Good Enough Parenting – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Good Enough Parenting

Carley Aroldi, LPC, IMH-E ®

Kids & Family

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/10d. Total Eps: 69

Family play therapist and childhood mental health expert Carley Aroldi hosts "Good Enough Parenting," the podcast where not so perfect parents tune in to be reminded that our kids are gonna be ok, even if we don't always know what we're doing! Listen in for tips on using brain-based play therapy techniques to create more calm, connection and cooperation in your family life.

Read moreCollapse

Site

RSS

Apple

Data updated on 12/07/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

http://www.paceparent.com/play
138 shares
https://momntotnutrition.com/
4 shares

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 53%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

Sugar, Screens and Sanity

Season 2 · Episode 56

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 • Duration 17:28

February is rough. The winter blues are real, the kids are bouncing off the walls, and if your family has managed to dodge the flu, norovirus, and pink eye this season—tell me your secret!

This past weekend, my husband and I got a much-needed break while the grandparents took over. And while I love that my kids get this time with them, it also meant one thing: a weekend filled with sugar and screens.

So today, we’re diving into the ever-evolving world of screens. What’s too much? What actually matters more than time limits? And how do we, as parents, set tech boundaries that actually work?

In this episode, I share:
📱 Why how kids use screens matters more than how long
🧐 The one question I ask my kids (and myself) about screen time
🚫 The simple rule we have about tech in bedrooms (game-changer!)
📵 My own experiment with a digital detox—how it’s going so far

There’s no perfect answer, and we’re all figuring it out together. But sometimes, just being intentional is good enough.

To get Carley’s free video teaching you 4 play therapy techniques you can use TODAY to calm your emotional child and bring joy and freedom back to family life click here!
http://www.paceparent.com/play

And follow her @CarleyCounsels on FB & IG!

Read moreCollapse

Stop "Shoulding" On Your Kids!

Season 2 · Episode 4

Wednesday, January 22, 2025 • Duration 16:20

Happy New Year! We made it to 2025. And if the first few weeks are any indication, it looks like we might be in for a bit of a bumpy ride.

Which is why I open this month’s “Good Enough Parenting” episode with the reminder that tapping into things that bring us joy is not a luxury as parents – it’s a necessity for your family’s well-being. Whether it’s catching a movie, meeting up with a friend or simply savoring a quiet coffee, prioritizing things that fill your cup isn’t selfish; it’s essential.

To start my year, I indulged in a favorite tradition: seeing a Broadway show solo. This time, it was Our Town—front row and close enough to get spit on by Jim Parsons (yes, it was worth it).

Watching those turn-of-the-century moms yell for their kids to come to breakfast reminded me of something important:

Some parenting struggles are timeless (like kids not listening the first, second, or third time).
And parents losing their cool? Yeah, that hasn’t changed in 125 years either.

In this month’s episode, we’re diving into:

✨ How to stop “shoulding” all over yourself and your kids.
📺 Proven strategies for managing transitions (like turning off YouTube without tears).
🌱 Why letting go of unrealistic expectations frees you to trust that your kids will grow toward the light—in their own messy, beautiful ways.

Here’s to a year of realistic expectations, more joy, and a whole lot of good enough.

Read moreCollapse

Infants, Elders and Everything In Between

Season 2 · Episode 3

Wednesday, December 18, 2024 • Duration 16:38

This month, we’re diving into the sacredness of multi-generational family time. After returning from a vacation with 20 relatives—ranging from babies to grandparents—I’m reflecting on why these connections matter so much for our kids and for us as parents.

We’ll talk about how spending time with multiple generations helps kids develop empathy, responsibility, and self-worth (yes, even when they complain). Plus, I share why parenting wasn’t meant to be a solo act and how leaning on a larger community—whether it’s relatives or chosen family—can help us stay calm and grounded.

Whether you’re heading into a big ol’ family gathering this holiday season or leaning on a community you’ve recently built, know this: those multi-generational connections aren’t just a “nice-to-have.” They’re a lifeline for our sanity and our kids’ growth.

So before you spend your year-end bonus on enough wine to block out the unsolicited parenting advice from Aunt Sally, take a deep breath and remind yourself to embrace the messiness and magic of extended family. Your village may not be perfect, but they’re good enough.

Read moreCollapse

Stop, Drop and Roll With It

Season 2 · Episode 2

Thursday, November 21, 2024 • Duration 14:25

In this episode, we’re taking a classic fire safety rule—Stop, Drop, and Roll—and turning it into your new secret weapon for navigating those fiery parenting moments. Remember how often the fire department visited your elementary school to drill this into our heads? Turns out, that advice is just as helpful for when your kid is melting down over the color of their cup as it is for actual flames.

I share a recent moment where I found myself at the edge of a parenting meltdown (yes, even therapists have those!) and how Stop, Drop, and Roll helped me regain control—well, at least of myself, if not the chaos. 😉 Learn how to apply this three-step strategy to put out emotional fires and keep your cool when the heat is on at home.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to apply Stop, Drop, and Roll to your parenting toolbox 🧯
Why stopping in the middle of chaos can be a game-changer
How dropping the need for control leads to calmer outcomes
What “rolling with it” really means in the wild world of parenting

Read moreCollapse

Building Bravery

Season 2 · Episode 1

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 • Duration 13:57

Fear Isn’t the Enemy 👾

We often think we need to protect our children from things that scare them, but in reality it's better to help them face it.

“Fairy Tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.”

~GK Chesteron

Kids know that scary sh*t is out there. But their biggest fear is not the monster under the bed or the bully on the playground. The biggest fear many children have? Feeling powerless. That's why fear can lead to aggressive outbursts—because when a child feels scared, they try to regain control, often through extreme reactions.

What Helps? Facing Fear with Control 💪

It’s not about keeping scary things away from them, but about teaching them to face fear while remaining in control. Let them go at their own pace—approaching the edge of their comfort zone but not pushing them into distress.

Practical Tips for Managing Fear 👻

Here’s how you can help your child manage their fears:

Take Baby Steps: Start small, letting them explore their fears in a controlled way.
Validate Their Feelings: Acknowledge their fear without rushing to solve it for them.
Playfully Conquer Fear: For imaginative fears (like monsters or vampires), try creative solutions—draw pictures of what they’re scared of and destroy them, or come up with funny tools to "banish" their fears.
Create Safe Opportunities: Games like hide-and-seek can help kids practice separation in a fun, controlled setting.

The goal isn’t to shelter kids from fear but to help them practice feeling scared and managing that fear. When we let them take control, they become more empowered, resilient and ultimately cooperative!

Encore! Tricky Transitions

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 • Duration 14:45

Oh dreaded transitions.

Anytime we’re asking our kids to move from one activity to another (“stop playing and come to dinner” or “head upstairs to brush your teeth”) a whole host of things need to happen in their brain and body to turn their boat in a new direction.

Transition struggles are the biggest complaint I hear from families I support. It is incredibly frustrating when you have to yell “Get your shoes on!!” 600 times before your kid hops to it.

But there are some ways to make transitions easier (or at least slightly less painful).

On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I share tips and tricks for getting your kid moving BEFORE you start throwing things at them. The key is to honor the transition itself, not just focus on the before/after activities.

I also share how to honor the bigger life transitions – like moving or heading to a new school – to help ease the passage from one phase to the next.

Might be advice we all could use when we're stuck in a youtube rabbit hole even though we should be heading to bed. Turns out transitions aren't just tricky for kids....

Read moreCollapse

Encore! Mommy Don't Go! Handling Separation Stress

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 • Duration 20:51

Have you ever had to peel your 4 year old off your leg at daycare drop off? Or tried to convince your 7 year old that they’ll have fun at school when they’re begging you to stay home because the idea of leaving you makes them want to puke?

Separation anxiety is tough. And unfortunately many of the strategies that parents try, like being logical (“You love your teacher – you’re going to have a great day!”) or bribing (“If you don’t cry on the way to school you’ll get a cupcake!”) actually make things worse.

On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I explain why separation anxiety develops (thanks ancestors!), how to help your child understand what they’re feeling, and what to do when the dreaded moment of separation occurs.

Sneak peak: Be clear. Be calm. Be consistent. Anxiety doesn’t stand a chance when a parent speaks clearly about expectations, maintains their own calm, and holds consistent boundaries.

Tune in to hear my top tools for taming this common childhood struggle so that you can become the steady guide your anxious kid needs rather than getting stuck in their storm of stress.

Read moreCollapse

Encore! Mini-Meditators: Helping Your Kids Find Their Zen

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 • Duration 09:39

Your kid doesn’t need to sit cross legged, chanting OM while praying for world peace in order to get introduced to the benefits and power of quieting the constant chatter in our brains and connecting to something bigger than ourselves.

On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I share the SIMPLE and EASY loving kindness meditation practice I use in my house to calm bodies & minds, reduce stress, and foster empathy and compassion for ourselves and our communities.

No mala beads or sanskirt words required.

You may not reach nirvana with your nine year old, but you’ll feel more peace, connection and compassion with your kids which is definitely good enough.

(If your kids are all in for a meditation practice, I LOVE the apps CALM, COSMIC KIDS YOGA, HEADSPACE and MOSHI KIDS!)

Read moreCollapse

Encore! Game On

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 • Duration 28:44

If only there was a way we could connect with our kids, foster their social/emotional skills, develop their executive functioning while also having fun as a family.

Oh wait! The answer has been hiding inside our cluttered closet the whole time….

Games!

Structured games are an incredible way to help kids learn to manage their emotions (who hasn’t wanted to punch the candy land board when you get pulled back to gingerbread land mere steps away from the candy castle!), practice calming themselves when anxious (thanks Perfection!) and understand the importance of being a good sport if we want to have people to play with.

Plus games help families connect on a multi-generational level (watching my 75 year old mom play Headbanz with my 9 year old daughter gives me hours of heart swelling entertainment).

AND they give kids much needed tactile ways of connecting in person rather than being sucked into screens.

On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I not only share my favorite games for increasing our kids emotional IQ, but also invite Gian Paolo Aroldi (a teacher, brilliant game designer, and oh yeah, my husband) to talk about how to help kids learn to design and develop THEIR OWN games – which has endless benefits in terms of boosting creativity, imagination, logical thinking, and artistic ability.

So dust off that old Monopoly Board and get your game face on. You’ll be amazed at how an hour of game play can fill up the whole family. Even if your kid destroys you, you’ll have had a good time playing. And that’s more than good enough.

Read moreCollapse

Encore! Anxiety vs. Autonomy

Wednesday, August 7, 2024 • Duration 16:57

Have you heard of the new book “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt? From PBS to TikTok – everyone’s talking about it. And when something strikes a chord this deeply across our culture, it means something big is resonating.

And here’s the headline – our young adults are showing more signs of anxiety and depression than ever before. And Haidt draws a very convincing connection between how modern parents have overprotected our children in the real world and underprotected them online.

BIG food for thought.

Many of the solutions to help “rewire” the next generations will take collective action.

But there is also A LOT we can do as parents to change course as well.

On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I share how one way we can reduce anxiety in our kids is to foster their AUTONOMY.

Which means teaching them how to open their own cans.

Kids who feel a sense of self-efficacy (the belief that I can achieve a certain outcome) are less anxious (anxiety comes from feeling out of control). And self-efficacy comes from experiencing autonomy.

Whether it’s picking out their own clothes, ordering for themselves at restaurants or making their own mac & cheese – when we loosen the reins and expect our kids to step up, everybody wins.

Kids feel more in control and confident and parents get to do less and enjoy more. And that’s a good enough start to creating a less anxious generation.

Good Enough Parenting – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Good Enough Parenting – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Other2

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities