Your kid isn't broken. Your parenting isn't broken. Sometimes, we're just asking our fish to climb trees.
If you're an exhausted parent who's tried everything and nothing has worked—this podcast is for you. You're carrying guilt about your parenting. Your child's behaviors don't respond to the typical strategies. The advice from books, friends, and even professionals just... doesn't fit.
Here's what I need you to know: You're not failing. You're just using the wrong map.
I'm Dr. Kristi, a psychologist and behavior analyst, and I help parents understand their child's unique wiring and use strategies that actually work. Whether your child has a diagnosis or you just know they're wired differently—whether it's ADHD, ASD, anxiety, sensory sensitivities, or they're just... not like the parenting books describe—this is for you.
No fluff. No shame. Just practical, evidence-based guidance from someone who gets it.
Each episode gives you real strategies for real challenges—meltdowns, school struggles, bedtime battles, and everything in between. This is where we stop asking fish to climb trees and start helping them swim.
Helping Your Child Through the Social Side of Halloween
Halloween isn't only about costumes and candy. For a lot of kids, it's a night of unspoken social rules: who's going with whom, who got invited, and what happens when your child's plans don't match everyone else's. If you're wondering how to help your child through the social side of Halloween, whether they're in elementary school, middle school, or wired differently, this episode walks through what's usually going on and what helps.
In this episode:
Why the social side of Halloween is so hard, when most of the rules are never said out loud
How the social picture changes from younger elementary through middle school, and what helps at each stage
What to say when your child finds out they weren't included
What the night can look like for kids with ADHD, autism, and anxiety, and what each one needs from you
Your child doesn't have to figure out the unspoken rules alone, and neither do you.
Resources mentioned:
📩 Weekly brain-based parenting strategies: climbingfishparenting.com/newsletter
🎙️ Episode 3, the Halloween Survival Guide for Kids Wired Differently
12 Oct 2026
Meltdown or Tantrum? How to Tell the Difference (and What Your Child Needs From You)
Your child falls apart, and in the moment you can't tell whether they're overwhelmed or upset that the answer is no. If you've ever wondered whether you're looking at a meltdown or a tantrum, and why the same response helps one day and backfires the next, this episode explains what's usually going on underneath and what each situation needs.
In this episode:
Why a child falling apart can come from two very different places, and why the same response can help one and make the other worse
What overload can look like besides screaming, including running away, going quiet, and shutting down
Why "tantrum" can be the wrong word, and what a child may be missing when they get louder after hearing no
Four questions that help you tell the two apart, and what to do when you can't tell
Neither one means your child is bad or that you're failing. Once you know which one you're looking at, you know what to try next.
Resources mentioned:
Free Frustration Tolerance Scripts and Practice Guide: www.climbingfishparenting.com/frustrationtolerance
5 Oct 2026
The Coat Standoff: Why Your Child Refuses the Jacket (and What to Do About It)
Your child refuses the coat, insists they're not cold, or takes it off miserable ten minutes later, and every morning feels like a standoff. If you're wondering why kids fight the jacket even when they're clearly too cold, too warm, or uncomfortable, this episode explains what's usually going on underneath.
In this episode:
Why a child who's running around can honestly feel warm while the adults standing nearby are cold
How a coat that tugs at an elbow or waist can turn into a meltdown, and what to look for in a coat
Why many kids haven't yet learned to read what their body is telling them, and why handing them the answer every morning doesn't build the skill
A simple way to start teaching your child to read what their body is telling them, in the calm moments before the next standoff
The goal isn't to win the coat battle. It's to help your child learn what their body is telling them, so the fight doesn't have to start.
Resources mentioned:
climbingfishparenting.com/newsletter
Free video series, Why Feelings Are Hard: www.climbingfishparenting.com/feelings
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
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