I have a confession.
My 12-year-old's face broke out and I panicked. Not in a calm, clinical, pediatrician way. In a this-is-somehow-about-me way. And I had to stop and ask myself: what is actually happening right now?
In this episode, I'm getting honest about one of the most under-addressed parts of raising kids through puberty: what happens inside us when our kids' bodies start changing in ways that trigger our own stuff. The acne. The stretch marks. The weight shifts. The curves we weren't expecting.
In this episode:
- Why seeing your kid's body change can instantly activate your own oldest wounds — and why that doesn't make you a bad parent
- The part nobody talks about: how our kids' appearance has been tied to our worth as mothers, and why that distortion makes it impossible to show up clearly for them
- Three things you can do right now when you feel that panic rising
- Why you don't have to be fully healed to get this right — you just have to be willing to look at what's yours
This one is personal. I wrote an entire book on body image and I still felt it. If you've ever caught yourself having a reaction to your child's body that surprised you, this episode is for you.
Read more.
📖 Mentioned in this episode: Raising Body-Confident Kids (available September 2026)
Mentioned in this episode:
New Book! Raising Body-Confident Kids
You want your kids to love their bodies. You're still trying to do both. My new book, Raising Body-Confident Kids, helps you do both. Releases Sept 1, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: https://www.raisingbodyconfidentkids.com/books
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