[REWIND] Parents Have Feelings, Too With Caroline Megargel & Sarah Lewis

Explicit content warning

03/30/23 • 48 min

Today we’re starting a series on our greatest hits and the tips and strategies we as therapists talk to parents the most about. We say the same things over and over again because so many of us struggle with the same things and I'm going to share them with you during the upcoming weeks!

In this rewind episode, Sarah Lewis from The Lewis Practice, Caroline and I talk about how and why parents should be talking to their kids about their OWN feelings. This is probably contrary to what you see on Instagram or have heard before, which is that we should hold it together to take care of our kids’ feelings. And that’s true. But it’s equally true that we should be talking about our own feelings. Doing this will not only increase empathy and problem-solving for our kids, but we as adults will also feel closer to our kids and so much better in general.

In this episode on sharing your feelings with your kids, we cover:

Why it’s important to talk to your kids about your own feelings;
What happens when we don’t talk about our feelings;
How to discuss your own feelings with your kids: what wording to use, the best timing, etc.;
Tips on what not to do;
And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

Ps. Do you love listening to our podcast? It would mean the absolute world to us if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This will help our show so we can help more parents and families feel more active and connected in their lives. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/rewind-parents-have-feelings-too/

In this episode on sharing your feelings with your kids, we cover:

Why it’s important to talk to your kids about your own feelings;
What happens when we don’t talk about our feelings;
How to discuss your own feelings with your kids: what wording to use, the best timing, etc.;
Tips on what not to do;
And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/rewind-parents-have-feelings-too/

Previous Episode

From People Pleasing to Setting Boundaries for Us 45-Year-Olds With Meg Allan Cole

Let’s talk about setting boundaries today. Because I know setting boundaries is something so many people, especially women, struggle with. And I’m certainly one of them.

Today’s guest Meg Allan Cole is an expert in the field of going from people pleaser to setting healthy boundaries and I’m so excited to share her insights with you. She struggled with a chronic illness for the last 5-10 years and woke up and figured out what her priorities in life are. She realized that in order to honor them she had to learn to say no. And so she did.

We can all learn how to set healthy boundaries in order to be the person we want to be. So let’s dive and start learning how to do this!

In this episode on setting healthy boundaries, we cover:

Historical and cultural reasons why we people-please;
Acknowledging your own boundaries;
Strategies & specific examples on how to set healthy boundaries;
How the patriarchy taught women to apologize all the time and how this plays into people-pleasing and setting healthy boundaries;
Meditation;
And so much more!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/setting-healhty-boundaries/

Next Episode

Therapy Greatest Hits #1: The First Thing I Tell Every Parent to Do – Easy Strategies to Enhance Quality Time

Today, we’re starting our mini-series on the greatest therapy hits with the #1 thing I talk to parents about, no matter what their reason for coming into my office. Whether it’s because their kid is having meltdowns, is feeling depressed, worries a lot, has difficulty following directions, ... The very first thing I talk to the parents about is increasing the quality and frequency of the time we spend with our kids, i.e. strategies to enhance quality time.

How do we as busy parents, with lots of demands and frequently raising multiple kids get the most bang for our buck when we’re with them?

The idea is to find something you can do EVERY DAY to truly connect with your children in a way that makes them feel seen and works for your family. Let's walk this through!

In this episode on enhancing quality time with our kids, we cover:

How to increase the quality and frequency of the time you spend with your kids;
The 3 things to focus on during your special time with your kids;
Leaning into your child’s ‘love language’;
How I implement these strategies with each of my children, specific to their own needs;
And much more around enhancing quality time with your kids!

We always love hearing from you, so don’t be shy, come over to our Facebook or Instagram and let us know what you thought about today’s episode!

And if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

More info? You can find the full show notes, links and resources over at:

https://virginiafamilytherapy.com/enhance-quality-time/