Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Parenting is often lived in the extremes. It's either Great Joy or chaotic overwhelmed. In one moment you’re nailing it and the next you're losing your cool I want to help you find your way to the messy middle, to a place of balance. You see, balance is a verb not a state of being. it is a thing you do not a thing you are. it is an action a process a series of micro-corrections each and every day to keep ourselves feeling centered. We are never truly balanced. We are engaged in the process of balancing.

Hello, I’m Dr. Laura Froyen and this is the Balanced Parent podcast, where overwhelmed stressed out and disconnected parents go to find tools, mindset shifts and practices to help them stop yelling at the people they love and start connecting on a deeper level, all delivered with heaping doses of grace and compassion. Join me in conversations that will help you get clear on your goals and values and start showing up in your parenting, your relationships, YOUR LIFE, with open-hearted authenticity and balance. Let’s go!

You know, just like us parents, our kids have big feelings when they are stressed. Just like us they feel overwhelmed, angry, sad; the full range of human emotions. But unlike us, their brains aren't fully developed and they have less experience regulating those emotions, which leads to big displays of feelings, like tantrums and meltdowns that can leave parents feeling confused and overwhelmed.

So, the question is, how can we help our kids learn more about their feelings and how to regulate them, while at the same time regulating ourselves? This is where mindful awareness of our emotions and states come in. It not only helps us be better-regulated parents, who can take a breath, soothe, and then RESPOND rather than REACT to our kids, but we are also modeling really powerful skills for our kids. And we teach them that their feelings are valid, that it's okay to not be okay sometimes, and that they are never alone with their big feelings; they have a partner.

In this episode, I am excited to discuss MINDFULNESS IN YOUR PARENTING with Megan Harris. She's a wonderful mom who aims to empower us to parent through thoughtful instruction, natural consequences, and emotional connection. Here is an overview of our wonderful talk:

1. How to teach mindfulness to your child

My freebie Build Self-Regulation through Play can help your kids self-regulate their emotions through fun activities they will love! DOWNLOAD IT HERE.

2. Why is mindfulness useful for your child

3. How can parents benefit from practicing mindfulness

Laura Froyen, PhD

Laura Froyen, PhD

Balanced Parent Podcast

Laura Froyen, PhD

Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Episode 26: How to Use Mindfulness in Your Parenting with Megan Harris