102: From confusion and conflict to confident parenting

Do you ever feel ‘lost’ in your parenting?  Like you’ve read all the books (and even listened to the podcast episodes!) and you’ve agreed with them in principle, but somehow nothing ever seems to change?   Your family feels directionless; you just muddle along having the same old fights with your partner about the same old things:

• Should you praise your child when they do what you ask, so they’ll do it again next time? Or punish them for disobeying you?
• Should you worry about (quality or quantity of) screen time?
• Does it matter if you and your partner have completely different parenting styles?

  In this episode I interviewed Kathryn, and discussed:

• The cultural differences between living in the U.K. and Canada (saying “please!” and certain differences in directness of humor)
• How to begin to approach differences in opinion about parenting with your spouse in a way that doesn’t get their back up, but instead focuses on your (and their) values
• The value of interacting with parents who are a little ahead of you and who can give you advice, as well as parents with younger children so you can see how far you’ve come and offer some support to them
• How to align your daily interactions with your child with your overall values
• The importance of bringing fun and playfulness to your parenting in a way that feels relaxed to you (and the positive impact this can have on your child)
• How to problem solve with a child in a way that encourages them to bring their own solutions to the table

 

Parenting Membership 

If parenting feels really hard, and it seems like you’ve read all the books and you’ve asked for advice in free communities and you’re tired of having to weed through all the stuff that isn’t aligned with your values to get to the few good nuggets, then the Parenting Membership will help you out.   Join the waitlist and we'll let you know when enrollment reopens in May 2026. Click the banner to learn more.     Jump to highlights 01:39 Introducing the guest 07:25 Differences in parenting between the English and the Canadian 15:43 Particular areas that were attractive to Kathryn in terms of the focus of the group 23:48 Transformations that she experienced in her family once she joined the group 32:08 What might have happened if she hadn’t joined the group 36:03 Final thought of Kathryn