You love them so much it aches. And still, the more you push, the more they pull away.
That is not failure. That is nervous system science.
In this week's episode, Debbie Reber and I get honest about what it really takes to stay connected to our neurodivergent young adults, even when they seem to want nothing to do with our help.
We talk about the difference between offering support and imposing it. We talk about what happens when every text carries an agenda. And we talk about what it looks like to finally, truly, stay on your own side of the court.
This one is for every parent who is figuring out how to love from a little further back.
Listen at /358 or wherever you get your podcasts.
#NeurodivergentParenting #ADHDParenting #ConnectionBasedParenting #ParentingYoungAdults
This is a conversation almost NO ONE is having.
Complex sleep challenges in neurodivergent kids — including things like delayed sleep phase and non-24 — are wildly misunderstood. And for so many families, they’re a constant source of stress, exhaustion, and pain.
If your child lies awake for hours, can’t fall asleep when expected, or seems to operate on a completely different internal clock, it might not be anxiety. It might not be bad habits. It might be that their body clock simply isn’t aligned with the schedule the world expects of them.
Clinical psychologist Alex Mortlock explains why what looks like insomnia is often circadian misalignment — and why no amount of relaxation techniques will fix something that was never about relaxation in the first place.
There are ways to move through this.
Full conversation with Alex on the pod! Link in bio!
For years I was the one who knew everything — every therapy strategy, every accommodation, every next step. And then our kid launched, the roles flipped, and suddenly Derin was the one our kid was calling.
That first year was SO hard. I had so much I wanted to communicate, and I was texting Derin mid-phone-call with reminders. He finally said: you need to back off.
He was right. The pivot I had to make, from primary caregiver to supporting the person who is supporting my kid, is one of the hardest things I’ve done in this whole journey. And it’s still a work in progress.
Full conversation with Derin on the Full-Tilt Parenting podcast. Link in bio!
Parenting a neurodivergent child changes you.
Not just in what you do, but in who you become.
These are reflections from parents on this journey… and they might feel familiar.
🎧 Listen to the full 10-year reflection episode! Link in bio
As a parent, I know the challenge of wondering how to respond and struggling with WHAT TO SAY?!? in the moment. Like many people trying to help, I've written books, shared articles, and posted thoughts on social media, which is great when you have time to read or scroll...BUT when you are having one of “those” moments when you feel like things are coming off the rails, well...where's our Mr. Rogers sock puppet or parenting Cyrano De Bergerac when we need them?
I am always looking for ways to reach more people so I’m excited to share that I’ve partnered with @humanup.parenting as a founding advisor and parenting coach. Grounded in research and real-world experience, the HumanUp app allows parents to engage with expert-backed thinking in everyday situations. It’s a way to make expert-informed knowledge more accessible to all of us in those moments when you feel like you...well, like you could use a moment and maybe a hand.
Check out some of these experts. Many of them are friends; all of them are people I trust. I think you will too.
Summer is coming!
...And the pressure to plan it is already here. 😬
In this week's episode of the Single-Parenting with Connection (NOT Perfection) podcast, I'm diving into this topic with neurodiversity expert Debbie Reber, author of Differently Wired and founder of Tilt Parenting.
You'll hear:
✔ The expectation trap most parents walk straight into every June
✔ Tips for navigating screen time during the summer
✔ Your secret weapon against summer meltdowns
✔ What to ask a camp before you sign anything
It's a practical chat that I think will be helpful for any family, and especially those raising neurodivergent kids.
🔗 🎙️ Link in bio, or go to
ParentingWithConnection.com/podcast
#ParentingNeurodivergentKids #parentsupport #singleparentsupport #summerplanning #summercamp #ScreenTime
This is the conversation I wish I’d had a decade ago. Because parenting neurodivergent kids while perimenopausal?! Talk about playing on “hard mode” 😂😩
Brain fog, anxiety, sleep disruption, memory issues .... the struggle is REAL. Dr. Mary Claire Haver explains exactly what’s happening in the brain during perimenopause, and why so many women spend years thinking something is wrong with them before anyone connects it to hormones.
Don’t miss the full convo Dr. Haver ...it’s SO GOOD!
Link in bio
The good news? Our parental anxiety makes sense. Of COURSE we want to research every option, think through every scenario, find the “right” answer. That desire to control outcomes stems from loving our kids so very deeply.
But Matthew Fishleder puts it so well: Ultimately, the work isn’t about finding the “perfect” answer. It’s about learning to tolerate the uncertainty, and trusting yourself to navigate whatever comes.
Full conversation with Matthew is on the Full-Tilt Parenting podcast! Link in bio.
If your kid seems unmotivated, Dr. Ellen Braaten says the answer is almost never laziness.
This clip covers the three things worth checking first, and the one thing parents often accidentally remove from the equation that kids need most.
This makes SO MUCH SENSE, but it’s not usually the first thing we think of when we’re worried our kids aren’t motivated.
YET, how can kids feel excited about things if they don’t actually know what lights them or gives them a sense of purpose?
This is the big idea Dr. Ellen Braaten’s work on kids and motivation 💗💪🏼👏🏼
Lots more wisdom in full episode!
If your young adult did okay, until they didn’t, this episode is for you. Patty Laushman, autism life coach and author of “Parenting for Independence,” breaks down the 3 things that actually have to be in place before any forward movement is possible.
Miss one, and all the trying in the world will likely lead to more burnout.
Link to full episode in bio!
The struggle is real, and it is very, VERY relatable.
When Laura Hackman of ADHD Aha said this during our conversation about ADHD, parenting, and burnout, it resonated with me so hard.
How about you?
Listen to our full conversation at the link in bio! 🎧🎙️💪🏼💗🌶️🧅
