Where the F Is My Village

Whether it's issues with school, friends, mental health, or physical health, the issues don't slow down just because there's already too much on our plates! This week Stefanie discusses the new  issues plaguing her kids and how she wants to go back to bed and not deal with it. Unfortunately that's not an option when you're the one in charge of "all the things"! 

A Podcast for People ...

Sivan Hong,  a mother of two boys, is the author and illustrator of the bestselling children’s book series Super Fun  Day , which shares social stories about kids with neurodiversity (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.).

Today we discuss the importance of a child understanding their diagnosis and celebrating their uniqueness. We also talk about how Sivan's books help kids and their caregiver's discuss their anxiety abo...

You may have noticed a lack of episodes lately, and I am sorry! This episode is somewhat an explanation and apology and also a look inside the chaos inside my brain.  If you're raising a tricky kid it's possible you will relate to the constant juggling and feeling of "building the airplane while already in flight." There's more work to be done than anyone can handle and it can be so overwhelming it's d...

If your child is grumpy, angry, emotional, and a hot mess after school, you may find it confusing because their teacher says they were great all day for them. Well, research shows that children fall apart after school BECAUSE they were great all day. They used all their emotional energy and self control up at school and when they are home they let it all out. 
Today Stefanie discusses this behavior and how in neurodivergent kid...

Have you heard the terms "default parent" or "mental load"? SO many of us by default,  are the ones that are doing the invisible work of running a household.  This is an issue that mostly effects women (let's be honest) and the majority of us work outside the home. The tasks with children are never ending, and for many of us we are making sure it all gets done without enough assistance from our partners.

It's Back to School time, and for a lot of us, that can mean a return to stress related to our tricky kids. According to IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act "All children are entitled to a free and public education in the least restrictive environment " What does that mean and how does it apply to your tricky kid?

Today Stefanie goes over 504 Plans and IEPs. She explains what they are, who ...

I know we've all heard to put your oxygen mask on first and that you can't pour from an empty cup, but aren't we all nodding along and then trying to care for our families when we are completely bone dry? Parents of tricky kids somehow manage to "breathe" without oxygen and squeeze out a few drops from our empty cups for our families. 

Villagers, we are smart people and we KNOW this is not good for...

Amber is an author, podcaster, parenting expert and coach and family and marriage counselor. She has written a book, The Unflustered Mom: How Understanding the Five Anxiety Styles Transforms the Way We Partner, Parent, Live, and Love.

I think we can all agree that some (or ALL) of our anxiety is driven by parenting tricky kids. Amber acknowledges this anxiety is part of our lives and provides clear and simple tools to impr...

Statistics show that when considering neurodiversity, girls and women often get overlooked. Things are improving, but still have a ways to go.  In the 1990's 1 girl for every 9 boys was diagnosed with ADHD. By 2020 that number grew to 1 for every 2.5 boys.

Girls often get missed because they are not the "classroom distraction" or "hyperactive". Girls present their symptoms differently and if not re...

Ben Dyson is back! You may remember him from his foster-to-adopt episode where he tells the story of growing his family from 2 to 4 boys. His oldest is now 16 and driving! Today we discuss  teaching a kid how to drive, strategies to keep them safe, and how to talk to your kids about the internet, fighting, and breaking stuff. I'm not sure we solve any problems today, but we will definitely make you feel better about what'...

This was a doozy of a week for our household. We had to make some changes to our anxiety kiddo's medications and it backfired in an explosive way.

Today Stefanie shares what that looked like and how they survived the week. If you take medication or are raising someone with medication, you know there's lots of guesswork involved, and it can be very frustrating. If you can relate, this episode may be comforting to ...