Our love may be unconditional - but is our availability?
Sometimes what we call a consequence is actually connection being withdrawn. The cancelled outing. The bedtime conversation we no longer have the energy for. The icy car journey after an argument.
I’m exploring the difficult difference between addressing unacceptable behaviour and making closeness feel as though it must be earned. Because beneath some spectacularly appalling behaviour, our children may be asking a question they could never say aloud.
Thank you for pausing with me. Take care.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe (https://kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
5 Oct 2026
Stop trying to have important conversations with your child
“We need to have a chat” may be the fastest way to stop your child talking.
The conversations that matter rarely happen when I’ve prepared thoughtful questions and arranged the perfect moment. They appear sideways - in the car, while chopping vegetables, at bedtime, or just when I thought I was finally off duty.
In this Parent Pause, I’m wondering whether we sometimes want our children to talk because they need to - or because we want to stop worrying. And what becomes possible when we make ourselves available without demanding a conversation…
Thank you for pausing with me. Take care.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe (https://kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
2 Oct 2026
Stop trying to get back on track
What if your family routine hasn’t failed because there was never a track to fall off?
I used to reach week three of term, survey the late bedtimes, forgotten homework and fridge full of condiments, and decide we needed a whole new system. Usually while brushing my teeth.
But family life might be more like music than a railway. We lose the beat. We listen. We find our way back in.
In this Parent Pause, I’m wondering what actually helps us return to ourselves when an ordinary evening has gone completely to porridge. I’d love to hear your weird, practical and decidedly non-wellness-expert answers.
Thank you for pausing with me. Take care.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe (https://kimmccabe.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)
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