Ever wonder why your child holds it together all day at school, only to completely fall apart the moment they get home?

In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, registered psychologists Tammy Schamuhn and Tania Johnson explore why children often save their biggest emotions for the people they feel safest with.

From after-school meltdowns to emotional outbursts over seemingly small things, Tammy and Tania unpack what may be happening beneath the surface and why these behaviours aren't necessarily signs of defiance or poor parenting.

In this episode, you'll discover:

- Why children fall apart with their parents: How emotional safety, attachment, and the effort of holding it together throughout the day can contribute to meltdowns at home.

- The hidden cost of being good all day: Why following rules, managing friendships, and meeting expectations can leave children emotionally exhausted.

- Why small things trigger big reactions: Understanding how accumulated stress and unmet needs can overwhelm a child's capacity to cope.

- How to respond without escalating the meltdown: Practical ways to offer connection, co-regulation, and boundaries when emotions run high.

- How to prevent the after-school explosion: Simple strategies to support decompression, emotional regulation, and connection.

The takeaway: Your child's biggest emotions aren't always a reflection of how you're parenting. Sometimes, they're a sign of just how hard your child has been working to hold everything together.

Join Tammy and Tania for a compassionate, practical conversation that will help you see your child's meltdowns through a different lens—and feel more confident supporting them through those difficult moments.

Join us for our upcoming FREE Parenting Summit, November 16–19! 🎉

Four days of inspiring conversations, expert insights, and practical parenting tools—all completely free!

👉 Register here: https://instituteofchildpsychology.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we protecting our children—or unintentionally making them more anxious and less confident?

In this episode of The Child Psych Podcast, we sit down with Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement and co-founder of Let Grow, to explore how overprotective parenting may be contributing to childhood anxiety, declining independence, and a lack of resilience in today's children.

Lenore challenges us to rethink modern parenting and the culture of fear surrounding childhood. We discuss why giving children age-appropriate freedom, opportunities for healthy risk-taking, and space to solve problems independently is essential for building confidence, emotional resilience, and problem-solving skills.

Together, we explore the connection between parental anxiety and childhood anxiety, why children need more independent play and unsupervised experiences, and how parents can move away from helicopter parenting without compromising their children's safety.

You'll discover how small changes in parenting can help children develop greater independence, self-esteem, emotional regulation, and the confidence to navigate life's challenges.

Because raising resilient kids isn't about protecting them from every challenge—it's about helping them believe they can handle challenges themselves.

Whether you're raising an anxious child, struggling with the urge to overprotect, or simply looking for ways to foster independence, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on raising confident, capable, and resilient children.

To find out more about Let Grow , click here

Join us for our upcoming FREE Parenting Summit, November 16–19! 🎉

Four days of inspiring conversations, expert insights, and practical parenting tools—all completely free!

👉 Register here: https://instituteofchildpsychology.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult, to explore how well-intentioned parenting can sometimes get in the way of the very skills children need to become capable, confident adults.

Julie unpacks the rise of the “checklisted childhood,” where success can become defined by grades, activities, achievements, and getting into the “right” school, and explains how this pressure can undermine independence, self-efficacy, and a child’s ability to discover who they really are. We talk about why parents often overhelp out of love and fear, how to know when support becomes overparenting, and why struggle, failure, responsibility, and everyday life skills are so important for healthy development.

We also explore how parents can step back without becoming disconnected, support anxious or struggling children without rescuing them, and shift from managing a child’s life to becoming a trusted guide. Julie offers a powerful reminder that the goal of parenting is not to create a perfect childhood, but to prepare children to navigate adulthood with confidence, resilience, and a sense of ownership over their own lives.

Julie Lythcott-Haims is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and former Stanford dean. She is best known for How to Raise an Adult, which explores how overparenting and achievement culture can undermine children’s independence, resilience, and self-confidence—and how parents can better prepare kids to become capable, self-directed adults.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.