Parenting a Spicy Child: How to Stay Calm, Set Boundaries, and Keep the Connection :: Mary Van Geffen [Ep 558]

Parenting a spicy child can feel overwhelming, isolating, and exhausting, especially when traditional parenting advice just doesn’t work. In this episode, Mary Van Geffen joins us to talk about what it really means to parent a strong-willed, spirited, intense child without losing yourself or crushing their spirit.

So often, as moms, we unknowingly tie our identity and worth to how our children behave. When our kids are calm, compliant, or successful, we feel like we are doing a good job. When they are loud, explosive, or struggling, we internalize it as failure. Parenting a spicy child brings this tension to the surface and forces us to ask deeper questions about where our identity really comes from. This conversation invites moms to loosen their grip on performance-based parenting and remember that our value is not measured by our child’s behavior, but by who we are and whose we are. 

Here is some of what we cover: 

• How to stay connected to your child so you can guide them long-term
• A practical calm down recipe for flare-ups and explosive moments
• How to set boundaries without crushing your child’s spirit
• Why you are not responsible for your child’s happiness
• How to support the mild child in a family with a spicy sibling

Connect with Mary Van Geffen: 

• Instagram: 🌶️Parenting Education Classes (@maryvangeffen)
• Facebook: Mary Van Geffen
• Website: Mary Van Geffen

Links Mentioned:  

• Parenting a Spicy One: By Mary Van Geffen
• The Cost of Control: By Sharon Hodde Miller
• Start Here- Quiz — Mary Van Geffen
  
  

Related Episodes:

• Parenting as a Highly Sensitive Person :: Mary Van Geffen [Ep 438]
• Body Awareness in Parenting :: Mary Van Geffen [Ep 333]
• How to Stay Calm with Strong Willed Kids? :: Kirk Martin [Ep 479]

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