"Just stay calm." "Be the calm in the storm." Easy to say, impossible to do when you're already depleted from co-regulating through three transitions before breakfast, making seventy decisions, and absorbing your child's anxiety all morning. Here's the truth: you can't lend your child a calm nervous system if yours is running on empty. And trying harder to "stay calm" when you're already dysregulated? That's not a reasonable expectation—it's not even biologically possible.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why your child's nervous system is constantly scanning yours for cues of safety or danger

• What's happening in your body when chronic stress shrinks your "window of tolerance"

• How to notice your early warning signs before you're already yelling or shut down

• The micro-moments of regulation (30 seconds to 2 minutes) that actually work in real-time

• Why repair after dysregulation matters more than perfect calm

• When you need professional support for your own nervous system (and why that's not weakness)

By the end of this episode, you'll understand what's actually happening in your body when your child is dysregulated, why "just stay calm" doesn't work, and what you need to do to regulate yourself so you can help regulate your child.

Resources mentioned: Sign up for the newsletter at www.climbingfishparenting.com for a specific regulation technique that works in under 60 seconds—plus instant access to the Frustration Tolerance Scripts & Practice Guide.

Your kid isn't broken. Your parenting isn't broken. Sometimes we're just asking our fish to climb trees. That's what we fix here.

If you're trying to "do it all"—homemade meals, organized systems, consistent routines, patience, self-care—while parenting a child who's wired differently, I need you to hear this: You're not failing because you're not trying hard enough. You're failing because the goal itself is impossible. That vision of "good parenting" wasn't designed for families managing constant co-regulation, sensory needs, and nervous systems that can't handle typical demands.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why you're operating from a scarcity model (and how it's setting you up for collapse)

• How to identify your real non-negotiables (there should be fewer than you think)

• The "should audit" that will free up massive amounts of energy immediately

• Why tight schedules always break—and how to build buffers that actually work

• How to embrace different seasons of parenting without guilt

• What "good enough" parenting actually means (and why it's better for your child than perfection)

By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly what to stop doing, what actually matters, and how to build a parenting approach you can maintain for years without burning out.

Resources mentioned: Sign up for the newsletter at www.climbingfishparenting.com for this week's exclusive Swim Strategy—a specific question that will help you figure out what to drop immediately.

Your kid isn't broken. Your parenting isn't broken. Sometimes we're just asking our fish to climb trees. That's what we fix here.

If you're completely drained from parenting your child who's wired differently—and wondering if you're just not cut out for this—I need you to hear this: It's not because you're weak or doing it wrong. There are very specific, research-backed reasons why this type of parenting is exponentially more exhausting than typical parenting. And once you understand what's actually happening, you can stop blaming yourself and start protecting your energy.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why you're functioning as your child's external regulation system (and what that's doing to your nervous system)
• How you're making hundreds more decisions every day than other parents—and what to do about decision fatigue
• The invisible translation work that's draining you (and how to stop doing it alone)
• Why chronic uncertainty keeps you in a constant state of low-level panic
• Practical strategies to restore your energy between co-regulation moments
• How to pace yourself for the marathon, not the sprint

By the end of this episode, you'll understand the seven specific reasons parenting your child is so depleting—and have concrete strategies to protect your own capacity so you can keep showing up.

Resources mentioned: Sign up for the newsletter at www.climbingfishparenting.com and get your Swimming Strategy for the week - a research finding about co-regulation that didn't make it into this episode.

Your kid isn't broken. Your parenting isn't broken. Sometimes we're just asking our fish to climb trees. That's what we fix here.