Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors

I’ve never cried through a book like this. When I bought it I was in crisis mode as a mother and parenting in ways that I deeply regret. I just couldn’t understand why I struggled to BE THERE for my daughter when she needed me most. This book teaches about emotional regulation and dysregulation. I’m completely new to this concept so my mind was blown. Maybe others familiar with the subject won’t be — but I certainly was.I figured, if I bought this book maybe I could understand her better. And then maybe by understanding the science of it, I would have a better handle on what to do with her behavior.But this book taught me so much more. I learned that emotional dysregulation is contagious. And that one person’s emotional outbursts affect the other people involved. So instead of learning how to “fix” my daughter’s behavior, this book taught me that with practice, I must first learn to manage my own state.Full of tools and some gut-wrenching self compassion statements that honestly are worth the price of this book 5 times over, this book speaks to our hearts where true change is possible. The tricks tips and tools are extremely valuable too, but learning about how to stay regulated and compassionate in the midst of chaos is the true driver of change. Read it till the end. You won’t be sorry.PS - the conversational writing style is what resonated with me the most. It’s to funny to see negative reviews on the writing style of this book. You truly can’t please everyone. I found her friendly, passionate tone so inviting and warm — a true delight to read.The free resources on the authors’s page are so generously offered to support us weary parents with kids with big behaviors and vulnerable nervous systems. I feel the author she gets us, sees us and has a huge heart for us.I haven’t been this impacted by a book in over a decade.

The media could not be loaded. I'm a children's therapist and I loved this book! I work with a lot of kiddos who have experienced trauma and struggle with being able to regulate their feelings. Even kiddos who just struggle in general with anxiety and feeling dysregulated.Often times parents aren't sure how to handle it and become dysregulated themselves. This book is perfect for therapists and parents to better understand how to help kiddos become regulated.It focuses on how behaviors are really a form of communication rather than a child 'being a bad child.' It gives parents actionable tools to use and a better understanding of the brain science.One of my favorite parts about this book is the information is really easily digestible. It makes it a quick read and provides useful terminology for moving forward. The terminology can be used with your kiddo, their teachers and even their therapist!I highly recommend this book and have recommended it to multiple of the parents that I work with.

One of the best books out there! As a therapist, this is the book I recommend most to parents. It’s an easy, compassionate read that I think all parents can learn from. I love the charts, which easily summarize principles for parents. I HIGHLY recommend.

I’m the happy owner of both the Audible recording and the physical book. I like to make notes as I read and/or listen to books, and this book is a gold mine of excellent info! It has become a part of my short list of go to books that explore how brains are affected by life on earth!

I have taken numerous of Robyn’s classes over the years, and share lots of her posts. I belonged to her Parenting Group until just recently, and her style of teaching has helped me better understand and how to regulate A’s behaviors as while as my own. And being honest, regulating my own behaviors when his are big and baffling is what has helped me the most.I wasn’t sure what to except when I started reading, as the empathy and space that Robyn holds for you in her classes is truly amazing, and I wasn’t sure how that would translate into her book, yet it did. As, I was teary eyed into the first few pages of chapter 1 because I felt seen and hopeful. And I am beholden for that in these early morning hours of being lost in my thoughts replaying yesterday and worrying about a worse case scenario future that may or may not happen. Reading this book has paused these ruminating thoughts and allowed curiosity to be reawakened.I have read numerous books on trauma and the impacts to the brain over the last 10 years, and this book takes the best parts from many of those books and makes it simpler to understand and apply. The owl, watchdog, and possum brain analogies help apply the brain science to strategies that can help get kiddos move from protection mode to connection mode.This is a book that all parents and teachers, well actually anyone and everyone should read. Even though it is written as a parenting book, it applies to every human being and can help us be curious about why adults can have big baffling behaviors as well because when we can understand the brain science, then we can see the situation differently and understand why we behave that way as well.