Good Inside with Dr. Becky - Two Parenting Styles, One Family, and Conflicting Boundaries - Revisit

Episode Date: June 9, 2026

You and your partner love your kids. So why does it sometimes feel like you're parenting in completely different worlds? In this listener-favorite episode from the Good Inside archives, Dr. Becky talk...s with a mom named Carmella who feels stuck between two parenting styles: she's the one holding the routines and boundaries, while her husband tends to be more flexible in the moment. The result? More conflict, more emotional labor, and a growing sense that she's carrying the weight of consistency alone. Together, they unpack what kids actually need when parents approach things differently, how to talk about parenting without turning your partner into the enemy, and why being "on the same page" doesn't mean becoming the same parent. Because parenting was never meant to be carried by one person. With Family Plans, annual Good Inside members can now invite a coparent or caregiver into their account - so you’re building from the same foundation, sharing the same language, and supporting your family together. Click the link to learn more. Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: Play-Doh: Shop Play-Doh at Walmart for a summer of imaginative play Airbnb: Host your home or book your next stay on Airbnb Oso & Me: Use the code OSOGOOD15 for 15% off clothes newborn through age ten Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Sometimes the hardest part of parenting isn't your kid's behavior. It's what happens when two loving parents see the same moment completely differently. One parent says, our kid's tired, let it go. And the other is fully triggered by that. No, we're going to hold the boundary. One parent improvises. The other one wants consistency, predictability. And somewhere in the middle is the kid who's trying to figure out what the rules actually are.
Starting point is 00:00:25 And the parents are trying to just not have resentment build into an exploit. If you've ever felt like you and your partner are parenting from two different playbooks, and it's kind of tearing you apart. This episode is for you. It's a revisit of one of our most love episodes from the archive. I talked to a mom named Carmela about parenting with a partner who has a very different style, and we dig into what kids really need when adults in the house aren't on the same page, and we also talk about what's really going on underneath because it's different from what we assume.
Starting point is 00:00:57 I'm Dr. Becky, and this is good inside. I'm so glad you're here. I am so excited to be talking with you today. And so how I would love to begin is just give me a little bit of a sense of what's on your mind. And then I also, I like to hold myself responsible for giving very kind of like actionable, specific help. So let me know what's on your mind. And let me know what you would love to end our conversation with today. So I make sure this is useful to you.
Starting point is 00:01:32 Sure. So my husband and I are really different kinds of parents. and we have very different relationship with boundaries. So that has created a dynamic with our children where he's very often like the preferred parent. I often find like that there tends to be like a lot more tantrums when he's around, like just bigger emotions like multiple times throughout the day. When I do then try to like hold boundaries, I feel like less effective after he's
Starting point is 00:02:06 been around sometimes he's traveling for work and I find those times to be easier sometimes. So there's this sort of imbalance that's happening and it's resulting in just I feel like a lot of emotional like work for me, which I know is like normal, but how do I navigate co-parenting with somebody who has a much like looser relationship with boundaries than I do? and how do I mitigate like the impact that I feel is having on my relationship with my kids? Okay. And you're, you said your kid or your kids? I have two boys. Ages.
Starting point is 00:02:48 Three and almost two. Okay. You are in it. You're in it with those ages. I'm here to tell you it definitely, definitely gets easier. So I just want to mirror some of that back to you. So you are someone, it seems like I'm kind of comfortable holding boundaries. or at least I think it's important to hold certain boundaries. If my kid is upset in reaction to those boundaries, more times than not, I'll feel comfortable,
Starting point is 00:03:15 continuing to hold it, allow my kid to have their feelings, moving on from there. I have a husband who has a different relationship with boundaries, doesn't hold boundaries in the same way, maybe in the threat of a protest or the face of a protest would shift. And so my kids kind of get used to two very different styles. and then it also makes things harder on me because even if I'm relatively consistent,
Starting point is 00:03:42 the shift with my husband kind of has more blowback on me when I do want to hold a boundary. Tell me how much of that is accurate or what I missed. Yeah, that all sounds accurate. Okay. And one of the questions on your mind is just like, how do I manage this?
Starting point is 00:03:57 How do I mitigate the impact? Because it sounds like right now things feel pretty bad with these different styles, and then how it kind of comes back on you. Yeah, and I do feel like it's having a big impact on my relationship with my older son because he's just like, and he has just such a strong preference for his dad, but I am like the primary caretaker.
Starting point is 00:04:20 And so with my husband coming in and out of, you know, the day or of our routine and stuff, it's like it sends things into like such a chaotic tailspin. One of the most talked about topics when it comes to parenting is this exact issue. What do you do if your partner isn't on the same page as you are about how to interact with your kids? What if they can't tolerate your kids' pushback and hold boundaries in the same way that you're working so hard to do? What if you then feel resentful and frustrated? This episode will help parents with different parenting styles come together and work together to strike the right balance. We'll be right back.
Starting point is 00:05:09 Recently, I traveled to Texas for work, and it was one of those trips where there was so much going on, which can be really energizing and really exhausting. And that's what's so great about booking stays on Airbnb when you travel. We booked a home in a really beautiful part of Austin that was so peaceful. It had this amazing porch surrounded by trees. And when you're on a busy trip, having a place like that to drink your morning coffee and ground yourself, just makes a huge difference. And the other thing that helps me feel grounded when I'm traveling is when someone can help with all the logistics.
Starting point is 00:05:42 When you book a home on Airbnb, you can have groceries delivered upon your arrival, which meant that in Austin I could focus on being present instead of running to the store. And dinner? There's something really special about sharing a meal around a table, even when you're traveling. And that's especially true when you're traveling with family. Because when you book a home on Airbnb, you get that space, a real kitchen, a dinner, table, a backyard where the kids can actually run around. The kind of setup that makes a trip feel less like a disruption to your family's routine and more like an extension of it. That's why I love
Starting point is 00:06:15 booking homes through Airbnb. I can do the things that will help me feel grounded so I can make the most out of my trip. I just want to pause on that because to put in so much work as the kind of primary mental load carrying day-to-day parent to also, it's work to hold boundaries. That's not usually natural for any of us. and a lot of us do it because we're like, no, it's important and it matters, but it's work. And then it sounds like it's a little bit, maybe this is caricatured, like, Daddy's Home or something like that. Like, fun parent is here. And I don't know why I'm visualizing, like, the kids running to the door and like, oh, yay. And it can feel, I don't know, it can feel lonely, it can feel sad.
Starting point is 00:07:05 It could feel almost like loss in that moment or unappreciated. Is that kind of along the lines of how it feels? Um, not, not so much because my husband works from home. So literally like he's coming in and out of like our day. Like in a different. So it's not necessarily just at the end of the day. And so it's a lot of times like, yeah, like, because my son thinks like I'm going to throw a tantrum and I get what I want. But then like, you know, my, my husband leaves and I'm left with the tantrum. So it has been felt more hurtful in the past. Like, you know, why can't I be the one that, you know, but I don't really like feel that way anymore as as he gets older. But yeah, I just kind of like want to make my life somewhat easier or, you know, like not have everything feel like even harder. So let's let's get into some details.
Starting point is 00:08:05 Like, can you share one example that brings a lot of this to life? He kind of comes in, he drops in, then I'm left with maybe the meltdown or the tantrum. Like, just give me an example and we'll use it to jump into some ideas. Okay. Bedtime is a good example. When my husband does bedtime, which like the children insist because when he does bedtime, it's like hours long versus when I do bedtime. But then the children will want to add things to the routine and like he will allow that to happen.
Starting point is 00:08:33 So like the latest one is like now they want to sleep with the door open. And then I want them to sleep with the door closed. So it just then it creates like a huge like meltdown at bedtime because like this is like now something that he has added to the routine that that makes my life more difficult. That's one example. Like another example is just like at dinner like, oh, I don't want to sit in my high chair. I don't want to sit in my high chair. okay, you want to sit on my lap? And versus my reaction is like, okay, well, I'll wait until you're ready to sit in the high chair
Starting point is 00:09:09 and your food's here waiting for you. And let's say there was like, I'm making this up, like a week where your husband was traveling or something, do you feel like a couple days of the boundaries you're setting? Like you would get to the point where it's like, okay, now my kids kind of get it. Like, you know, maybe they had a tantrum or something, but then they like understand this is the rule and then they end up coming. but like kind of because that doesn't happen, it sounds like maybe to have that week,
Starting point is 00:09:34 then it's almost like a lot of back and forth of systems and expectations. Yes, exactly. Everything feels like more possible for them when he's around. Versus like with me, it's just like, this is the way we do stuff
Starting point is 00:09:46 and they're used to that. And so when he is traveling, like I'm able to keep that consistency, but then when he's around, there's like all these new things that get thrown into the mix. Yeah. Okay, so here's my first,
Starting point is 00:10:00 thought, okay? And it's almost like thinking about like how exactly can we move forward or intervene here. My first thought, and just tell me how this lands on you, because it could be totally off and you know you best, is I'm wondering, is this a boundary issue? Or is something not feeling great in the way you and your husband communicate about it? And is that really where we should focus? Or is that like where the issue is? Mm-hmm. I mean, that definitely could be part of it because I think we had such different upbringings. So I think he doesn't necessarily think that boundaries are as important as I do because
Starting point is 00:10:43 he didn't grow up with many boundaries at all. So I definitely think that it's maybe something hard for him to uphold because he like doesn't necessarily understand the value or valued as much as I do. Yeah. What is it like when the two of them? you try to talk. So I'm just making this up. Hey, let's talk about what happened earlier. He kind of came out and we have this different rule about, you know, where the kids eat and then you maybe go back to your office and I'm kind of left with the situation. Like what happens when you guys try to talk
Starting point is 00:11:14 about it? Is that productive? Is it not so productive? It's productive in the moment. Like, I think his perspective is like, well, it's just one time versus I see it as like, okay, yes, but then it's creating like this sort of ripple effect in other places. So yeah, it's usually like him diminishing like the problem. It's not a big deal. Like those, you know, he can sit on my lap one time or whatever. And I'm like, well, you know, and like with the bedtime thing, it's like, well, now they want that every night. Like it was one night and now, you know. Yeah. Sometimes he does recognize like, you're right, okay, I shouldn't have done that or something, you know. But I think it kind of depends on the boundary. Yeah, because look, I think there's a couple things that play here.
Starting point is 00:12:02 So, number one, kids definitely have parents often who do things differently, right? There's often a parent who's more on the side of boundaries, one parent who's more in the side of looseness, one parent who it's helpful to remind one parent, hey, there's rules and routines and kind of please be part of them. And it's also helpful often for another parent to say, hey, sometimes we can let go and, you know, kind of, you know, be looser. There's legitimacy. see to both, right? And I think kids often grow up with parents who, you know, fall, you know, one of them is one way and the other one's a little bit the other way. Okay. And then there's moments where those systems just clash, right? And what you're saying that really speaks to me is like,
Starting point is 00:12:43 I'm kind of often the one left, cleaning up kind of the mess of the clashing systems. Yes. And more than different parenting styles, that's pretty awful for you. to be like, here's the bedtime routine, and here's why we do it. Oh, okay. And then there's a couple times that we do a different bed routine. It's not just that I don't love that. Now, I, for three nights, have to deal with a different bedtime routine because my husband kind of did his thing.
Starting point is 00:13:11 It's not like he's bearing the brunt of his interventions. Right? Same thing with the food. Right? And I think in a partnership, when we're co-parenting, that is the part of differences that feels really bad. And I think separating those two things really matters to say, okay, on one side, there's two parents who have different approaches and different styles. Okay, that's actually fine. It's actually
Starting point is 00:13:38 sometimes helpful for kids to see a variety, to be adaptable. Okay, that's one thing. Totally separate from that is, is there one parent who is taking on the brunt of the emotional labor for the parenting differences? And if that's the case, often, That parent builds up resentment. That parent feels exhausted. And that's really in some ways the inequity. Does that make sense separating those two to you? Yes, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:14:07 And I have a conversation with my kids sometimes like, oh, yeah, like, you know, Papa does it this way and Mama does it this way. You know, so they, we do, like, they totally understand that like, Papa, let's undo certain things, you know. And they get that. And I totally respect that, that we do have differences and that kids can roll with it. But what you're saying is absolutely true. like a lot of times I'm left with like a lot more of the emotional like front of it. Yeah. And the reason I think it's so important to separate it.
Starting point is 00:14:33 And this is why I'm asking so many questions up front is because until we kind of really understand what our issue is, we can't really intervene effectively. We can't even have effective conversations. Right. And at the surface, it's like, wait, you're not holding any boundaries and I'm holding boundaries. But I'm not even sure if that's the thing as much as, okay, then you just kind of in some ways exit the room. And I'm like dealing with the problem that in some ways you created. And I wouldn't even mind that you created it if you were cleaning it up. Right. But it would be like if we're always in
Starting point is 00:15:04 the kitchen and our partner like comes in and spills milk and then leaves and you're like, wait, I'm cleaning up milk. Like I didn't spill the milk. Maybe one time or two times I do that. But if that's chronic, that doesn't feel good over time. The issue isn't even really the spilling of the milk. Right. And the fact that you never spill milk. The issue is that you're the one cleaning up the milk. Someone else is spilling. Right. Okay, so now that we see it that way, I want to think about the nature of the conversations you have with your partner, because I think this is really where the intervention is. It sounds like you're already doing something, Carmela, that is so beautiful, and I just want to name it to highlight it,
Starting point is 00:15:38 is when kids have parents who have different styles, whether those parents live in the same house, so those parents are separated or divorced. It doesn't really matter. It's so helpful for kids to just really have their parents name that difference. Wow, mama does it this way, Papa does it this way. that's really different. Then kids are able to say, oh, yeah, that is what happens for me. Now I kind of understand my different experience. You're already doing that. That is so beautiful. The conversation, I think we often have with our partners in the situation, and you might not be doing this, but if it was me, I'd probably be doing this because it's just easier and it feels feisty. It's like, hey, boundaries are important. It's like a teaching conversation. Boundaries are important,
Starting point is 00:16:16 and you don't hold boundaries, and I do hold boundaries, and that makes you a good cop, and that makes me bad cop, and we have to be on the same page. And I think that conversation isn't effective, and again, it doesn't actually speak to the problem. So, again, it's not productive either. A very different conversation. I'm just going to model it, Carmela, to you. And then we can talk about it as, hey, you know, I know we've talked about this before, kind of our different parenting styles.
Starting point is 00:16:40 And you know what? I think we've kind of talked about a version of it that isn't really the biggest struggle. And that version is, we do things differently. You're a looser, you're a little lighter about things. I'm a little more routineed, a little more bounderied. The truth is there's pros and cons of both. And the fact that we kind of balance each other out is probably in a lot of ways like a beautiful thing for our kids.
Starting point is 00:17:03 Okay, so that's actually not really the issue. The issue more for me that I wanted to share with you because I know as my partner, you know, we're invested in figuring out how we can both feel good as we parent differently. And the issue for me is when you intervene with the kids in a way that's a lot less routine and boundary than I would, it's not that difference. It's the fact that after, I feel like I kind of collect all of the emotional reaction that our kids have in like trying to switch systems. That's basically, like they're constantly switching systems. And, I wanted to bring that to you because I want to figure out a way that we can almost take our parenting
Starting point is 00:17:55 styles and do it in a more complimentary way. There's such a place for this looseness and the, hey, we don't have to do that tonight. And I think I would be a lot more even excited about that if I didn't feel, for example, like, oh, my next three hours are going to be dealing with the meltdown, our son is having as I switch systems and you're kind of back in the office and I'm like, hey, you know, why is this all on me? And so I just wanted to talk about that with you. you because again, we're on the same team. Tell me your reaction to that. Yeah, I think that sounds really, really good. And I think I have tried to have some version of that conversation, but it's more like, I can't deal with this. I'm losing it. You know, like, so, but yeah,
Starting point is 00:18:51 I hear what you're saying. And of course, that makes sense as a reaction, right? And I would give yourself some validation. Like, yeah, I do feel like that is a version of my truth. Like, I can't deal with this, right? And I remember, you know, working with couples in my private practice, one of the things I'd always say to them is, you know, because I remember someone saying, well, I can't say that. Like, I can't say that to my partner, that I'm losing it and I can't deal with that. And I say, it's not that you can't say that. I mean, if you want to, you can say that. I'm not going to stop you. But there's many versions of true for how to express what's happening. There's many ways of saying things that are truthful. We don't want to be Pollyanna.
Starting point is 00:19:27 But there's many ways of saying things that are truthful. And some are a and some are not. That's what it is, right? So, sure, we can say to our partners, like, I can't deal with this anymore. I think if we're honest with ourselves in getting our needs met, it's just not that effective.
Starting point is 00:19:42 And slowing down and saying, okay, well, how am I really feeling? And how do I actually need my partner's help? Like, this is my partner. It's not my enemy, even though sometimes it feels like that right here. They're my partner. And sharing how I'm feeling
Starting point is 00:19:56 versus sharing what they're doing is a very, very big difference. And I also think, Carmelah, it's really important in these conversations to almost validate to our partner that they have value to bring. And I think so many times if we start a conversation that way,
Starting point is 00:20:15 someone's a lot more willing to hear our experience, right? Like, okay, it is kind of fun. That's sometimes you're like, sit on my lap or we do things this way, or we can be looser. Like, the kids love that, and I'm very aware, this would be true for me, because I have a hard time letting down in that way.
Starting point is 00:20:28 I'd say, that's actually hard for me. Like I can be kind of rigid sometimes. And so the fact that I have a partner who isn't, like, is actually a good thing. And I appreciate that about you. And that's where there's an and, not a but. And when it ends up happening, literally when you leave the room, is I go back to the system that in general I do think is really good for our kids. Like those moments that are exceptions are fun. And then I do think there's a set of expectations that's helpful.
Starting point is 00:20:56 And I'm upholding that. but now dealing with their reactions to inconsistency that you brought. Again, you're not the enemy. Again, we get that some of that is natural, but it's almost like I then am cleaning up. And I'm sure you can imagine, too, that doesn't feel great. And then I think you can move Carmela into really like a kind of absurdly practical kind of conversation because I'm sure I'm wondering, okay, what next. So I would take things. There's like food in the high chair, there's bedtime routine, there's, I don't know, let's take another one, whatever the other one is, you know, that. He lets my son sometimes be in his office, which is like, of course, what he wants to do.
Starting point is 00:21:40 But then I'm like, and then what happens when he can't be in your office? Right. Right. And so. Great. So how often he could be in the office. So I have two really, in addition to this kind of conversation starter, I have two other ideas I want to share. So one is, let's think about all the different iterations.
Starting point is 00:21:58 of this, you've already named three. And I think we can say to a partner very, like, in a lighthearted way, there's no exact signs to this, but can we pick one of these that together we say, we're going to have the switching of systems. And yeah, you know what, I probably am going to take the brunt of like some of that emotional labor when you leave. Okay. And we're also going to pick one where we're going to have a lot of consistency. And let's maybe pick the one that's easiest for you. Right? I would say that to my partner. If like, you know, so like, and it's going to take practice. Like, it's going to take practice holding a boundary around sitting in the high chair or holding the boundary around the bedtime routine or holding the boundary around the office.
Starting point is 00:22:34 But either what would be easiest or what would actually make the biggest impact in your life or I could share which one would just make the biggest impact in my life. But let's pick, like, let's just pick one. Right? Because I think it gets so grand. Like, we need you to hold better boundaries. And I know for me, I'd even be like, I don't, I don't even know how I can do that. But if someone tells me, can we just pick one area to start? I think most people could commit to that. and then it's a lot more manageable. How do you think he would take to that? Yeah, I think that would be good.
Starting point is 00:23:01 That sounds like very, like, action-oriented, and we could have a plan. Like, when you, you know, go down to the office, this is how we're, you know, he can go down there with you on these days or whatever, like certain circumstances. And then, yeah. Great. And I would have, like, a trade zies.
Starting point is 00:23:19 Like, you're like, I'm bargaining for office. Like, Carmilla, might be like, I really want that. And he's like, all right, well, I want some inconsistency around food. and you're both like, fine, okay, you know? And like there's, it's like, could be playful. Okay, the other thing I want to share with you is one of my favorite couple's strategies with parenting that is so, so powerful and has a lot of levity and can really mix up this dynamic, okay?
Starting point is 00:23:39 Because one of the things that happens in any binary and a couple is a binary, anything with two people. This happens a lot and families often when there are two kids, right? And often it's like, well, one is this way and one is this way. And co-parents, okay. My mom is kind of more rigid and routine and consistent. My dad is more inconsistent and light and go with the flow, right? Is what ends up happening is we kind of just get really split. And we end up over years getting even more extreme.
Starting point is 00:24:09 We almost say like, okay, my husband has all the fun and levity and inconsistency, and I have all the kind of routine and seriousness and consistency. And the truth is, the more extreme we get, not only is it not great for our kids, but it's also really not great for us. because we get locked into a role that's probably more extreme than even we wanted to be, but we keep having to get more extreme because we think our partner is getting more extreme in the opposite direction, right? And like, nobody wins. Okay. So here's what I would do. I would say this to your husband and I would say, you could put it on me, could be like, I don't know if, you know,
Starting point is 00:24:39 this clinical psychologist, like, you know, she said this idea and I thought we could do it. Okay. So we're going to do an exercise. We're going to pick either 10 minutes or one moment of the day and we're going to swap roles. Okay? And so you are going to be the boundary holder and the like kind of like, we got to stick to the routine, parent. And I am going to be the like, you know what? It doesn't really matter, parent. And you're actually going to do this. And you could pick a scenario.
Starting point is 00:25:10 So maybe it's like your kids are watching a show. Okay. And you're like, one show and they're like, can I? I want to watch another one or whatever they say. And your husband would come in and you have to plan this in advance because it's going to feel awkward for both of us. He's going to say, you know what, guys, we said one, and you know when we say one, we mean one. Okay, exactly.
Starting point is 00:25:29 It's almost like humorous because you're like, I literally can't picture him ever saying that. And you're going to come in right after, and you're going to say, sweetie, you know what? It's Saturday. It's okay. You know what, kids? We can watch one more show.
Starting point is 00:25:44 We can watch one more show. And he can say, what? I thought we were only watching what. You can say, you know what? Sometimes we have to be a little bit more flexible. Okay. And I know it seems laughable and it will feel so awkward and it is staged and it is practiced and that is okay. It is awkward. But this does so many things in a dynamic. Okay. First of all, it really gives each of you an opportunity to practice and experiment with the role you're
Starting point is 00:26:10 least comfortable with. It also allows your kids to kind of like have a double take. Like they'll be like, wait, what? And like that's actually really helpful for their kids to see, wait, my dad does have the ability to assert a boundary. mom does have the ability to see past a boundary once in a while and, you know, prioritize fun over anything else. And so the whole system benefits because the more you do things like this, now let's say you go back to my first idea, which is, okay, there's one area where the boundary is being held. And you both agree to that. Let's say it's no kids in the office Monday to Friday, just because that consistency matters. The more your husband has practiced randomly in a joking way,
Starting point is 00:26:47 holding a boundary about something that he knows you're going to come in and take away anyway, the more he's actually building the muscle he's going to have to use in the times when the two of you agreed to hold the boundary. And actually, the same thing for you. It'll give you an opportunity in a moment where maybe there is a moment here and there where you're like, you know what, tonight's a door open night. Right? Now, I'm not saying that has to happen or that's right. But there are moments here and there where you know, you know what, I can probably give in on this. And you will have built that muscle too. So you're kind of coming a little closer toward each other, which will end up really helping in those potentially higher conflict moments. No, that sounds really good. Would you guys go for that? Do you think you would do that? Yeah, I think so. I do. And I think you're absolutely right, like, where I feel myself needing to get, you know, more boundary to make up for the lack of, you know, and it's true. Like, I don't want to necessarily be that parent. And so sometimes I lose sight of, like,
Starting point is 00:27:43 what are the boundaries that I actually need to hold? And that makes so much sense, Carmel, because furthering this idea of this binary, something I think about a lot, especially in a binary, is there's only 100% of a trait to go around. This could be really helpful to talk about your husband. So you could say it's almost like we've gotten to the point where like I hold maybe 100% 99.9% of the boundary trait. And you have now held 99.9% of the, we don't need to hold this. Let's prioritize the moment and enjoyment trait.
Starting point is 00:28:18 And I think you would say to him, look, the truth is, it's probably at best going to be 80, 20. Like, you just have more of a predilection toward that, and I have more of a predilection toward boundaries. But the truth is, and I think you can own this, like, I would actually like to hold closer to 20% of the fun and the looseness. I really would. And you can almost say, like, and you're hogging it. And you're hogging it. And like, that's, you know, I want some. And I think you would probably at times even say it would be helpful to hold a little higher percentage of the, you know what, we're going to have a boundary right now because that actually helps, you know, the night goes smoother. Getting our kids to bed earlier and not taking two
Starting point is 00:28:55 hours might help us be able to, I don't know, watch a show or like talk to each other. Like, that would be really nice for us, right? And these traits have gotten so extreme. And if there's that idea that there's only 100% of a trait to go around, the more we practice here and there, we're probably not going to get to 80, 20, but we might get decently soon to 955 on each of them. And that actually would be hugely different than 100-0. Mm-hmm. That makes sense. Look, I also just want to say this struggle is such a common struggle. And so I just want you to know you're absolutely not alone.
Starting point is 00:29:29 I think parents around the globe are like nodding as they hear your story because it's their story too. And I think we all need strategies and ideas to action on. I also think we all like literally need to have experiences where we know we're not alone because that like de-shames it too. and I just want you to know that. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that. One thing I hear over and over from parents is, I don't want to feel like I'm carrying all of this alone.
Starting point is 00:30:05 And honestly, parenting was never meant to rest on one person's shoulders. Kids do benefit when the adults around them are connected and communicating and working from some type of shared understanding. Even or especially when those adults have different personalities or different instincts, there's at least some language to try to bridge them. That's actually why we created family plans inside the Good Inside app. Your partner gets their own full Good Inside experience, their own feed, their own learning, their own journey.
Starting point is 00:30:37 So you're not constantly carrying the mental load for both of you. Oh, watch this. Do this. Do it like I do. You know you're going to get information from the same framework and you can explore slightly different things. And it's going to help you stay connected. through your shared child profiles and tools.
Starting point is 00:30:55 Parents do not need to become identical to each other. And it definitely helps if there's a little more alignment. And I think part of our job at Good Inside is to help that alignment happen. You're already doing a lot. And I also just kind of want to say sorry for not offering this sooner. It was probably a lot on you. And I hope you take in this version of repair. that now you and your partner can both take on some of that load.
Starting point is 00:31:26 And there's such an opportunity for the two of you to become closer along the way and for your kid to benefit. If you're curious, there's a link in the show notes to learn more. And before I let you go, let's end the way we always do. Place your feet on the ground. Place a hand on your heart and let's remind ourselves. Even as we struggle on the outside, we remain good. inside. I'll see you soon.

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