdrew, stopped sharing anything with her parents and isolated herself in her room - devouring books and the all the things on the early days of the internet.
So when she became a parent, it's not surprising she felt triggered! Conflict abounded! Conflict with her partner, and with her children - she knew how she WANTED to navigate it (in a way that modeled healthy conflict for her children), but how could she do that when she had no idea how?
We talk about conflict in this episode, and we also talk about needs. It turns out that Sara had needs (who knew!) and when she started to identify and meet them, the magic happened.
Spending time doing things for herself, to meet her need for creativity, created time to spend with her husband and children.
She realized she had been trying to do a lot of multitasking to try to fit everything in, but never spent time doing things she truly loved. Once she did, the background noise of that unmet need went quiet in her mind, and then she could actually enjoy spending time with her family.
Taming Your Triggers
Ready to break free from the cycle of triggered reactions and conflict in your parenting journey, just like Sara did?
If you want to:
😟 Be triggered less often by your child's behavior,
😐 React from a place of compassion and empathy instead of anger and frustration,
😊 Respond to your child from a place that's aligned with your values rather than reacting in the heat of the moment,
the Taming Your Triggers workshop will help you make this shift.
Join us to transform conflict into connection and reclaim peace in your parenting journey.
Sign up for the waitlist and we'll let you know once enrollment re-opens. Click the image below to learn more.
00:49 Introducing today’s topic and guest
02:27 Sara’s upbringing and family life
07:40 Sara's pandemic parenting insights
11:28 The challenges of striving for excellence as a parent, especially in trying circumstances
13:55 Sara's decision to join the Parenting Membership before exploring Taming Your Triggers
16:33 Sara's specific triggers that prompted her to recognize the need for support
20:20 Sara’s initial experiences and emotions as she embarked on Taming Your Triggers workshop
26:16 Why Sara chose to prioritize journaling, its impact, and the major shifts she experienced throughout the workshop
30:51 How Sara approached parenting with an audience
33:00 Discovering recurring needs during the workshop that Sara hadn't noticed before
35:06 Sara’s realization that prioritizing self-care actually creates more time in her busy schedule
36:32 What changes Sara has noticed regarding her triggers
39:19 Mild, medium, and spicy practices for parents
42:19 Wrapping up discussion 
Your Parenting Mojo - Respectful, research-based parenting ideas to help kids thrive