

Reflective Parenting by Curious Neuron
Cindy Hovington, Ph.D.
Parents don’t snap for one reason — they snap because stress builds faster than awareness.The Reflective Parenting Podcast, hosted by neuroscientist and mom of three Dr. Cindy Hovington, helps parents understand what’s happening inside them before they snap and why recognizing it sooner is the key to change.Through personal reflections and conversations with clinicians and experts, the podcast explores why parenting feels so intense, why insight often disappears under stress, and what it means to become a reflective parent.A reflective parent isn’t perfect or calm all the time. They notice sooner, recover faster, and slowly build more trust in how they show up — even on hard days.This podcast is your invitation to pause, reflect, and feel less alone.New episodes weekly.Join the private group on Facebook:www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/Watch our FREE training for parents to understand why you snap!https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2Purchase our course to Become a Reflective Parent!https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/Follow us on Instagram @curious_neuron or Facebook @curiousneuron
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 29, 2020 • 1h 6min
Benefits of play for child development
Send us a textIn today’s episode, we talk about play! There are so many opportunities for play with items around our home and Emma from @play_at_home_mummy has an Instagram account that beautifully illustrates this. We chat about setting up a playroom, different types of play, what to do when siblings argue, sensory bins, risky play, development, and more!Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Apr 16, 2020 • 1h 1min
What new parents should know about baby development and the brain
Send us a textIn today’s episode, I chat with Jenny and Carrie about their advice to new parents. We talk about the importance of a stimulating environment, which doesn’t mean having a lot around your baby, but rather being present, getting down on the floor with them during tummy time, and having zero screen time. We might not realize the importance of tummy time, skin-to-skin and the environment. We talk about why these are so important. Did you know that babies should not skip crawling? We discuss the brain in terms of developing and eliminating connections.Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Apr 1, 2020 • 55min
Understanding childhood anxiety before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic
Send us a textIn this episode, we discuss childhood anxiety. How do we differentiate between worry and symptoms of anxiety in a child? Symptoms of childhood anxiety can often manifest as challenging behavior or tantrums in young children. Dr. Yee explains the importance of providing children with a safe space to talk and express their emotions. Given that most of us are experiencing some level of stress giving the current COVID-19 pandemic, she also discusses stress in adults and children during a crisis.Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Mar 15, 2020 • 56min
Effective Use of Positive Reinforcement
Send us a textWhen we hear the term “positive reinforcement” we might get an image of giving a child candy or chocolate to get them to do what we want them to. However, in this episode, Courtney, a behavior analyst, explains that there is a lot more to it.She explains that praise and positive reinforcement are not the same. She describes how we need to assess our child’s behavior and determine why this behavior is happening. This will help us provide our children with an alternative and help them modify their behavior.When and how can a parent use positive reinforcement? All these questions and more are answered in this episode!For links and resources visit our Curious Neuron.Follow us on Instagram @cuious_neuron to vote for topics and send in your questions for the people I interview.Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Feb 27, 2020 • 53min
Dealing with our emotions when we feel triggered by our children
Send us a textAs parents, we can feel triggered by our baby crying for long periods of time, by our toddler acting out or by our 5-year-old ignoring us. We can’t control if and when a trigger will happen, but we can control how we react to triggers. My conversation with Bryana, Director of South Bay Mommy and me, is all about how we regulate ourselves. We discuss what you can do to learn more about “why” you are responding a certain way to triggers, how certain ways of responding to a trigger can impact a child’s behavior, how you can bring yourself back down to a state of calm when you are triggered and how our past/upbringing can play into the way in which we respond to triggers.For links to the resources mentioned in this episode, visit our website:https://www.curiousneuron.com/podcast/2020/2/27/episode-7-dealing-with-our-emotions-when-we-feel-triggered-by-our-childrenFollow us on Instagram!https://www.instagram.com/curious_neuron/Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Feb 13, 2020 • 44min
ADHD and Students: Understanding the symptoms in and out of the classroom
Send us a textIn episode 5, we focused on understanding when it might be the right time to have your child evaluated for ADHD. In this episode, we focus on "after the diagnosis". How can a child better manage their symptoms in the classroom, at home during homework and with friends? Also, we discuss various treatments and hoe ADHD symptoms can be similar to learning disorders and anxiety. Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Jan 28, 2020 • 36min
ADHD and Students: When to get evaluated
Send us a textPart 1: Please note that this episode on ADHD has 2 parts. In today's episode, I discuss ADHD with my guest, Dr. Audrey Benoit. Is your child showing signs of ADHD or do they simply struggle with inattention? What are some signs that you should get evaluated? Can children with ADHD be misdiagnosed? What are some aids provided in the classroom? Lastly, we discuss medications for ADHD, how they work and when it might be the right time for a child to start taking medication. For more info visit www.curiousneuron.com and follow us on Instagram!Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Jan 13, 2020 • 26min
Helping children learn to play independently
Send us a textIf your child struggles with playing on their own, this episode will guide you on how to teach them this skill. Thank you to Jacinth, a parenting coach from Singapore and the founder of https://ourlittleplaynest.com/ and @ourlittleplaynest on Instagram for chatting with me!Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Dec 18, 2019 • 19min
Bilingualism and babies
Send us a textCan learning more than 1 language cause delays in a baby's first words? Will raising a bilingual child help them when they start school? What are some myths around bilingualism? In today’s episode, we will chat with a speech-language pathologist to learn more about bilingualism in babies.Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com

Nov 22, 2019 • 19min
Minimizing emotional outbursts
Send us a textAccording to science, what are some strategies we can implement when it comes to helping our children learn to control their emotions (emotion regulation) and minimize their emotional outbursts/tantrums? Follow us on Instagram to see next week's post about a calming corner or visit our website (podcast page) to get full details. Support the showLearn more with Curious Neuron: Snapping at your kid? Get this FREE training to learn how to catch your nervous system in overdrive BEFORE you snap! https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2 Read to become a Reflective Parent? Purchase our course below: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/ Email: info@curiousneuron.com


