Host Emily Learing explores why adults instinctively say "no" to children, when "no" is necessary for safety, and when it comes from adult anxiety or control. Using practical examples — from playground risks and messy play to clothing rules and decision-making — she explains how stepping back can build children’s independence, resilience, and creativity.

Listeners are invited to reflect on their instincts, try alternatives to automatic refusals, and give children safe chances to explore, fail, and learn for themselves.

In this episode of "The Knowledgeable Parent Podcast," host and therapist Emily Lehring argues that the common parental advice, "just don't play with them," is an unhealthy response when a child says someone was mean to them.

She explains that this approach fails to teach children the crucial life skill of managing conflict and maintaining relationships, which they will need with teachers, coworkers, and partners later in life. It also prevents the other child from learning from their behavior and robs the parent's own child of the chance to practice self-advocacy.

Instead of giving immediate advice, Lehring suggests parents should:

• Ask open-ended questions to understand the full story.

• Reflect their child's feelings to encourage them to share more.

• Help their child explore different solutions, empowering them to navigate the situation rather than just avoiding it.

In this episode, Emily explains what play therapy is and who is responsible for regulating this field of therapy. Then she explains some common misconceptions of play therapy and offers some clarification and other view points of those misconceptions to help parents, referral sources and other mental health professionals to understand what to expect when a child is participating in play therapy with a Registered Play Therapist or therapist in training.

Links:

Association of Play Therapy: https://www.a4pt.org/