Growing as Parents with Dr. Michael Schwartzman

The episode of the Tell Me It Will Be Okay podcast features an interview with New York–licensed psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Michael Schwartzman about his book The Anxious Parent: Freeing Yourself from the Stresses and Fears of Parenting and how parents can separate their own anxiety from their child’s needs through reflection and child-development awareness. Schwartzman discusses how modern parenting includes more unknowns, why consistency matters more than occasional “perfect” responses, and how children learn through experience, including useful failure, risk-taking, and independence. He shares personal stories of his own anxious parenting and explains how parents can avoid over-identifying with their child while still providing empathy and guidance. We discuss how “the problem is the point,” encouraging experimentation, tolerating discomfort, and authoring one’s own parenting based on values rather than quick-fix advice.You can connect with Dr. Schwartzman and learn more about his books at his website, MichaelSchwartzmanPhD.com. He also mentions two books in his podcast. They are:The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Raising Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogul PhDThe Ordinary is Extraordinary: How Children Under Three Learn by Amy Laura Dobro and Leah Wallach00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro02:34 How Parenting Changed06:00 Separating Parent vs Child Anxiety07:40 Social Media Parenting Fixes10:55 Consistency Over Perfection12:50 Developmental Expectations16:09 Shaping Child and World17:59 Anxious Parent Origin Story21:36 Time Travel and Triggers27:03 Letting Kids Own Their Lives28:35 Raising Kids to Leave32:16 Learning Through Adjustment33:29 Letting Kids Struggle35:19 Confidence Through Parenting37:38 Working With Resistance40:16 Benign Versus Harmful Neglect43:05 Try It Your Way43:52 Parenting Resources46:39 School Psychologist Role48:15 Becoming A Parent52:56 Parenting Is Messy55:06 Problem Is The Point58:15 Author Your Parenting01:01:03 Learning Is The Point01:03:15 Final TakeawaysMentioned in this episode:🌟 READY TO FIND YOUR ROOM TO BREATHE?Parenting has never been more challenging especially for empathetic parents of sensitive kids. TELL ME IT WILL BE OK: The Practice is a weekly, guided practice that gives quiet, calm, reflective space for you to connect with your wisdom and intuition. For July, we're writing about and exploring the topic of ANGER -- ours, our own, and what we are trying to understand about it. 🧡 This is not a list of things you’re doing wrong. 🧡 This is not advice. 🧡 This is a place to remember what you already know. Learn more and get a free session by going to OpenBookParenting.com