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The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}

The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}

Kids & Family:Parenting

Ep. 200!: Gratitude for Our Watchdog & Possum Parts

Ep. 200!: Gratitude for Our Watchdog & Possum Parts

2024-11-19
Download Right click and do "save link as"

In this special 200th episode, we’re exploring how to bring compassion, curiosity, and gratitude to our kids’ (and our own) “Watchdog” and “Possum” parts as overworked companions trying their best to help us survive. With acceptance and understanding, we can help these parts rest and integrate, creating space for true change.

We also look at the unique challenges parents face, especially when dealing with intense behaviors, and how building compassion for these protective parts—not the behaviors themselves—can help us navigate parenting with more calm, empathy, and hope. 

Believe it or not- over time, this practice of seeing our inner worlds differently can transform not only our lives but the lives of our children and our communities.

Main Takeaways:

  • Recognize Protective Parts with Compassion: Our “Watchdog” and “Possum” parts, which are defensive instincts, need compassion and gratitude, not elimination. Understanding these parts as overworked rather than problematic can lead to healthier integration and self-acceptance.
  • Parenting from Compassionate Curiosity: Challenging behaviors in children can often lead to frustration. By developing curiosity and compassion for our kids’ protective parts, parents can respond with empathy and help these parts feel safe, which reduces the intensity of the behaviors over time.
  • The Power of Community and Practice: Change takes time and commitment, and practicing compassion and gratitude—even in small amounts—can lead to significant transformations in ourselves, our relationships, and our communities. The journey is gradual, but even small shifts create powerful results.


Resources mentioned in this podcast:

  • EVERYONE Has A Watchdog and Possum Brain! {EP 178}

Teaching kids about their owl, watchdog, and possum brain is one key piece of growing their owl brain and calming their watchdog and possum brain!

Register for this once-a-year webinar on September 4, 2025 at RobynGobbel.com/TeachKidsTheBrain

You'll get access to the recording and OODLES of resources.

Club Members- you do NOT have to register!!!

***

Check Out All Robyn's Free Resources!
You can download all sorts of free resources, including webinars, eBook, and infographics about topics such as lying, boundaries, and co-regulation!

RobynGobbel.com/FreeResources

:::

Grab a copy of my book Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors robyngobbel.com/book

Join us in The Club for more support! robyngobbel.com/TheClub

Apply for the Baffling Behavior Training Institute's Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With) robyngobbel.com/Immersion

Follow Me On:
Facebook
Instagram

Over on my website you can find:
Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)
eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)
LOTS & LOTS of FREE Resources
Ongoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The Club
Year-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: The Baffling Behavior Training Institute’s (BBTI) Professional Immersion Program (formerly Being With)

view more

More Episodes

EP 235: Parenting in Chronic Protection Mode
2025-08-26
EP 234: Polyvagal Theory, Hope, Dysregulation, and Repair
2025-08-19
EP 233: Polyvagal Theory as a Path to Hope: Regulation, Repair, and Connection with guest Deb Dana
2025-08-12
EP 232: Swearing- What it Means and How to Respond
2025-08-05
EP 231: EMDR with Kids with Attachment Trauma with Deb Wesselmann
2025-07-29
EP 230: Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
2025-07-22
EP 229: NeuroRelational Healing with Guest Sara Sherman
2025-07-15
{REPLAY} The Privilege of Parenting This Way (with safety)
2025-07-08
EP 228: Supporting Kids who Live Part Time in a Home without Regulation, Connection, or Felt Safety with guest Sybil Cummin
2025-07-01
EP 227: Nothing Works! Are you burned out on tools?
2025-06-24
EP 226: The Power of Delight in Parenting Kids with BBBs
2025-06-17
EP 225: How to Stay Curious When Behavior Makes No Sense
2025-06-10
EP 224: Is Behavior Change the Goal?
2025-06-03
EP 223: What a Trigger REALLY Is
2025-05-27
Ep. 222: Lying, Stealing, Regression & Baby Talk
2025-05-20
Ep. 221: A Brain-Based Way to Understand Baffling Behavior
2025-05-13
EP 220: Mini Pep-Talk for When You Feel Like You’re Failing
2025-05-06
Ep 219: 20 Non-Therapy Therapeutic Interventions
2025-04-29
Ep 218: Questions to ask a Potential Therapist
2025-04-22
Ep. 217: Co-Regulating? Or Masking?
2025-04-15
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