The Aware Parenting Podcast

I love looking at how cultural beliefs and practices affect parenting, and in this episode I explore this in relation to sleep for babies and children. I talk about The Continuum Concept book about the Yequana people, by Jean Liedloff, and how reading it affected me back in 1992. I explore how Classical Attachment Parenting was deeply influenced by Indigenous cultures in hot climat

Hello again! This is a very different episode, and it's for mothers, to mark Mothers Day in some parts of the world. Please note, that this is based on The Marion Method, rather than Aware Parenting. In the episode, I share three things: ~ An invitation to see what shows up for you on Mothers Day. ~ Me appreciating you as a mother. ~ Me standing in for Divine Mother / your Inner Lo

I'm so delighted to be starting this second sleep series, in tandem with editing my book, Sound Sleep and Secure Attachment with Aware Parenting, as well as offering a live round of the course of the same name, and my first Aware Parenting children's book, on rambunctious play before bed. This episode is an introduction to what me and my guests will be talking about in this series.

I'm grateful to one of my lovely mentees, who requested this episode, where I talk about some of the differences between Aware Parenting and Classical Attachment Parenting (a term created by me and adopted by Aletha Solter, the founder of Aware Parenting). Classical attachment parenting (CAP) refers to the original attachment parenting paradigm, which was first described by William

I'm so delighted that Kim Cousins is back on the podcast! Kim is an Aware Parenting instructor as well as a registered nurse who works on a perinatal mental health unit. She is also studying a graduate certificate in family therapy. She was also on episode 136 with her colleague, Erin. Please note that this episode talks about painful experiences in relation to food and feelings. A

This is the last episode in the series related to my latest best-selling book, 'I'm Here and I'm Listening', before I return to finish the food series, so this episode is a kind of bridge back to that! Then I'll be starting the second sleep series! Today, I share a story from my book, again from a child's perspective. Before that, I talk about how in Aware Parenting, one of the cor

In this episode, I talk about why children aren't fighting sleep, and why we're often fighting their natural relaxation response. I share concisely about how we can trust children and follow their lead and can then cooperate with their natural relaxation response. I explain the power of play before bed, and why we can look at the "it'll all end in tears" phenomenon in a very differ

In this episode, I share about how we can stay connected with children in relation to screens, including with attachment play. I offer some information that I wish I'd had when my children were younger, about loving limits. I also share a touching story at the end from my new book, 'I'm Here and I'm Listening', from the perspective of a child. Putting ourselves in our child's shoes

In this episode, I share about what's going on when a child is hitting. I talk about them being in the fight or flight response, and how we can help them move out of that state of hyperarousal, through feeling physically and emotionally safe, to return to homeostasis through healing raging and crying (or laughing and playing) with our loving support. I mention ways we can prevent h

In this episode, I talk about when children use have a soft toy, blanket or other object as a control pattern. This might be something they use to suppress their feelings when going to sleep or during the day when feelings bubble up. I explain about how they used to be known as 'transitional objects' in Winnicott's work, and how we see them differently in Aware Parenting. I also sh