You’re listening to Voices of Your Village, and today we’re talking about those spicy ones. The kids who are big in personality, big in emotion, and big in challenging parents. Maybe you're raising one—or maybe you were one. I’m joined by parenting coach and author Mary Van Geffen, whose book Parenting a Spicy One is part memoir, part survival guide, and completely validating for the parents who feel like they’re doing everything “right” and still getting steamrolled by meltdowns, back talk, and constant negotiating.

We talk about what it actually looks like to parent a strong-willed child, why traditional discipline often backfires, and how to stay connected even when your kid is pushin...

00:00:00    Alyssa 

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and I got to hang out with an OT that I adore, Madeha Ayub. We got to dive into what the roots of behaviors can be and how our nervous system and our sensory systems can play a role. Madeha was born and raised in the heart of New York City. She's currently residing in Central New Jersey with her husband and two adventurous little humans, both under the age of four. She gets it, she's in it with us. She's been working as a pediatric OT for about eight years and the first five years primarily in school settings before switching to home health OT. She understands the need to identify and support sensory challenges in the sch...