Has gentle parenting gone too far?

Dr. Siggie Cohen thinks somewhere along the way, gentle parenting started getting confused with permissive parenting—and in our effort to raise emotionally aware kids, some parents have become afraid to actually parent.

In this episode of The Iconic Midlife, Roxy sits down with renowned child development specialist and parenting expert Dr. Siggie Cohen for a candid conversation about raising resilient, emotionally secure kids without losing boundaries, authority—or yourself in the process.

Dr. Siggie explains why validation doesn’t mean accommodation, why parents don’t need to fix every uncomfortable feeling, and why allowing kids to experience frustration, boredom and disappointment can actually help build the emotional muscles they’ll need later in life.

They also get into parental guilt, screens and technology, what modern parenting may have overcorrected, and how to stay connected to your child while still being the person in charge. Roxy also opens up about navigating grief with her daughter after losing her father, and Dr. Siggie shares how parents can make space for difficult conversations about death and loss even while processing their own emotions.

Because your child can have big feelings about a boundary—and the boundary can still stand.

In this episode:

• When gentle parenting crosses into permissive parenting
• Why validation does not mean accommodation
• How to hold boundaries without dismissing your child’s feelings
• Why frustration and discomfort are essential to building resilience
• The difference between supporting your child and fixing everything for them
• What to do when your child says, “I’m bored”
• Screens, technology and creating realistic family rules
• Parenting through guilt and the pressure to get everything “right”
• Talking to children about death, grief and difficult emotions
• Why being an emotionally connected parent doesn’t mean giving up your authority

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode of The Iconic Midlife now.

Follow The Iconic Midlife and Roxy Manning on social media (@theiconicmidlife and @redcarpetroxy) for more conversations about navigating midlife, parenting, relationships, health, reinvention and everything in between.

And come back Thursday for Dr. Siggie’s game, Parenting Hill to Die On.

Subscribe, follow and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts—it helps more women discover The Iconic Midlife.