Your kid's behavior today is not indicative of the adult they're going to become. It doesn't mean they’ll meltdown when someone cuts them in line at the grocery store. It doesn't mean they’ll yell at their boss. Kids don't have the skills to regulate their emotions … yet.

Today’s goal: 10 minutes of uninterrupted, 1:1 time with each kid. No phones, no siblings, no distractions. Our attention is our most valuable asset - and the one our kids want the most. A short burst of fully-present 1:1 time can lead to a whole day of better behavior.

Just a reminder: Holidays don't have to be perfect to be good. For example. Whining doesn't erase gratitude. Bickering doesn't cancel out love. Meltdowns don't negate special moments. You've got this.

This time of year, it’s easy to get caught up in details - whether you remembered every gift, whether your kid has good manners, whether the holiday meal is special enough. Remember: .You have a good kid. You’re a good parent. No single day defines your family. You’ve got this.

Thrilled to see Good Inside named top AI App for parents in 2024! . We're revolutionizing parenting support by combining cutting-edge AI with human insights. Parents shape the future daily; they deserve the best tools. Proud to lead this tech-driven transformation in parenting.

Repeat after me, “My job is not to make my kid happy.” . We don’t want to optimize our kids for short-term comfort. We want to optimize for long-term resilience. That means teaching our kids how to sit with uncomfortable feelings, not offering our kids a quick exit ramp.

Screen time is top of mind for parents these days. And it all comes back to this: as parents, our number one job is to keep our kids safe - not happy. Setting boundaries and tolerating our kids’ distress (and anger at us!) is a critical skill in Sturdy Parenting.

Watch out for the Fast-Forward Error. It looks like this: your kid hits a friend and you fast-forward to, “My kid is a sociopath, my kid will be in jail one day.”. Come back to today. You have a good kid. And you’re going to figure it out.

Confidence isn’t feeling like you’re the best. Confidence is feeling like it’s OK to be you when you’re not the best.

Confidence isn’t feeling good about yourself. Confidence is self-trust. When a kid is upset, we build confidence by saying “I believe you”. and we actually lower confidence by saying “Come on, it’s not such a big deal.”.

Parenting Myth: Yelling messes kids up.. Parenting Truth: It’s yelling + *not repairing* that’s terrifying and overwhelming to kids. Solution: Repair. Action: Learn how to repair and why it matters. Click here:

A 15-second intervention can change the trajectory of a child’s life. My TED talk dropped today - and I can’t wait for you to see it.

Things kids need to hear:. - “I’m so glad you’re my kid.”.- “You don’t need to be perfect to be loved.”.- “I believe you.”.- “We can get through this together.”.- “Even when you struggle in the outside, you remain good inside.”. … What did you need to hear when you were a kid?.

When we tolerate our kids’ feelings, they start to believe that they’ll be able to tolerate their own feelings. This is the essence of coping. Try it today. Swap “It’s going to be fine stop worrying” for “You’re feeling nervous. Yeah that makes sense. It’s ok to feel that way.”.

Here’s a paradox: when a kid is anxious, telling them everything will be ok will only increase anxiety - while telling them it’s ok to feel anxious will help them believe that everything will be ok.

Boundaries are what we tell our kid we will do - and they require a kid to do nothing. “Stop jumping on the couch” and “We don’t hit” aren’t boundaries - they’re requests.

If we want kids to tolerate frustration, we have to tolerate their frustration. If we want kids to tolerate disappointment, we have to tolerate their disappointment. Big idea: Kids can’t learn to tolerate the feelings we don’t tolerate in them.

RT @scottbelsky: we often find ourselves remarkably unprepared for our most challenging and important job: parenting. dr. becky and @GoodI….

RT @whatfreshpod: Dr. Becky Kennedy, host of the "Good Inside with Dr. Becky" podcast, tells us how the @goodinside approach can reshape ho….

Try it out as an experiment this week: prioritize connection and see the amazing truth-telling (and general better behavior) that follows. Can't wait to hear what you think.