Go To Community

Let’s talk about it together

Connect with Good Inside-trained coaches AND thousands of judgment-free, knowledgeable parents just like you. You ask. They answer. Every time.

Get Out of the 'Age Range Mindset'

The Principle of Good Inside

@TheOTButterfly on Parenting Neurodivergent Kids

Deep Dive: Navigating Pediatric Heart Disease with Greg and Kara Olsen

Differentiating Feelings from Behaviors

To Help Your Kid Feel Good Inside

Ways To Say No To Your Child

Sharon Says So: How to Teach Our Children Emotional Resilience with Dr. Becky Kennedy

I Hate When My Kid is Mad at Me - Help!

I get asked all of the time, “Why do you never mention timeouts? And if you don’t support them, what do you suggest I do when my child is acting out?” These are great questions. Timeouts are a go-to strategy for countless families, but it’s true, I don’t recommend them to parents in my private practice, and you won’t see me recommending them here.&nbsp;



Why not? A few reasons:



We usually give timeouts in response to a child exhibiting some kind of challenging behavior (hitting, talking back, etc.). Our kids engage in these behaviors because a feeling inside them is so big and overwhelming that it can’t be regulated or processed. So instead, it bursts out of them as an out-of-control behavior.&nbsp;



Feelings and behaviors go together—one proceeds the other. Here are two examples:



I want that block, and my sister has it. I am frustrated! (This is the feeling.) I couldn’t manage the feeling, and so it came out as a hit. (This is the behavior.)



I want this snack right now, and my mom is saying no. I’m so mad! (This is the feeling.) I couldn’t manage this feeling and so I lunge for the cabinet, my mom blocks me, and I pinch her. (This is the behavior.)&nbsp;



Big idea: out-of-control behaviors come from out-of-control feelings and urges. The key to change is to help kids build the skills they need to manage their feelings and urges.



<h2>Separate the Feeling From the Behavior</h2>



One of our main jobs as parents is to help our kids separate feelings from behavior—this is the essence of regulation. When you give a child a timeout, instead of separating your child’s feelings from their behavior, you collapse them together—which is the very thing that led to the problem in the first place! Think of it like this: if you send your kid to their room for throwing a block, they never learn that the feeling of frustration that precipitated throwing the block is normal, even healthy, and they definitely never learn any coping skills for that feeling. Instead, a child learns that BOTH things—the feeling AND the behavior—are bad.



<h2>Understanding the Role of Attachment</h2>



Our kids’ survival rests on attachment. After all, kids only get their basic needs met (food, shelter, water, care) through their relationship with their parents, so figuring out how to attach to parents is of prime evolutionary importance. Attachment is a system of proximity—when we say that kids need to be sure their parents keep them “close,” we don’t just mean emotionally close; we mean literally, spatially closeby. This is how kids are ensured of protection. As a result, kids digest their interactions with caregivers through this question:&nbsp;



“What parts of me lead to closeness? These parts are lovable and good. And what parts of me lead to distance? These parts are unloveable and bad.”&nbsp;



How does this relate to timeouts? Well, timeouts are a form of distance from a caregiver and a feeling of aloneness for a child. Think of this from a child’s perspective:



&nbsp;“If these are the caregivers I need for survival and they send me away because I had a big feeling that caused me to throw a block, those feelings must be so bad and dangerous to the world. I have to make sure never to have that feeling again and when I do, get it out of my body as quickly as possible! ”&nbsp;



So what happens the next time this feeling comes up in their body? Our kids have no skills to manage the feeling, they are now scared of it, AND they have to get the feeling “out of their body” because it feels so dangerous. Enter hitting, biting, throwing, etc.—and the cycle of out-of-control behavior continues.



<h2>But Why Do People Say Timeouts Work for Their Kids?</h2>



I hear it too, but here’s the truth: timeouts appear to “work” for kids who are people-pleasing kids who only feel safe when their parents feel happy with them. But what really happens during the timeout? The child blames themselves and loads up with guilt (“I’m such a bad kid. It’s all my fault. I need to be the part of me that my parents find loveable”). So, yes, it might look like it works, but the child still has no skill to manage tough feelings. Developmentally, this child remains stunted, never learning to manage feelings like frustration, anger, or jealousy. Further, this child builds up their circuit of self-blame and self-criticism, which they will carry into adulthood.



Plus, there’s this: my experience has shown that kids who are parented in their early years with behavioral methods like timeouts, rewards, and punishments grow up to be teens who struggle to have a connection with their parents. All kids reach an age where they essentially say, “You can’t give me a timeout anymore. And I don't care about your sticker charts.”&nbsp; And what do you have then? Well, nothing. Only years of missed opportunities to connect to your child and build the emotion regulation skills they need for life.



<h2>So What Should We Do Instead?</h2>



CREATE BOUNDARIES



When a child “acts out,” they need you, the parent, to be the boundary they cannot be for themselves. After all, kids hit and throw and kick not because they don’t respect you or because they’re trying to “be bad”—it’s because they are dysregulated, hyperaroused, and out of control.



So, step one: embody your authority and put a boundary around the behavior. Let’s use the example of your child throwing a block at your other child. Here’s what creating a boundary would look and sound like: “I will not let you throw that block!”&nbsp;



You may need to stop in and hold your child’s wrist or take a block out of their hand. You might need to go one step further and remove your child from the room. None of this is a punishment. A strong boundary is an act of love to keep your child safe. Words for this action might sound like this: “I’m going to pick you up and take you to another room. You are having a hard time making decisions, and I am going to keep you safe.”



Now (and this is critical!) sit in the room with your child. No, your loving presence does not reinforce bad behavior. We are not shaping behavior here; we are raising children who need to feel your connection to feel safe again. “I’m here. It’s okay. No, you can’t go back out yet. We’re not calm. You’re a good kid having a hard time; I’m right in there with you.”



If you’re alone with both your children, you might have to go between your two kids (the one that is dysregulated and the one who may have gotten hurt from the throw). There’s no easy answer for handling this and no one, including me, does this perfectly; take a deep breath, remind yourself that this difficult moment will eventually end, and do the best you can. That’s all we can do in impossible situations! What might this look like IRL? You might say aloud: “I’m going to check on your brother right now. I need to keep him safe as well. I’ll be back to be with you again in a few moments.”



BUILD REGULATION SKILLS



Okay, after we make it through the initial stage of setting boundaries and offering loving containment to a child to keep them safe, we need to help our child build the regulation skills they were missing in the first place. But hear me out: Don’t do this during the meltdown! We cannot build skills when a child is dysregulated because their brain is in threat mode, not learning mode! We can only build regulation skills when things are calm—before or after a tantrum.



So now it’s hours post-throwing-event, you and your child are calm, and you are thinking about how to build your child’s regulation skills.&nbsp;



Regulation Skill 1: Emotional Vaccination&nbsp;



Here’s how you do it: Before a tricky situation, prep your child for the feelings of frustration that are likely to arise. The exact situation doesn’t matter. All tantrums come from frustration, so when you help your child prepare for frustration-potential in one area of their life, you’re helping them build a larger, more generalized circuit for anticipating that sometimes things don’t go our way. Here’s an example:



“Let’s think about when your brother wakes up from his nap and comes into the room. He’s probably going to see that tower. What’s going to happen when you both want to use the same blocks? Ugh, that’s so hard. I am just thinking how hard it is to have a younger brother, especially when he comes to play right after his nap. What do you think we can do?”



What you come up with as a strategy is less important than the fact that you empathized and prepared your child for those feelings in advance. This helps your child understand his own feelings and strengthen the muscle of recognizing feelings when they arise, which is key to managing feelings rather than reacting to them.



Regulation Skill 2: Building Coherence



We can also build regulation after a tough moment. Revisiting the events and feelings helps a child understand what happened, which builds regulation. It might sound like this:



“I’m thinking about earlier when you and your brother were playing, and you threw the block. I want to understand exactly what happened because it’s so important to understand our big feelings. I think you were building a tower, and then your brother came after his nap, and he lunged at your tower like he was going to knock it down, and that felt so big and so hard to handle, and it just came out of your body, and you threw the block. Is that right? Did I get that right?”



When we add coherence to help a child understand what set them off, we change a fast and dysregulated circuit to a slow and connected circuit. You’re not changing the story; you’re not adding anything new; you’re just layering on connection and validation to something that felt so bad for your child. That correction will give them a moment of pause the next time a big feeling comes up. And ultimately, it will stop the cycle of out-of-control behavior much more effectively than timeouts.&nbsp;

Why Time Outs Don’t Work

It's Not Too Late - How to Change Now

Stories We Need to Tell with Jelani Memory

This outline is designed to guide you through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goodinside.com/workshop/3212/end-food-battles-a-guide-to-managing-meals-snacks-and-desserts-with-your-kids/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">End Food Battles Workshop</a>. We hope this helps you organize your thoughts and remember key ideas.



<a class="btn btn-primary" style="text-decoration: none;" download="" href="https://cms.goodinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/End-Food-Battles-Workshop-Outline_060722.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download Outline</a>

End Food Battles Outline

“Gentle” Parents Still Set Boundaries With Destini Davis

A “growth mindset” is the belief that skills and qualities can be cultivated through effort and perseverance.



Children who endorse a growth mindset aren't afraid to stick with challenges because they believe that struggling is part of the learning process. In the opposite mindset, a fixed mindset, children believe that failures are evidence of inferiority and so they are hesitant to stick with hard things.



Parents have a critical role in whether their children endorse a growth or fixed mindset. One strategy to start using is this: Start proclaiming Growth Mindset family values, then reference them in moments of struggle or challenge (both your moments and your kids' moments).



<ol><li>In our family, we love to be challenged.</li><li>In our family, how hard we work is more important than coming up with the right answer.</li><li>In our family, we know that not knowing sits next to learning something new. We love learning new things, so we embrace “I don't know" moments.</li><li>In our family, we try to remember that sticking with something hard makes our brains grow. And we're big into brain growth.</li></ol>



Speak about these values often, especially when you've made a "mistake" or don't know something. I've been known to act out Growth Mindset while cooking ("Ugh... I think I messed up this recipe! Well, it was a new one and definitely challenged me... and in our family, we do love to be challenged... I learned how to make it better for the next time so that's pretty awesome!"), when playing games (”Scattegories is so hard for me! There’s just something about this game that doesn’t come easily... well, in our family, we love to be challenged and so, yes, let’s play Scattegories. I’m up for a challenge tonight!”), and when talking about my day at work (”There’s something we just haven’t figured out yet at work... I’m still in that ‘I don’t know’ phase! Ugh it’s tough to be there!”).



Start struggling more around your child. Instead of opening a PlayDoh easily, struggle with your own as your child tries his. Instead of tying your shoes quickly, make a mistake and then try again. Instead of answering your child’s questions, share a question you’re not sure about and look up the answer together.



These Growth Mindset Family Values are critical in helping your child around her school work while she's at home. When kids endorse growth mindset, they become able to talk themselves through tough math problems, they read paragraphs over and over to make sure they understand correctly, and they aren't afraid to start a writing assignment that they know will take them a long time.

4 Family Values That Foster a Growth Mindset

Family Meetings

When It's Hard to Stay Calm

Does Praise Have Unintended Consequences?

But Does This Parenting Approach Actually Work?

Raising Anti-Racist, Anti-Bias Kids With Britt Hawthorne

Foundational Strategy For Every Feeling

When Your Tween Is Rejected

How to De-shame Your House

Divorce Doesn’t Mess Kids Up

Deep Dive: Lauren Bush Lauren of FEED on Cultivating Gratitude and Thoughtfulness

Key Foundational Strategy: Most Generous Interpretation

Family Jobs: What They Are and Why They Matter

Potty Learning Workshop: A Step-by-Step Guide to Foster Success

An All-Time Favorite Strategy: Fill Up Game

This outline is designed to guide you through the <a href="https://cms.goodinside.com/workshop/1810/good-inside-right-from-the-start/view/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Good Inside Right From the Start Workshop</a>. We hope this helps you organize your thoughts and remember key ideas.



<a class="btn btn-primary" style="text-decoration: none;" download="" href="https://cms.goodinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GoodInsideRightFromtheStart2021Outline-211214-153913-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download Outline</a>

Good Inside Right From the Start Outline

Emotional Validation

A Pilot Metaphor to Understand Sturdy Leadership

Body Confidence Isn’t About Appearance

When You Have to Make a Difficult Decision

The Most Recommended Parenting Strategy

How Do I Handle Screen Time With My Kids?

Good Inside Right From the Start: The First Year of Parenting

Deep Dive: @BusyToddler on Resilience and Academic Success

Raising Kids is Taking a Toll on My Relationship. What Can I Do?

Raffi on Curiosity, Play, and Treating Kids with Respect

Scripts for Setting Limits

Sturdy leadership is a key concept at Good Inside. When our kids are having a hard time, they need to feel that they are not "too much" for their parents—their sturdy leaders. They need to see that they cannot overpower us with their tears or whines or dysregulated behavior.



Why is this so important? Because in these meltdown moments, kids feel overwhelmed themselves. If they then get the message that their emotional state also overwhelms their parents, it's game over.



<h2>Two things are true</h2>



Kids need to feel that their parents both recognize and permit their feelings and that their feelings do not take over and bleed into our decision making.



Two things are true here: As parents, we can make decisions that we think are best (even if our child doesn’t like them) and we can care about our kid’s feelings about these decisions. These are two totally separate things.



Let’s say your child wants to watch a movie that you deem to be inappropriate for his age. You say no to the movie. Your child is upset, disappointed, and angry: “All of my friends have seen it! You’re the worst person ever. I’ll never talk to you again!!”



If only one of these statements can be true, then your child's feelings have to overrule your decision. If you tell yourself that caring about your child's feelings has to be linked to your decision making, then you definitely will change your mind to prove to yourself that you're a good loving parent. But when both things are true, you are allowed to maintain your decision and your child is allowed to be upset.&nbsp;



<h2>A few scripts to try</h2>



Next time you need to hold a boundary you’ve set with your child, try using the “two things are true” phrase. For example:



<ul><li>“Two things are true: Screen time is over and I understand that ending your show is so hard. You wish you could watch another. I get that.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: We are not allowing you to go to big parties and I hear how that messes up your social life. I’m saying no and I care about how that feels to you.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: The kitchen is closed and you really wish you could have another snack. I know! Waiting for dinner is hard.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: I am tired and need sleep and I understand that you’re disappointed that I backed out of our plans.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: Mommy is going out for a walk and I hear that you wish you could come. Daddy will stay with you,and I’ll be back soon.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: I need a quiet weekend with no plans and I hear that you wish tomorrow worked for a visit. We can make a plan for another weekend, let’s find a date.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: We have a hard “no” to Fortnite and we hear how left out you feel. We care about that and would love to brainstorm other ways to connect with your friends.”</li></ul>



<ul><li>“Two things are true: Our family is not getting a dog right now and I get how disappointing that is. You’re allowed to be upset with us.”</li></ul>



Try your own version of these words aloud with your child, your friends, your partner, or just in your head the next time you set a boundary. Remember, you don't have to choose between firm decisions and loving validation. Both can be true.

Two Things Are True

This outline is designed to guide you through the <a href="https://cms.goodinside.com/workshop/1523/improve-parenting-skills/view/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">It's Never Too Late Workshop</a>. We hope this helps you organize your thoughts and remember key ideas.  



<a class="btn btn-primary" style="text-decoration: none;" download="" href="https://cms.goodinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ItsNotTooLateWorkshop2021OutlineEdited-210916-085746.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download Outline</a>

It's Never Too Late Outline

When parenting feels hard and we struggle with our kids, we dissect their behaviors with questions: What is wrong with my kid? Why won’t they stop doing these annoying things?&nbsp;



And yet, if we really want to help our kids, we often have to first change our gaze—turning it inward and onto ourselves—not for the purpose of self-blame, but for the purpose of self-reflection. We can start by asking ourselves the question: What does this situation with my child bring up for me?



Asking this question helps you develop more clarity and feel like a sturdier, more confident leader in your home. Why? Because you learn so much about your own circuitry, your own reactivity, and your own way of labeling your kids’ behavior.



Does this mean that your kids’ behavior is your fault? NO! Not at all. Does this mean change with our kids starts with some amount of reflection on ourselves? YES. Absolutely.



What gets in the way of us intervening with our kids when they are tantruming, lying, being aggressive with a sibling, or struggling with math or reading is almost always the emotions it evokes in us. We shut down the feelings in our kids that we have trouble tolerating in ourselves.



So, the key to moving through these situations is slowing down and asking ourselves some tough questions. Here are some examples of how this works:



<h2>My child is having a lot of tantrums.</h2>



<ul><li>What does this bring up for me? What goes on for me when my child is having a big tantrum?</li><li>Was I taught that emotional displays were okay? What is my own tolerance for messy emotions?</li></ul>



<h2>My child is fighting a lot with a sibling.</h2>



<ul><li>What are my ideas about siblinghood? What do I hope for my kids? What were my own sibling relationships like?</li><li>What are my assumptions about how siblings should feel about each other?&nbsp;</li></ul>



Am I okay tolerating a range of emotions my daughter might have toward her brother, or do I notice a desire for my daughter to have only positive emotions toward him?



<h2>My child is struggling in math or reading.</h2>



<ul><li>What is it like for me to have a kid who isn’t one of the early readers?</li><li>What was my academic history like?</li><li>Did my family of origin value top performance?</li></ul>



Big takeaway: Self-reflection is the key to feeling more at home in ourselves and also to showing up as the parent we want to be. Talk about bang for your buck!

The Most Important Parenting Question

Building Resilience and Improving Frustration Tolerance in Children

This handbook is filled with strategies, scripts, and a detailed plan to ensure you feel equipped to tackle potty learning. It’s a step-by-step guide to walk you through the process and reference when you have questions.



<a class="btn btn-primary" style="text-decoration: none;" download="" href="https://cms.goodinside.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Good_Inside_Potty_Handbook-210716-110532_reducedsize.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download Handbook</a>

Potty Handbook

Talking With Your Kids About Private Parts, How Babies Are Made, and More...

Change the Way You Parent: It’s Never Too Late

Scripts to Address Unsafe Behavior

When Two Parents Parent Differently

Why Attachment Matters

Stop Tantrums Before They Start: Emotional Vaccination

Here’s the truth: There’s no right way to talk to our kids about tough topics. I’m a big fan of the mantra, “truth over comfort,” meaning, in my family, we prioritize talking about things that are true over talking about things that are comfortable. Having said this, I certainly won’t have the same conversation with my 4-year-old as I will with my 10-year-old.



I always try to keep this foundational idea in mind: Information doesn’t scare kids as much as “being in the dark'' scares kids. If no one talks to a child and gives them context and a story to understand, well, this is more terrifying to a child than sitting with an adult who explains things to them.&nbsp;



And while there is no one right way to talk about tough topics with kids, there are guidelines we can keep in mind:



<ol><li>Don't just "jump in." Do start slow.</li></ol>



<ul><li>Start with, "I want to talk about something serious that we'll all have big feelings about."</li><li>Talk slowly and make eye contact; this maintains connection and helps a child feel safer.</li></ul>



<ol start="2"><li>Don't be vague. Do use real words.</li></ol>



<ul><li>It's important to tell the truth. Using actual words around death, loss, and trauma builds trust.</li><li>When we avoid hard topics, our children absorb our anxiety about the "things that we aren’t talking about"; this makes them more fearful.</li></ul>



<ol start="3"><li>Don't just stick to the facts. Do check in with their feelings.</li></ol>



<ul><li>Pause at various points and ask, "What's this like to talk about?" It's okay if your child remains silent. You can share, "I know, it's heavy stuff."</li><li>If your child becomes upset, give permission for the feeling and name your presence: "It's okay to feel sad about it. I'm right here with you."</li></ul>



<ol start="4"><li>Don't feel you need to have all the answers. Do learn together–over time.</li></ol>



<ul><li>Feel free to say, "Great question. I don't know. Let's look into it together."</li><li>You can also say, "We can keep talking about this. It’s important we do because I'm sure you will have questions or more feelings may come up."</li></ul>



<ol start="5"><li>Don't make it "neat" and "tied up." Do tolerate the discomfort.</li></ol>



<ul><li>It's okay to cry. You can say, "Our tears tell us that our body has an important reaction. That makes sense given what we're talking about."</li><li>It's okay to be uncomfortable. Remind yourself that discomfort is a sign of doing something new, not doing something wrong.</li></ul>

Dos and Don'ts for Talking About Tricky Topics With Kids

When Your Kid Is Rejected

Mantras for When You Have to Make a Difficult Decision for Your Child

4 Steps to Repair

Confidence from the Inside Out: How to Build Long-Lasting Self-Confidence in Kids

A Parent’s #1 Job

How to Work with your Child’s Teacher to Build a Confident Learner with LEGO Education’s Dr. Jenny Nash

NEW - End Food Battles: A Guide to Managing Meals, Snacks, and Desserts with Your Kids

Understanding Dysregulation, Co-Regulation, Self-Regulation

Mantras to Ground Yourself When Things Feel Hard

Be A Potted Plant

Deep Dive: Gentle Parenting, Race, and Cycle Breaking with Kobe and Kyle Campbell

Navigating Food Allergies with Daily Harvest’s CEO

Foundations