
The Intentional Parents Podcast
Being Emotionally Present with Toddlers Amidst Responsibilities, Dealing with Overstimulation as a Parent + Shielding Kids from Emotional Pain (Q+R)
This week, the entire Intentional team sits down to respond to your questions, covering a range of topics, including emotional availability, attachment, overstimulation with kids, physical intimacy in marriage, and navigating emotional pain with our children.
We discuss the difficult task of staying emotionally present with toddlers while tending to household responsibilities. Elizabeth unpacks common misconceptions about attachment, explaining that secure attachment isn’t about being constantly available but is instead about a continued pattern of relating and knowing how to repair when we inevitably fall short.
We delve into the reality of overstimulation and feeling “touched out” with kids — and how that may dissuade us from desiring physical intimacy with our spouse. We discuss practical ways to navigate this challenge, including clear communication and strategies for regulating your nervous system. We also acknowledge that while this season of parenting young children is emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually demanding, it also strengthens our resilience, helping us build tolerance for life’s everyday stresses.
Finally, we tackle the question “Can we shield our children from emotional pain?” Instead of striving to protect them from every hardship, we discuss the importance of naming and acknowledging their pain, equipping them with tools to process their emotions, and ultimately pointing them to their heavenly Father as their true source of comfort and strength.
Tune in for an honest, encouraging conversation about the complexities of parenting — and the grace we need to navigate it all.
Scripture Mentioned: Luke 8:1-3, Luke 9:1-2, Psalm 32:7, Genesis 50:20, Genesis 39:21, Romans 8 + Psalm 91
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