Educated Parent: Evidence-Based Parenting Tips to Solve Everyday Parenting Problems

If you have ever worried about how diet culture is shaping your child’s thoughts about food, this episode is for you. Sehrish Ali helps us understand how helping kids build a healthy relationship with food feels harder than ever when diet culture is everywhere, and child eating habits are constantly judged.In this episode, I sit down with Sehrish Ali, a psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist, to talk about how parents can protect a healthy relationship with food while raising kids in a world dominated by diet culture. Sehrish works closely with families and brings practical, compassionate insight into child eating habits, body image, and the subtle ways parents unintentionally pass down food rules. This conversation is full of real-world parenting resources you can start using immediately.In this episode, we cover:How diet culture shows up in everyday parenting and quietly influences child eating habits in ways parents often missWhat a healthy relationship with food actually looks like for kids and why perfection is not the goalThe language parents should stop using around food and bodies to support healthier child eating habitsHow to model a healthy relationship with food, even if you are still unpacking your own experiences with diet culturePractical parenting resources that help parents prioritize connection over control around mealsIf you are looking for evidence-based parenting resources, want to reduce the impact of diet culture, and hope to support long-term child eating habits that feel calm and sustainable, this episode will give you clarity and confidence. Listen to the full episode with Sehrish Ali to learn how to support a healthy relationship with food for your child and for yourself.RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Read the full show notes HERE!LET'S CONNECT:Thriving Child CenterPCIT ExpertsCalm and Connected ProgramInstagramLove having expert tips you can actually use? Join our newsletter and get a beautifully designed PDF of each episode’s top 3 takeaways—delivered straight to your inbox every week.Are you a provider? Subscribe here for professional insights and parenting...

In this episode of the Educated Parent Podcast, I sit down with Kristin Mervich, a fellow clinician and parenting expert, to talk about how toxic masculinity shows up in subtle ways in families and how evidence-based parenting can help us raise emotionally healthy boys. We explore emotional literacy as a core skill for kids and parents, and why trusting yourself is essential when outside voices get loud. This conversation is grounded in evidence-based parenting, real-life experience, and confident parenting practices that support boys' emotional development without shame or fear.In this episode, I talk about:How toxic masculinity can quietly interfere with emotional literacy in boys and what parenting experts see happening in families every dayWhy trusting yourself as a parent is critical when teaching boys emotional literacy through evidence-based parentingHow confident parenting helps boys express emotions without fear and reduces the long-term impact of toxic masculinityThe role of a parenting expert in helping families apply evidence-based parenting strategies that strengthen emotional literacyHow trusting yourself and leaning into confident parenting creates space for boys to grow into emotionally aware and resilient humansIf you want practical insight from a parenting expert on evidence-based parenting, emotional literacy, and trusting yourself while raising boys in a culture shaped by toxic masculinity, this episode will leave you feeling more confident in your parenting choices and more grounded in your instincts.LET'S CONNECT:Thriving Child CenterPCIT ExpertsCalm and Connected ProgramInstagramLove having expert tips you can actually use? Join our newsletter and get a beautifully designed PDF of each episode’s top 3 takeaways—delivered straight to your inbox every week.Are you a provider? Subscribe here for professional insights and parenting resources!CONNECT WITH KRISTIN MERVICH:WebsiteInstagram

A pep talk for parents who feel intense pressure to create perfect holiday magic, even when things are falling apart behind the scenes. If the expectations around the holidays are making you doubt yourself, a pep talk is here to support confident parenting and remind you that real connection matters more than perfection.In this solo episode, I share a very honest parenting story from early motherhood where my attempt at creating holiday magic completely unraveled. I use that experience to offer perspective, reassurance, and positive parenting tips for parents who feel overwhelmed, discouraged, or worried that they are not doing enough. This episode is both a pep talk and a reminder that confident parenting does not require everything to go according to plan.In this episode, I talk about • Why the pressure to create holiday magic often makes parenting feel harder and more stressful • How a pep talk can help reset your mindset when a holiday moment goes wrong • What kids actually remember when parents feel pressure around holiday magic • How letting go of perfection supports confident parenting during the holidays • Simple positive parenting tips that help parents recover when plans fall apart • Why confident parenting is built in small moments, not perfect onesIf you are craving reassurance, perspective, and positive parenting tips during a season full of expectations, this episode is for you. Press play for a pep talk that helps you release the pressure of holiday magic and lean into confident parenting instead.LET'S CONNECT:Thriving Child CenterPCIT ExpertsCalm and Connected ProgramInstagramLove having expert tips you can actually use? Join our newsletter and get a beautifully designed PDF of each episode’s top 3 takeaways—delivered straight to your inbox every week.Are you a provider? Subscribe here for professional insights and parenting resources!

Holiday gatherings can feel joyful and overwhelming at the same time, and this episode will help you walk in with clarity, calm, and a strong foundation of confident parenting. When kids are navigating new environments, loud relatives, unpredictable routines, and big emotions, they need support with child emotion regulation. With the right positive parenting tips, your entire experience at holiday gatherings can feel smoother and more connected.In this conversation, I share the approach I use in my own home to prepare my kids for holiday gatherings. You will learn how to strengthen child emotion regulation, how to stay anchored in confident parenting, and how to use simple positive parenting tips to reduce stress for everyone involved. These strategies help you anticipate challenges, understand what your child needs, and protect your own emotional well-being so you can truly enjoy these moments.Here is what we will cover • How to prepare your child before holiday gatherings so they enter with stronger child emotion regulation and fewer unexpected reactions • What to say to relatives who do not understand your positive parenting tips, and how those conversations strengthen your confident parenting • How to build a calm-down kit that supports child emotion regulation even in unfamiliar settings • What to do when you feel like the overwhelmed parent, and how reconnecting to confident parenting helps you regulate in the moment • How practicing positive parenting tips ahead of time makes holiday gatherings more peaceful for the whole familyYou deserve to approach this season with steady confidence. Your child deserves the gift of child emotion regulation in environments that challenge them. These positive parenting tips will help you step into your holiday gatherings with more peace and more confident parenting.Watch the Full Episode HereLET'S CONNECT:Thriving Child CenterPCIT ExpertsCalm and Connected ProgramInstagramLove having expert tips you can actually use? Join our newsletter and get a beautifully designed PDF of each episode’s top 3 takeaways—delivered straight to your inbox every week.Are you a provider? Subscribe here for professional insights and parenting resources!

If you have ever wondered why big feelings seem to explode out of nowhere, this episode on emotional literacy is going to feel like a deep breath. I share a very real moment where I lost my cool with my kids and how understanding emotional literacy and identifying feelings could have prevented that blow-up. When we are teaching kids emotions early and model this ourselves, we reduce the overwhelm that leads to those out-of-control moments and help our kids grow into calmer, more grounded humans.In this episode, I walk you through how I use emotional literacy in my own parenting and why it is the most powerful antidote for any overwhelmed parent. We also talk about how to stop yelling by understanding what is happening inside your own brain and body, and how identifying feelings is the foundation of teaching kids emotions that truly stick.In this episode, we explore: • The moment I knew I needed better emotional literacy and how that changed the way I respond to stress • Why teaching kids emotions matters long before you expect it to work, and how it prevents future blow-ups • The real reason an overwhelmed parent snaps and what identifying feelings can reveal about what is happening underneath • A simple framework for how to stop yelling by using compassion and connection instead of pressure and perfectionism • Why emotional literacy grows stronger when we model our own mistakes and repair afterwardListen to this episode to learn how to build emotional literacy, support your child in identifying feelings, and reduce the overwhelm that leads to yelling. This is where calmer homes and fewer emotional blow-ups begin.RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Read the full show notes HERE!LET'S CONNECT:Thriving Child Center: https://educated-parent.captivate.fm/thrivingchildcenterPCIT Experts: https://educated-parent.captivate.fm/pcit-expertsCalm and Connected Program: https://thrivingchildcenter.com/calm-and-connected-program-for-parentsInstagram: https://educated-parent.captivate.fm/instagramLove having expert tips you can actually use? Join our newsletter and get a beautifully designed PDF of each episode’s top 3 takeaways—delivered straight to your inbox every week: https://educated-parent.captivate.fm/newsletterAre you a provider? Subscribe here for professional insights and parenting resources! https://educated-parent.captivate.fm/provider-newsletter