The Tiny Parenting Podcast is your survival kit for raising better humans in a world on fire.
Host Amy McCampbell brings 20 years of experience in child development, education, and real-life parenting to help you make the kind of small, intentional choices that raise kids who are grounded, curious, and resilient.
Each week, we cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters to raising thoughtful humans who can think critically, connect deeply, and stand strong in a complicated world.
We're here because raising better humans might just be the best form of resistance.
The secret of successful parenting isn't scripts, systems, or rigid dogma. It's connection - the foundation that helps kids (and us) stay grounded when the world gets noisy. And it is needed more than ever.
16 Jun 2025
How to Raise a Human (Not an Algorithm)
This episode explores how parents can cultivate their children's humanity amidst increasing automation, emphasizing genuine connection and resilience.
3 Jun 2025
The Parenting Skill No One Talks About: Why Friction Builds Stronger Kids
Host Carissa Potter Carlson explores how removing friction from children's lives undermines their resilience, advocating for intentional parenting choices that foster the ability to handle challenges.
23 May 2025
Why Meghan Markle’s Netflix Show Might Make You a Better Parent
Host Lee Peacock analyzes Meghan Markle's Netflix show to reveal a powerful parenting lesson about building connection and confidence through small moments of delight.
12 May 2025
Bring Them Back to Base: Raising Regulated Kids in a World That’s Lost Control
What do premature babies, Elon Musk, and your kid’s meltdown in the cereal aisle have in common? More than you think.
In this episode, we go from a neonatal intensive care unit to today’s political chaos to show why regulation—of the nervous system and of society—is essential for growth. You’ll learn what happens when we get overwhelmed, and the one parenting move that can help your child develop the skill we all need right now: how to stay grounded when everything is flying at you at once.
Tiny moment. Big impact.
5 May 2025
What the Abrago-Garcia Deportation Case Can Teach Us About Raising Flexible Thinkers
What does a mistaken deportation have to do with parenting?
In this episode, I unpack the Kilmar Abrago-Garcia case—and why the public’s surprising reaction to it reveals something powerful: cognitive flexibility.
The ability to pause. Reframe. Sort information differently.
It’s not just a brain skill. It’s a life skill.
And it might be the most important one we can build in our kids right now.
We’ll cover:
What executive function really is (and why it’s not just about school)
How authoritarian thinking depends on lazy sorting
And how simple tools—like how you play 20 Questions—can shape how your child thinks for life
This story isn’t just about immigration.
It’s about raising kids who think for themselves.
28 Apr 2025
Why I Can’t Keep Talking About Parenting the Same Way
In this short episode, I’m sharing why I’m shifting gears—what’s changing with the podcast, and why now is the moment to connect parenting to what’s happening in the world around us.
We’re still talking about raising curious, confident, connected kids—but now we’re being honest about the culture and chaos they’re growing up in.
Same tiny parenting moments. Bigger stakes.
23 Apr 2025
Part 2 – 5 Lessons I Wish Every Parent Knew (After 20 Years of Doing It)
In Part 1, I talked about connection, engagement, and the small, consistent moments that shape everything.
In this episode—the second half of the series—I’m sharing the deeper shifts that changed how I parented:
Why letting go of control might be the greatest gift you can give your child (and yourself)
How to teach your kids to understand other people—not just themselves
And the one lesson that ties everything together, even when parenting feels messy, imperfect, and exhausting
These are the lessons that helped me stay grounded—not just in the good moments, but in the chaos. And they’re the ones I hope you’ll carry forward too.
And if you’re starting to feel like this parenting thing might be more connected to the bigger picture than you thought... stay tuned. Because we’re just getting started.
14 Apr 2025
5 Lessons I Wish Every Parent Knew (After 20 Years of Doing It)
5 Lessons Every Parent Should Hear (Part 1)
After 20 years of parenting—and two decades working in child development—I’ve seen a lot of parenting tips come and go. But these? These are the ones that actually held up.
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I’m sharing the first two lessons that made the biggest difference in raising a confident, connected, and emotionally grounded child.
You’ll hear:
✔️ Why connection is the most important parenting tool you already have
✔️ How to build real engagement (and why it works better than screen time)
✔️ What to focus on instead of trying to be the perfect parent
Whether you’re parenting toddlers or school-age kids, feeling overwhelmed or just curious—this episode will give you real parenting advice backed by child development, not trends.
🎧 Part 2 drops next week and covers control, perspective-taking, and the surprising mindset shift that ties it all together.
17 Mar 2025
How a Million Emails in your Inbox Can Make You a Better Parent
I have 937,000 unread emails in my inbox. No, really.
For some of you, that sounds like absolute chaos. But for me? It’s actually freedom. Because at some point, I realized Inbox Zero wasn’t for me. It stressed me out more than it helped.
And here’s the thing—we do this with parenting too. We force ourselves to follow the “perfect system” because someone swears it’s the way. Gentle parenting, chore charts, meal prepping, screen time rules—but what if the system itself is what’s stressing you out?
In this episode, we talk about:
Why forcing a system that doesn’t fit can make parenting harder, not easier
The social media illusion of “perfect parenting” (and why 53% of parents feel pressure because of it)
The real parenting strategy that actually works: Opting out when something isn’t serving you
How stress of trying to fit into someone else's definition of what's 'right' is contagious—and why your kids feel it first
A simple way to reset and find what actually works for YOUR family
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by all the parenting “shoulds”—this episode is your permission slip to let that go.
Referenced in This Episode:
Episode about finding the tiny wins: Parenting Feels Like a Struggle? The Brain Hack that Changes Everything (Episode 7)
Join the conversation on Instagram!
10 Mar 2025
Your Kid's Brain on Overload - And How to Fix It
We are drowning in information. News, notifications, social feeds—something is always grabbing our attention, demanding a reaction.
And if it’s overwhelming for us as adults, imagine what it’s doing to our kids.
🎙️ In this episode, we’re diving into
✔ How do we help kids hit the pause button before they post, respond, or melt down
✔ Why today’s kids struggle with impulse control and information overload
✔ How executive function skills help kids pause before reacting
✔ Simple, everyday ways to help kids strengthen their ability to think before they act
✔ The ONE question you should start asking your kid today (hint: it’s a game-changer!)
Because in a world that’s built to keep them constantly reacting, kids who learn to pause first?
They’re the ones who will thrive.
1 Mar 2025
Parenting Feels Like a Struggle? The Brain Hack That Changes Everything
If parenting feels like a constant struggle—like the meltdowns, the chaos, and the stress are all you can see—your brain might be the problem.
No, really. Your brain is wired to prioritize the hard stuff—the tantrums, the mess, the never-ending to-do list—while the tiny wins and joyful moments slip away unnoticed. It’s called negativity bias, and it’s making parenting feel way harder than it needs to be.
But here’s the good news: There’s a simple brain hack that can change everything.
🎙️ In this episode, we’re diving into:
✔ Why your brain naturally fixates on the struggles (and how to break the cycle)
✔ The simple daily practice that rewires your brain for joy
✔ How shifting your focus can make parenting feel lighter—without toxic positivity
If you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, or just over it—this might be the easiest, most powerful shift you can make.
Here's a link to the article I referenced about creating a "Dopamine Menu (https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2025/02/18/2-reasons-to-make-yourself-a-joyful-dopamine-menu-by-a-psychologist/)."
If you are struggling to find your own parenting smiles... these joyful kid moments should give you a little inspiration:
Toddler friends (https://youtu.be/zIZ8l5XeQ3k?si=lV1DSXmAMVvFH9o6) (Heart melted!)
Baby Auntie Dancer (https://youtube.com/shorts/T1yp_ZRjgwo?si=E9OBne__FyWVuCE-) (How can you not smile at this??)
Laughing & joyful kids in preschool (https://youtu.be/UctRZ91m9XA?si=mmvSf7zzlc6WZbOO) (Pure joy!)
17 Feb 2025
Want to Raise a Better Human? Teach This One Skill Now
🎙️ Episode Summary:
The world feels more divided, more disconnected, and honestly, more exhausting than ever. And if you’re wondering how to raise a kid who doesn’t add to the chaos, you’re not alone.
Today, we’re diving into one simple but essential skill that determines whether your child will connect, collaborate, and build bridges—or struggle to navigate relationships and conflict.
This isn’t about adding another thing to your already full plate. It’s about small, doable shifts that make a huge difference in raising kids who truly see other people.
In this episode, we cover:
✔️ Why this skill is so critical in today’s world
✔️ How kids naturally develop it—and where we might be holding them back
✔️ The two biggest ways we’re unintentionally making it harder for kids to connect
✔️ 4 simple, real-life ways to teach it (without overhauling your life)
If we want to raise better humans, we have to be better at modeling what that looks like. This episode gives you the tools to start today.
Press play now.
Here are links to the experiments I talk about in the episode:
In this one (https://youtu.be/GkYQg0l5bMY?si=QOm5WjvAP-IGjh-6), you watch a child work through the idea that anyone would like eating raw broccoli over a bowl of Goldfish crackers. (And, yes, that's me narrating the video)
This video (https://youtu.be/8hLubgpY2_w?si=4OCSHv_K_-y3wP2k) is a little longer, but gives you a good example of how a 3 yr old's mind works.
📌 Follow me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tinyparenting/) for more parenting insights
9 Feb 2025
Overwhelmed by the World? Here’s What You Can Do as a Parent
Parenting right now? It’s a lot.
The world feels chaotic. Unstable. Like everything is spiraling out of control. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, powerless, or just stuck wondering how to prepare your kid for all of this…you are not alone.
But here’s the thing:Youdo have power.
(HERE is yourguide to the essential skills (https://tinyparenting.com/essential-skills-pdf) your kids need - and the tiny ways to teach them - to navigate this challenge world.)
You can’t control the chaos. But you can raise a kid who knows how tothink for themselves, adapt to challenges, and stand strong—no matter what’s happening in the world around them.
In this episode, we’re diving into:
⚡ The7 essential skills kids need to navigate today’s world
⚡ Whymost parents are focused on the wrong things—and how to shift your approach
⚡ Howperspective-taking, focus, and critical thinking aremore important than ever
⚡ Why teaching these skills to your kids will alsohelp YOU feel more in control
Because the future isn’t just happening to us.We shape it through the kids we raise.
28 Jan 2025
A Broken Piano, a Thunderstorm, and a Garden: A parenting Lesson in Embracing Flexibility
What do a broken piano, a surprise thunderstorm, and a garden have in common? They all hold powerful lessons about parenting, resilience, and the magic that happens when we let go of perfection.
In this episode, we’ll dive into the incredible story of Keith Jarrett’s unforgettable 1975 performance in Köln, where a broken piano forced him to improvise—and led to one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. We’ll connect it to a personal story of turning chaos into connection during a thunderstorm with a group of middle schoolers, and explore how these moments offer a roadmap for parenting when life doesn’t go according to plan.
You’ll learn why shifting from a “carpenter” mindset (rigid plans and blueprints) to a “gardener” mindset (nurture, adapt, and watch things grow) can transform how you approach parenting. Plus, I’ll share simple, actionable tips for creating moments of flexibility in your family’s routine to help your kids build resilience, creativity, and confidence.
Because life is messy, plans fall apart, and that’s where the real magic begins.
Here's the full podcast (https://timharford.com/2019/12/cautionary-tales-ep-7-bowie-jazz-and-the-unplayable-piano/) about Keith Jarrett's performance that inspired this episode... It's soooo good!
You can order Alison Gopnik's book here. A great - and very different - kind of parenting read!
23 Jan 2025
Is YOUR Phone Use Making Your Kids Anxious?
Constantly glued to your phone around your kids? In this episode, we dive into the emotional disconnect that can occur between parents and children, thanks to the distraction of the seemingly ever-present cell phone. You'll come away with some easy and actionable steps that will let you build deeper connection... without giving up your Instagram scroll.
Check out the "Still Face" study I reference in the episode here (https://youtu.be/f1Jw0-LExyc?feature=shared)... Be prepared... it's REALLY powerful!
14 Jan 2025
Want to Raise Kids You’ll Love Knowing as Adults? The Power of Setting Parenting Goals
Amy McCampbell shares practical strategies for setting meaningful parenting goals and raising kids who grow into the kind of adults you'll love knowing as adults.
6 Jan 2025
Stop Living in Someone Else’s Panic: The Mindset Shift Every Parent Needs
Host Dr. Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist and parenting expert, reveals how to break free from the pressure of unrealistic expectations and cultivate a more mindful approach to parenting.
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