In this episode of The Balanced Parent Podcast, I am joined by Tania Johnson, a registered psychologist and play therapist, and a dedicated mother of two. She also co-founded the Institute of Child Psychology. Together we’ll explore how the challenges and experiences from our childhood often resurface as we parent our kids, creating “echoes” that can sometimes make things bumpy.

Here are the topics we covered:

• How childhood experiences influence brain wiring and lifelong emotional responses

• Understanding why we repeat harmful behaviors despite knowing they hurt us

• How insecurity drives control, affecting attachment and behaviors

• How parents can pause before reacting emotionally

• Parental memory and emotional responses, using “shark music” as a metaphor for triggers

• Emotional regulation and self-awareness for parents

• Repairing relationships with children and the need for parents’ internal emotional healing

• Vulnerability in parenting and repairing emotional responses that make children feel burdensome

If you’re looking to connect with Tania and learn more about her work, you can visit her website Institute of Child Psychology, and her social media accounts Instagram @instituteofchildpsych, Facebook @instituteofchildpsychology, Twitter @instituteofchildpsychology, TikTok @instituteofchildpsych, and YouTube @instituteofchildpsychology.