The holiday season can be full of magic—but it can also feel loud, rushed, and overwhelming. Between end-of-year commitments, family expectations, and children riding the emotional highs (and lows) of the season, it’s easy for parents to feel stretched thin.

In this episode, Staying Grounded as a Parent in the Busy Holiday Season, we explore practical, compassionate ways to stay calm, connected, and centred—even when everything around you feels “extra.” We talk about managing expectations, supporting big feelings, protecting your energy, and finding small moments of presence amid the chaos.

Whether you’re navigating tired children, disrupted routines, or your own holiday stress, this conversation offers gentle strategies to help you respond rather than react—so you can move through the season with more ease, clarity, and connection.

Because staying grounded isn’t about doing more—it’s about coming back to what matters most.

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Welcome to the Kebudel Parent Podcast—your no-nonsense, fun-filled guide to parenting, straight from the experts who really get kids (and parents too!).

Brought to you by experienced early childhood educators, we’re here to dish out practical advice, laugh at the messiness of parenting, and share our insider knowledge to help you thrive. From decoding tantrums to sparking your child’s love of learning, we cover it all with a healthy dose of humor and zero judgment.

Why listen? Because parenting doesn’t come with a manual, but it can come with expert-backed insights, a little sass, and a whole lot of support. Let’s navigate this wild ride together—one episode at a time.

Tired of “new year, new you” pressure? We’re choosing a gentler path. Instead of chasing resolutions that turn into pass/fail tests, we slow down and reflect on what actually worked in 2025. We start by celebrating tiny, meaningful wins—like a bedtime that flowed or a peaceful car ride—and use those clues to build a calmer rhythm. From there, we get curious about who our kids are becoming, naming the traits that surfaced this year so we can respond to the child we have, not an ideal in our heads.

We also turn the spotlight back on ourselves and acknowledge what we did well as parents. Maybe it was staying steady during a tantrum, protecting a helpful routine, or finding a moment of fun on a tough night. That self-credit is not fluff; it’s fuel. With that confidence, we choose what to carry forward into 2026—habits and strategies that already help—and we consciously leave behind what feels heavy, like overscheduling or guilt spirals. Letting go makes space for a lighter, more connected family life.

To land the plane, we set one to three gentle intentions for the year ahead: calmer mornings, clearer boundaries, or more focused connection. We pair each intention with support—books, podcasts, professionals, or simply a trusted friend—so change feels doable, not daunting. The result is a practical, compassionate reset that starts with awareness and grows through small, repeatable actions. If you’re ready to parent with less pressure and more presence, hit play, take a breath, and begin the year with curiosity. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a softer start, and leave a quick review to help more parents find us.

Send us a text

Welcome to the Kebudel Parent Podcast—your no-nonsense, fun-filled guide to parenting, straight from the experts who really get kids (and parents too!).

Brought to you by experienced early childhood educators, we’re here to dish out practical advice, laugh at the messiness of parenting, and share our insider knowledge to help you thrive. From decoding tantrums to sparking your child’s love of learning, we cover it all with a healthy dose of humor and zero judgment.

Why listen? Because parenting doesn’t come with a manual, but it can come with expert-backed insights, a little sass, and a whole lot of support. Let’s navigate this wild ride together—one episode at a time.

Ever feel like you’re refereeing more than parenting? We open the door on sibling rivalry in the early years and show how tiny shifts—pausing before you step in, coaching instead of rescuing, and building short daily one-on-one moments—transform constant clashes into real-life lessons in empathy, patience, and repair. Drawing on a lived story of twins, including the domino effects after an injury, we unpack the hidden drivers behind bickering: competition for attention, developmental stages, family changes, and clashing temperaments.

Across this conversation, we get practical. You’ll hear simple, repeatable tactics to fill emotional tanks with five to ten focused minutes, two or three times a day. We share specific praise scripts that build competence and reduce future fights, and we talk about setting active family values—kind words, looking after each other, repairing after mistakes—that guide choices when tempers flare. We also map common trigger windows like the after-school slump and pre-dinner chaos, using HALT thinking to prevent explosions with snacks, fresh air, duplicate toys, and calmer transitions.

Instead of playing judge and jury, we model the language of coaching: I see you’re both upset, how can we share this so everyone gets a turn, what can we try differently. When safety is an issue, we reset without shaming and return to teaching. Over time, kids learn to problem solve, negotiate, and reconnect quickly, proving that relationships can bend and not break. If you’re ready to swap refereeing for teaching and turn rivalry into a classroom for resilience, this one’s for you.

If this helped, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s in the trenches, and leave a quick review to tell us what strategy you’ll try first.

Send us a text

Welcome to the Kebudel Parent Podcast—your no-nonsense, fun-filled guide to parenting, straight from the experts who really get kids (and parents too!).

Brought to you by experienced early childhood educators, we’re here to dish out practical advice, laugh at the messiness of parenting, and share our insider knowledge to help you thrive. From decoding tantrums to sparking your child’s love of learning, we cover it all with a healthy dose of humor and zero judgment.

Why listen? Because parenting doesn’t come with a manual, but it can come with expert-backed insights, a little sass, and a whole lot of support. Let’s navigate this wild ride together—one episode at a time.