Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Parenting is often lived in the extremes. It's either Great Joy or chaotic overwhelmed. In one moment you’re nailing it and the next you're losing your cool I want to help you find your way to the messy middle, to a place of balance. You see, balance is a verb not a state of being. it is a thing you do not a thing you are. it is an action a process a series of micro-corrections each and every day to keep ourselves feeling centered. We are never truly balanced. We are engaged in the process of balancing.

Hello, I’m Dr. Laura Froyen and this is the Balanced Parent podcast, where overwhelmed stressed out and disconnected parents go to find tools, mindset shifts and practices to help them stop yelling at the people they love and start connecting on a deeper level, all delivered with heaping doses of grace and compassion. Join me in conversations that will help you get clear on your goals and values and start showing up in your parenting, your relationships, YOUR LIFE, with open-hearted authenticity and balance. Let’s go!

In this week’s episode of The Balanced Parent Podcast, we’ll dive deep into the evolving nature of parent-child connection as children enter middle childhood (ages 6-12). Joined by Lily Bazell and Eduardo Amaral, co-founders of Parenthesis, we explore what it means to stay connected when parenting isn’t as simple or sweet as it was in the toddler years.

Here are the topics we covered:

How authentic connection supports a child’s emotional development and self-understanding
Why connection requires flexibility, curiosity, and truly knowing your unique child
How to build trust by welcoming and respecting your child’s feedback
How to honor each child’s unique communication and connection style
How parents can rekindle curiosity and connection with children they feel they've grown distant from
Connecting with your child through challenging activities

If you found Lily and Eduardo’s insight valuable, visit their website parenthesis.cc and follow them on Instagram @parenthesis.cc and Facebook @parenthesis.cc.

Staying connected with your child through the middle years means embracing change, nurturing trust, and respecting their unique and emerging personhood.

Laura Froyen, PhD

Laura Froyen, PhD

Balanced Parent Podcast

Laura Froyen, PhD

Welcome to the home of The Balanced Parent Podcast!

Episode 224: Keeping Connection Strong in Middle Childhood with Lily Bazell and Eduardo Amaral