505: Minimizing Power Struggles (from Toddlers to Teens) // Denaye Barahona

The power struggles in our home used to be about car seats and leaving the park. Now they're about phones, sleepovers, and YouTube. But whether you're dealing with little kids you can pick up or teenagers who tower over you, the key to handling power struggles is usually the same.

When a power struggle starts, it's so tempting to dig in and prove who's in charge. But I've learned that the tighter I grip, the harder my kids pull, especially as they get older and need more room to grow.

This week's guest is Denaye Barahona, PhD, child development expert and founder of Simple Families.In this encore conversation, she shares a gentler way through power struggles, one where nobody has to win, and where we can hand over control little by little without losing our connection (and without backing down on the things that matter most!).

In this episode, you'll hear:

💜 The one question Denaye asks herself before she digs in because so many of our standoffs turn out to be about our preferences, not our principles

💜 The irony Denaye points out about kids' attention spans because we complain they can't focus while constantly interrupting what they're focused on

💜 The freezing, miserable family ski day that taught Denaye to change her mind, because sometimes the power struggle we most need to let go of is the one we're having with ourselves

So here's to loosening our grip a little, and to trusting that handing over power, bit by bit, is part of raising kids who can one day hold the power well.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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211: Raising Independent Teens and Tweens // Amy and Margaret from What Fresh Hell Podcast