Shoes. Chores. Bedtime. The wrong sandwich cut. Why do the smallest parenting moments sometimes turn into the biggest battles?

We're sitting down for a candid, often hilarious conversation about power struggles, family expectations, and what's really happening beneath children's resistance. From developmental needs and emotional regulation to knowing when to hold a boundary and when to let go, they explore how parents can navigate conflict without losing sight of connection.

And when everybody loses their cool? There's always room for repair.

• Look beneath the behavior. What looks like defiance may actually reflect frustration, exhaustion, sensory needs, developmental limitations, or a child's desire for independence.
• Choose your battles with intention. Family values and boundaries matter, but it's worth asking whether an expectation serves your child's development or simply reflects your own need for control.
• Every child is different. Even children growing up in the same household may need different approaches to communication, discipline, and emotional support.
• Your regulation matters, too. Recognizing your own triggers and knowing when to step away can help prevent a difficult moment from becoming a full-blown power struggle.
• Repair strengthens relationships. Apologizing, reconnecting, and explaining your intentions after conflict can help children feel secure while reinforcing healthy boundaries.

This week, when a disagreement starts brewing, ask yourself:

“Is this about safety, values, or my need to win?”

Then choose: Hold the boundary, change your approach, or let it go.

And if things don't go well? Make time to reconnect. One difficult moment doesn't define your relationship.

Dating is complicated enough. But when you're raising children, there's a lot more to consider than chemistry and attraction.

In this episode of UNrattled: A Podcast for Parents, we get candid about dating after divorce, learning from relationship mistakes, and navigating love while raising children. From hilarious dating disasters to the harder lessons about loneliness, emotional readiness, and blending families, they're sharing what experience has taught them.

Together, our hosts explore the green flags worth looking for, the red flags we sometimes choose to ignore, and why consistency, accountability, and respect matter so much when children are part of the picture.

Because finding a healthy relationship isn't just about who makes you happy. It's also about the example you're setting and the relationships your children will one day build for themselves.

Vaccinations have become one of parenting’s most complicated conversations. But what changed?

In this episode of UNrattled, Jessica and Venay sit down with pediatrician Dr. Jonathan Holmes to explore how social media, COVID, changing trust in institutions, and our relationships with healthcare providers have reshaped the vaccination conversation.

This isn’t about telling parents what to think. It’s about staying curious, asking good questions, and understanding the world influencing the decisions we make for our children.

• More information doesn’t always mean more certainty. Algorithms and endless sources can make it harder to know whom to trust.
• How we perceive risk matters. Our brains naturally respond differently to the risk of taking action versus doing nothing.
• Trust grows through relationships. A healthcare provider who knows your child offers something the internet simply can’t.
• Curiosity makes room for conversation. Listening to understand doesn’t mean you have to agree.

The next time someone says something that immediately makes you want to defend your position as a parent, pause.

Instead of explaining why you disagree and becoming defensive, ask:

“What led you to feel that way? Why do you think that?”

Then really listen.

You don’t have to agree or change your mind. Just try to understand something you didn’t before. Sometimes the best conversations happen when nobody is trying to win.