How to Get Your Child to Listen is one of the most searched questions in parenting help, yet most advice skips what actually makes children respond.

In this episode of Lex Lumina, Sam Castor sits down with parenting expert and licensed clinical social worker Braxton Storm to explore why kids don't listen, how to help kids listen better, and what restores calm, trust, and cooperation inside the home.

Braxton’s perspective is shaped by lived experience. He grew up in the foster care system, was later adopted, and lost his biological mother at a young age. Those early ruptures taught him how deeply children are wired for connection and how behavior often reflects emotional safety more than defiance. Today, as a father of his own growing family, he helps parents see listening not as a discipline issue, but as a relationship signal.

🎯 Episode Summary: This conversation moves beyond surface-level parenting advice and into the emotional systems that drive family dynamics. Braxton explains why children often act out when parents are overwhelmed, distracted, or disconnected and why control-based parenting can quietly increase resistance. Children listen more when they feel regulated, seen, and emotionally secure.

Sam and Braxton walk through practical shifts parents can make immediately. Repairing after mistakes instead of ignoring them. Connecting before correcting. Owning personal triggers instead of placing responsibility on a child’s behavior. Parenting, they argue, is less about fixing kids and more about healing the environment around them.

The discussion also addresses parenting children with special needs and neurodivergence. Compassion matters, but leadership still belongs with the adult. Braxton emphasizes that while challenges vary, children still need the same foundation of safety, structure, and emotional presence. When parents feel supported and grounded, children respond differently.

This episode is not about perfection. It is about responsibility, humility, and showing up consistently even when parenting feels exhausting. If you are trying hard and still wondering why your child will not listen, this conversation offers clarity, relief, and a healthier path forward.

👤 About Braxton StormBraxton Storm is a licensed clinical social worker, parenting expert, and family therapist specializing in connection-based parenting, emotional regulation, and addiction recovery. His work focuses on helping parents heal their own stories so they can lead their families with confidence, calm, and consistency.

https://calmthestormtherapy.com/

💼 About Sam Castor

Sam Castor is an attorney and entrepreneur who hosts long-form conversations about parenting, healing, faith, leadership, and responsibility. Lex Lumina is where those conversations live. 💡 About Lex LuminaLex Lumina is a space for thoughtful conversations about how people heal, lead, and grow when they slow down and look beneath behavior. No scripts. No hype.