Calm Connection Parenting | Neurodivergent, Meltdowns, Emotional Dysregulation, ADHD, DMDD, SPD, Defiant

Parenting a child with emotional, medical, or mental health needs can quietly affect your own mental health too. When uncertainty is constant, anxiety can build — and it can feel like you’re always bracing for the next hard moment. Whether you are managing sensory processing issues, executive functioning issues, a diagnosis such as ADHD or DMDD, or simply trying to manage your mom-sense that something's off...this episode is for you!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why parenting anxiety often increases when your child has complex needs
What OCD and anxiety can really look like for parents
How to stay calm and grounded when uncertainty triggers fear
Encouragement for parents who are doing their best and still feel stretched
In this episode of the Calm Connection Parenting Podcast, host Jami Kirkbride talks with nurse practitioner and mental health advocate Sarah Michelle Boes about parenting through anxiety and uncertainty while caring for a child with significant needs. Sarah shares her experience parenting her daughter with a life-threatening heart condition while navigating her own diagnosis of OCD and anxiety — and how she’s learned to live with uncertainty without letting fear take control.
If you’re parenting through anxiety and wondering how to care for yourself while caring for your child, this conversation offers reassurance, perspective, and hope.
Start here:
Take the FREE Emotional Forecast Quiz to identify your child’s patterns and your next best step.
CalmConnectionParenting.org
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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Just Believe

If you’ve ever looked at your child’s meltdowns or emotional outbursts and thought, “I must be doing something wrong,” this episode is for you. We’re talking emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, and why common parenting advice often backfires with neurodivergent kids.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why emotional dysregulation is often mistaken for defiance
How your child’s unique wiring impacts behavior and reactions
Why “be more strict” and “just be consistent” can make things worse
One powerful reframe that helps you respond with calm and clarity
In this conversation, we unpack what’s really happening beneath the behavior—so you can stop second-guessing yourself and start responding with confidence, compassion, and connection. This episode is especially helpful if you’re parenting a child with big emotions, ADHD, DMDD, sensory processing challenges, or traits that don’t fit the “typical” parenting mold.
Start here:
Take the FREE Emotional Forecast Quiz to identify your child’s patterns and your next best step.
CalmConnectionParenting.org
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

Why does your child have huge reactions to things that feel small? The wrong color cup. A change of plans. A simple “no”… and suddenly it’s full emotional overload.
In this episode, we’re unpacking emotional dysregulation in kids and why emotionally intense, highly sensitive, and neurodivergent children can struggle to manage big feelings - even when they’re trying their best. Whether you are managing sensory processing issues, executive functioning issues, a diagnosis such as ADHD or DMDD, or simply trying to manage your mom-sense that something's off...this episode is for you!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What’s happening in your child’s brain and nervous system during dysregulation
Why logic and discipline don’t work in the heat of the moment
The difference between defiance and dysregulation (and why it changes everything)
The first shift parents can make to reduce escalation and build calm connection
Take the Free Emotional Forecast Quiz: CalmConnectionParenting.org
Join the FREE Busy Working Mom Blueprint Summit!
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

Feeling like you’re doing all the research and your partner is on a totally different timeline? Parenting gets lonely fast when you’re raising a child with big emotions - and you’re not on the same page.
In today’s episode, I’m answering a listener question about what to do when one parent wants help, tools, and support… and the other feels hesitant, resistant, or shut down.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why parents often approach “getting help” in completely different ways
What resistance is really protecting (and how to respond with compassion)
How to build unity without forcing agreement
A simple next step to move forward together this week
Whether you are managing sensory processing issues, executive functioning issues, a diagnosis such as ADHD or DMDD, or simply trying to manage your mom-sense that something's off...this episode is for you!
Take the FREE Emotional Forecast Quiz here: CalmConnectionParenting.org
Join the FREE Busy Working Mom Blueprint Summit!
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

As the year comes to a close, many parents find themselves exhausted by resolutions that promise change but add more pressure. If you’re parenting emotional dysregulation or big emotions, this episode offers a different way forward.
In this final episode of the year, we reflect honestly on the year behind us, walk through a gentle RESET framework, and explore how choosing a word for the year can guide your parenting with calm, clarity, and connection… without guilt or overwhelm.
This episode is an invitation to pause, release what no longer serves you, and step into the new year with intention instead of a heavier load of expectations.
In this episode, we explore:
Why New Year’s resolutions often fail parents navigating parenting challenges
How reflecting on what worked (and what didn’t) can bring clarity instead of discouragement
A gentle RESET framework to help you move forward without pressure
How choosing a word for the year can anchor calm responses during hard moments
Get your Word for the Year Reflection PDF inside the Calm Connection Parenting Facebook Group!
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe