Are you feeling overwhelmed trying to raise kind kids in an unkind world?

Between constant headlines, cultural tension, and everyday parenting struggles, many parents are asking the same question: How do I raise compassionate, resilient kids who will make the world a better place?

In this episode of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, I share my number one tip for raising kind, caring humans—especially during uncertain and stressful times.

We start by naming the reality many families are living in right now: fear, frustration, and emotional overload.

We then walk through a powerful Positive Discipline exercise that helps reframe everyday parenting challenges like whining, talking back, sibling fights, tantrums, and power struggles into moments we actually look forward to. What?!!!

By the time you finish this episode, you'll have a FRESH perspective on the most challenging moments you face.

This episode is for parents who want:

• positive parenting strategies that actually work
• calm parenting tips that reduce power struggles
• gentle discipline without permissiveness
• tools for raising kind, confident, and resilient kids
• a kind-and-firm approach that feels sustainable

If you’re tired of reacting, yelling, or feeling defeated—and you want to parent with more clarity, confidence, and purpose—this episode will help you zoom out, refocus on the long game, and feel more hopeful about the humans you’re raising.

✨Want more?

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Get my 3 KEYS to Calm, Confident Parenting (30 min. FREE webinar) - https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63640a05c74edb4b6bdce1f3

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

OR ✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have about working with Flora.

What if owning less could help you parent with more calm, confidence, and connection?

In this episode of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, Flora McCormick sits down with Joshua Becker of Simplify Magazine to explore how minimalism supports dependable calm, and deeper relationships with ourselves and our kids.

We talk about how clutter quietly fuels stress, power struggles, and yelling — and how simplifying your home can become one of the most effective positive parenting strategies for more calm in your home life. Joshua shares practical ways to set visible boundaries kids can understand, why parents go first, and how fewer toys often lead to better listening, deeper play, and more cooperation.

This conversation also challenges the idea that “more” creates a better childhood. Instead, we explore how minimalism helps families align time, money, and energy with their values — raising resilient kids, and raising confident kids.

In this episode we discuss:

• Minimalism as a positive parenting strategy.
• Parenting benefits when you have environmental calm.
• How LESS is definitely more, in terms of raising resilient and confident kids.

**Joshua Becker is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, entrepreneur, and Christian minimalist who writes and speaks about intentional living and simplifying life through his popular blog, Becoming Minimalist, inspiring millions to own less and live more purposefully, focusing on values over possessions, and is also the founder of The Hope Effect for orphans.

If you would like to receive Minimalist posts from Joshua Baker via e-mail, sign up here. Or connect more directly through social media here:

• Facebook: Inspirational quotes and links.
• Twitter

✨Want more?

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Get my 3 KEYS to Calm, Confident Parenting (30 min. FREE webinar) - https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63640a05c74edb4b6bdce1f3

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

OR ✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have about working with Flora.

What do we do when our kids are disrespectful — they aren't listening, and they have attitude — and it starts draining the life out of us?

This week on the Sustainable Parenting Podcast, I’m joined by my husband for a candid, coffee-on-the-couch conversation about disrespectful behavior in kids, the number one frustration I hear from dads in parent coaching. Together, we explore why this issue sparks so many power struggles, how moms and dads often experience it differently, and what’s really happening beneath the surface when kids push back.

We break down the top two reasons kids come across as disrespectful, and then share a Positive Parenting Strategy that surprises many parents. (Spoiler alert: how to get kids to listen has far less to do with fixing your child — and far more to do with shifting how we respond as parents.)

You’ll hear us wrestle with the tension between gentle parenting and firm boundaries, and land on a grounded, realistic middle road rooted in Kind and Firm Parenting, Positive Discipline, and Calm Confident Parenting. This episode offers practical tools to stop power struggles with kids, set clear limits without yelling, and respond to disrespect without escalating the conflict.

If you’re craving parenting without yelling, wondering how to stop tantrums and back talk, or hoping to raise respectful, resilient kids while staying connected, this conversation will feel validating, honest, and doable.

Pull up a seat, sip your coffee with us, and join us as we explore how to guide kids with both kindness and firmness — at the same time.

✨Want more?

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Get my 3 KEYS to Calm, Confident Parenting (30 min. FREE webinar) - https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63640a05c74edb4b6bdce1f3

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) - for THREE 30-min sessions 1:1 with ME, where we get right to the heart of your challenges, and give you small, powerful shifts that make a huge difference fast.

OR ✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have about working with Flora.

What if setting family goals didn’t feel overwhelming—or like one more thing to get right?

In this episode, I’m sharing a gentle, realistic approach to setting family goals for 2026 that offer direction without pressure and intention without perfection. Instead of rigid resolutions or systems that fall apart by February, we talk about how families can choose a shared target—and allow the path there to flex as life unfolds.

You’ll learn:

• Why family goals work best when they function as a compass, not a contract
• How to create goals that support calm, connection, and cooperation
• What to focus on if you want lasting change without power struggles
• How small shifts (not big overhauls) create meaningful momentum

I also walk you through a simple Family Goals Reflection Guide: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4434156021/family-new-years-resolution-goals-pdf-to, you can download in the show notes—designed to help your family reflect on tech, connection, fun, service, wellness, and relationships in a way that feels supportive and doable.

If you’re craving a calmer, more intentional year—this episode is your starting point.

✨Want more?

✨Black Friday Savings: The Calm Cooperation Toolkit & Emotional Resilience Toolkit (BIG SAVINGS):

✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) ...

Screens often show up as gifts—but they come with big questions. In this episode, we talk honestly about kids’ tech, family values, and how to decrease those overwhelming tantrums over tech.

If you’re focused on raising confident kids while keeping tech in its place, this episode will support you. If you have struggled to know where to set boundaries on tech, this will give you those clear guardrails.

By the time you finish listening, you’ll learn:

• Why boredom supports creativity and listening (how to get kids to listen without more rules)
• What’s happening in the brain when games and apps rely on constant rewards
• How kind and firm parenting reduces screen-related power struggles
• Why not all screens are equal—and what to watch out for
• How positive discipline and clear limits protect sleep, mood, and attention

Need SCREEN-FREE ideas? We got you! 👇🏼

https://courses.sustainableparenting.com/products/digital_downloads/screenfreeFun

✨Want more?

✨Black Friday Savings: The Calm Cooperation Toolkit & Emotional Resilience Toolkit (BIG SAVINGS):

✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) ...

Power struggles don’t end because we find the perfect argument; they end because someone helps the room feel safe again. We unpack a practical, science-backed shift from control to connection that brings cooperation faster and with far less effort.

Drawing on HeartMath’s research on heart coherence, Bruce Perry’s state-dependent brain science, and Ross Greene’s collaborative problem solving, we show how a calm presence, a softer voice, and a few validating words can lower defenses and invite real reasoning back online.

You’ll hear real-life wins that make the science feel doable: a preteen upset about missing class for therapy softens with one clean reflection, and a toddler melting down for a same-day shot calms once feelings are named and a plan is promised for later. Along the way, we cut through common myths about validation, explain why arguing fuels arguing, and offer language you can use tonight.

If you’ve been stuck between being too gentle or too harsh, this middle path—kindness plus firmness—will help you parent smarter, not harder, while building your child’s resilience.

If this conversation helped, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find sustainable parenting tools.

✨Want more?

✨Black Friday Savings: The Calm Cooperation Toolkit & Emotional Resilience Toolkit (BIG SAVINGS):

✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) ...

This week I’m diving into a spicy truth:
Gentle parenting may be wrecking your holidays.

Not because you weren’t patient enough…
Not because you didn’t validate enough…
But because the version of Gentle Parenting most parents try to use during holidays simply doesn’t work.

In this episode, I break down why your Positive Parenting Strategies fell apart the minute your child got overwhelmed, overstimulated, or embarrassed — and why you ended up walking on eggshells while still dealing with tantrums, arguments, hoarding, sibling fights, or shame-spirals.

I’ll share real stories from recent client sessions, including:

• A child who hoarded toys from cousins and melted down when gently “reasoned with”

You’ll hear how Sustainable Parenting blends Kind and Firm Parenting — boundaries, leadership, AND warmth — so your kids finally relax, cooperate, and feel safe.

If you want Raising Resilient Kids, Raising Confident Kids, and Parenting Without Yelling, this episode will help you discover the missing link that gentle parenting didn’t teach you.

Join me as we rebuild your parenting toolbox with dependable calm… and a plan that actually helps your kids listen — even during the holidays.

✨Want more?

✨Black Friday Savings: The Calm Cooperation Toolkit & Emotional Resilience Toolkit (BIG SAVINGS):

✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) ...

Do you ever find yourself thinking, “Why is she being so difficult?”

If so, you’re in the right place — and you’re definitely not alone.

I’m Flora McCormick, Licensed Professional Counselor and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant- and in this episode I’m sharing a powerful reframe that brings so much relief in those tough moments:

Instead of asking “Why is she acting out?” shift to “What is she having a hard time with?”

This one question changes the whole tone of the interaction and helps kids listen far more easily.

Inside this episode, you’ll hear:

• What defiance really looks and sounds like in ages 3–10

• Why gentle parenting can accidentally slip into permissive parenting

• My simple 3-step “Calm → Connect → Direct” script that works without yelling or endless explaining

• How to validate feelings while still holding firm boundaries

• How to use when/then statements and two-choice follow-throughs to stop power struggles

• The easiest way to avoid lecture loops and over-talking

• Three real-life scenarios (bedtime, leaving the park, sibling fights) with the exact words I use in my own home and with clients

If you’re craving Positive Parenting Strategies that actually work in the heat of the moment — not just in theory — this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

You’ll walk away with tools for:

• How to Get Kids to Listen,
• Parenting Without Yelling,
• Gentle Discipline,
• Kind and Firm Parenting,
• Positive Discipline,
• Raising Resilient Kids.

Press play and discover how a simple shift and a simple script can transform the hardest moments into calmer, more connected ones.

✨Want more?

✨Black Friday Savings: The Calm Cooperation Toolkit & Emotional Resilience Toolkit (BIG SAVINGS):

✨Schedule a FREE 20 min clarity call with Sustainable Parenting, so we can answer any questions you may have. Together, we'll make a plan for your best next steps to have more calm & confidence in parenting - while having kids that listen!:)

✨NEW✨ pdfs and short video lessons on Respect, Bedtimes, Power Struggles and More: ON ETSY!

✨ Download the FREE pdf. on getting kids to listen, for strategies that take you out of the "gentle mom - monster mom" cycle, with effective positive parenting strategies.

✨ Sign up for an upcoming LIVE ONLINE workshop with Flora, or purchase a past replay: https://sustainableparenting.com/workshop where you get 30 min. of learning and 30 min. of LIVE Q & A time, with replays sent afterwards.

✨ Buy a 3 session Coaching Bundle (saving you $100) ...