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PODCAST

the Mudroom

Allana Robinson

Weekly nuggets of developmentally appropriate parenting wisdom to help you parent your toddlers and preschoolers more effectively, with less effort. The Mudroom is recorded live on Facebook every Tuesday at 9pm eastern, 6pm pacific.

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

00:17:03

Talking To Your Child About Scary Stuff

the Mudroom ·

2022/04/04

Before we start I want to give a warning that I'm going to discuss some potentially sensitive topics. I want to talk to you about when our kids say scary sh*t. Like when they say something violent, or really freaking dark. I want to approach this with compassion and sensitivity because I know it’s unsettling and uncomfortable. Sometimes parents are even too embarrassed to admit what it was their child said but… It’s a reality for a lot of parents. Sometimes children say the most off-putting

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00:14:15

Autism Awareness

the Mudroom ·

2022/04/04

Maybe it’s because April is around the corner and it’s Autism Awareness Month? Or maybe it’s just more parents becoming aware of neurodiversity in children and having more thoughts about it... But I've been getting more and more questions and concerns from parents worried that maybe their child might be autistic. The important thing to know about autism is that the signs can overlap with so many other things. And early indicators of autism can also be completely developmentally appropriate

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00:11:20

How to Talk to Your Child About What is Happening in...

the Mudroom ·

2022/03/21

These conversations aren’t easy. But they also must be had. We’ve got to be honest and talk to our children about what’s happening in the Ukraine. Sometimes we forget that children absorb information at an astonishing rate. And I know you’re thinking “but we don’t watch the news in front of them” or you ask grandparents and friends to change the subject when it comes up at dinner but think about just how many times your kiddo has surprised you by asking a question about something you didn’t even

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00:16:17

What Does The Play Stage Look Like For Your Child?

the Mudroom ·

2022/03/21

We talk often about the importance of play for children and chat about this false expectation that children automatically know how to share (they have to learn that skill). Especially when it comes to siblings and breaking up arguments over that week’s favorite toy. But have we talked about the developmental stages of play? If you’re thinking “what the heck is that?” allow me to explain. As your child grows, the way they play changes and evolves. And this has a huge impact on not only their

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00:12:59

Teaching Your Child Kindness

the Mudroom ·

2022/03/14

We’ve seen the iconic scene from the Mean Girls movie where Gretchen has finally had enough and yells at Regina “YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US!” And while it’s a funny fictional scene in a movie, as parents I know we all sigh in relief knowing that we’re not raising our children to be like that. Right? Well, I’ve been hearing parents worry about their children being mean lately and it may have upticked recently in light of all these unprecedented events happening. We want our children to be kind and

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00:20:52

How Do You Motivate Your Child?

the Mudroom ·

2022/03/01

So we’ve talked about bribing before, right? “If you do this thing, then I’ll buy you the toy or get you the ice cream.” And most of us agree that bribing doesn’t work as a disciplinary measure. So, we think of other ways to “motivate” our children. Enter the contingent instructions. It feels similar to bribing but instead of giving the child something tangible for complying, we offer them permission to do something else. For example: “if you pick up your toys then you can play video games.” Or

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00:12:15

When Can a Parenting Coach Help with Your Child?

the Mudroom ·

2022/03/01

I get this question quite a bit from parents and caregivers who are looking into joining ParentAbility or are generally curious about what I do. The question is: If my child already gets therapy, do I need a parenting coach? (And vice versa.) As with most things in life, the short answer is “it depends”. There are so many different factors that can impact the answer to this and at the end of the day, you are the expert on your child and their needs. But I still wanted to take some time to break

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00:12:31

Are You Seeing an Increase in Emotional Breakdowns?

the Mudroom ·

2022/02/21

If you have a 4/5 year old in your home you might be noticing an increase in emotional meltdowns in your home. It can feel pretty sudden too! Just out of the blue it’s like you’re in some kind of Real Housewives drama show and your little one is the screenwriter, producer, and the star. The rest of the family are just background characters walking on eggshells, hoping not to set them off. This is common at this age and it’s a stage I call the Limbic Leap. Basically it’s a huge developmental

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00:13:48

No Child Is The Same

the Mudroom ·

2022/02/09

A lot of us have been on lockdown for quite some time. Which has resulted in a lot of parents welcoming a new little one or are now expecting. 😉 Congrats! That means your current child/ren are now becoming big siblings which can be simultaneously exciting and terrifying. A new playmate and companion for your kids oooorrrr also more opportunity for possible fighting and conflict. We’ve all seen those videos about older siblings either melting down and shrieking in horror at the baby announcement

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00:17:07

Why You Need To Take Care Of Yourself First

the Mudroom ·

2022/02/05

Parenting and taking care of children is an endlessly self-sacrificial job. I see you and believe me, I completely understand. When someone is literally dependent on you for their survival and development it feels kind of odd to throw up our hands and tell them “sorry, not right now. I have to take care of something for myself first.” Then toss in the insane, absolutely crushing guilt and ceaseless worry that’s triggered whenever we even try a teensy bit of self-care- it’s almost guaranteed for us

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00:13:53

Encouraging Your Child to Have a Healthy Bond With...

the Mudroom ·

2022/02/04

A lot of us have been on lockdown for quite some time. Which has resulted in a lot of parents welcoming a new little one or are now expecting. 😉 Congrats! That means your current child/ren are now becoming big siblings which can be simultaneously exciting and terrifying. A new playmate and companion for your kids oooorrrr also more opportunity for possible fighting and conflict. We’ve all seen those videos about older siblings either melting down and shrieking in horror at the baby announcement

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00:13:59

Why is My Child Misbehaving?

the Mudroom ·

2022/01/27

This is going to be a hard pill to swallow but a lot of the misbehaviour of our children isn’t actually them “losing their listening ears” or not being able to sit still and control their body. It might feel like they’re being monsters all the time but they’re likely not. A lot of misbehaviour isn’t actually our children misbehaving at all. It’s an adult’s unreasonable expectations about how they should be acting. As adults we forget that: They’re children. Which means they’re humans that also

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00:12:31

Teaching Your Child How to Deal with Bullies

the Mudroom ·

2022/01/27

Now before you read the rest of this email I need you to take a deep breath and go into this with an open mind. Because I know when we hear anything about our child and bullies it immediately triggers those mama bear instincts. HOW DARE ANYONE HURT MY BABY. And I completely understand that feeling. It’s almost instinctual to immediately get ready to rumble when it comes to protecting your child. So go ahead and fume and huff at home. If you have someone to privately rant to about it to let them hear

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00:17:13

Sometimes Kids Just Want to Watch...and that OK

the Mudroom ·

2022/01/12

We want and hope for our children to be able to make friends and be active and involved. So we try to encourage them to do fun things and get excited about their opportunities to make new friends and memories. We sign them up for soccer, we put them in those dance classes they’ve been so interested in, we poke our head into the classroom in hopes of catching a cute little glimpse of them laughing with friends during evening group time or playing. You might feel like a deflated balloon when you show

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00:16:38

How to Deal With Your Child's Aggression

the Mudroom ·

2021/12/20

Have you noticed an uptick with your child being aggressive? As society sort of, kind of, creeps back into being social and our children are getting more interaction with others, a lot of parents are shocked to see their kids being more handsy than they expected. Parents understandably have quite a strong reaction when they see their children behave aggressively. It can be alarming to see your child lash out in anger, or to seemingly go out of their way to hurt someone else. Nobody feels good to see

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00:17:52

The Pygmalion Effect and Your Child

the Mudroom ·

2021/12/14

When was the last time you’ve sat down and watched a great movie with a mentor/mentee trope? Like a Gandlaf and Frodo from Lord Of The RingsDumbledor and Harry PotterHaymitch and Katniss from The Hunger GamesAgent K and Agent J from Men in BlackMushu the Dragon and MulanAll great stories, and all of them have something in common. When the main character doubted themselves, or even when other people doubted the main character, their mentor was always there to remind them of their potential. Even

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00:16:51

How to Teach Your Child Empathy

the Mudroom ·

2021/12/12

Do you know the kids cartoon The Rugrats? With Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Susie, and of course, the infamous Angelica. Angelica is often portrayed as selfish, self-centered and motivated solely by how their little adventures would benefit her. Hear me out though...maybe we misunderstood and had developmentally unrealistic expectations for the 4 year old? Because in real life where infants and toddlers don’t get lost in Paris for hours unnoticed and explore the whole neighborhood unsupervised it’s

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00:17:12

Why Using "But" With Your Kids Can Be Damaging

the Mudroom ·

2021/12/12

There´s no "but" in dyregulation Yes, I want to talk to you today about “buts”… Focus now. I’m not talking about the ass kind- I’m talking about the actual word “but” As in “I know my child is dysregulated BUT…” Or “I know they’re hungry BUT that’s not how they should behave…” And even “BUT my niece, or my 2nd child, or my neighbor’s cousin's playmate was able to handle that just fine…” It seems like an innocent enough word but (haha) it’s likely the culprit behind a lot of power struggles,

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00:15:17

Holiday Season Is Here! Survive it Without Turning...

the Mudroom ·

2021/12/06

You can feel it in the air, can’t you? *Cue Mariah Carey music* Target is bursting with holiday decor, everyone is playing holiday music, you’ll probably be getting Turkey handprints, Reindeer handprints, snowflake handprints, all the handprint crafts you could possibly imagine from your child’s school pretty soon too. But with all that magic and joy there’s something else my clients experience and I call it “The Grinch Syndrome.” While the holidays certainly bring a ton of fun, it can also bring

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00:15:38

How to Discuss Historical Events With Your Child

the Mudroom ·

2021/12/06

Many Parents are trying to avoid this subject. The big, bad, and often complex events of the past. This is one of those conversation topics that can be...interesting to discuss with children. Right up there with the “birds and the bees”. Certain holidays/observations, something our child/ren saw on TV, a conversation they overheard, these can all spark curiosity and questions. So how much information is age-appropriate for a child but also, are we being honest and forthcoming enough about

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211 results

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