Latest news with #KristinGallant
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Your kid's temper tantrum doesn't mean you're failing as a parent: How I stay calm and connected in the chaos.
The founders of the popular parenting platform Big Little Feelings — moms and real-life best friends Kristin Gallant, a parenting coach with a background in maternal and child education, and Deena Margolin, a child therapist specializing in interpersonal neurobiology — are back with more parenting wisdom in Yahoo's new column called , a companion to their podcast, After Bedtime With Big Little Feelings. In the second episode of their show, Gallant and Margolin dive into toddler tantrums — those challenging (and, let's be honest, mortifying) moments that can really test your patience and leave you feeling frustrated and judged by everyone around you. Here, Gallant shares five tips on how to calmly navigate a tantrum. It always seems to happen at the worst possible time. You're at Target. Or at the park. Or boarding a plane. And just as you're trying to get out the door, check out with your cart full of stuff or line up at the gate, you feel it coming. The whining and the screaming, followed by the full-body flop to the ground. Your toddler is officially having a moment. And you're officially dying inside. For me, that's the moment the shame voice kicks in: You're doing it wrong. No one else's kid acts like this. Look around — everyone's staring. They're judging you. Good moms don't have kids who scream in public. That voice? It's a liar. Here's what's actually true: Your child's tantrum is not a reflection of your failure. It's a reflection of their developing brain doing exactly what it's wired to do. Let's break that down, along with tips on how to handle a toddler meltdown. Toddlers live in what's called the 'emotional brain,' aka the limbic system. The rational, logical part of the brain that helps regulate big feelings (the prefrontal cortex) is still in development. Like, years away from being online. That means toddlers physically cannot handle overwhelming emotions in a calm, measured way because the part of the brain that would help them do that isn't built yet. So when your child loses it over a broken granola bar or the wrong color cup, it's not them being 'bad.' It's their brain being immature and developing exactly on track. You're not just dealing with a dysregulated kid, you're also dealing with every set of eyes in the grocery store or at the playground on you. The shame. The heat on your face. The desperate urge to make it stop. Let me say this as clearly as possible: You are not a bad parent because your child is struggling. You are not a failure because your child is having a hard time in public. It's actually the most human parenting moment there is. Here's a quick survival-mode guide to get through it: Regulate yourself first: Your child's brain is on fire. If yours catches fire too, it's just two brains in a blaze. Instead, take a deep breath. Literally. Ground yourself in the moment. You're not in danger, you're just in aisle 7. Forget the audience: The people staring? They've either a) never had a toddler or b) have had one and have just forgotten. Your job is not to manage their discomfort, it's to support your child through theirs. Get low and stay calm: Kneel down to your child's level. Speak softly. Your calm is contagious, even if it takes time for it to spread. Skip the lecture: This isn't a teachable moment; it's a survival one. Let the storm pass. You can talk later when everyone has calmed down and is back in their body. Have a go-to phrase: Something like: 'You're having a hard time. I'm right here with you.' It grounds both of you in connection, and that's what helps tantrums pass faster. Public tantrums feel like the worst moment of parenting. But they're actually one of the most important ones. Because when we stay present, calm and connected, even in the chaos, we teach our kids that big feelings aren't dangerous and that they're not alone in their hardest moments. And that their emotions are safe with us. That's not a parenting failure. That's parenting at its finest.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Your kid's temper tantrum doesn't mean you're failing as a parent: How I stay calm and connected in the chaos.
The founders of the popular parenting platform Big Little Feelings — moms and real-life best friends Kristin Gallant, a parenting coach with a background in maternal and child education, and Deena Margolin, a child therapist specializing in interpersonal neurobiology — are back with more parenting wisdom in Yahoo's new column called , a companion to their podcast, After Bedtime With Big Little Feelings. In the second episode of their show, Gallant and Margolin dive into toddler tantrums — those challenging (and, let's be honest, mortifying) moments that can really test your patience and leave you feeling frustrated and judged by everyone around you. Here, Gallant shares five tips on how to calmly navigate a tantrum. It always seems to happen at the worst possible time. You're at Target. Or at the park. Or boarding a plane. And just as you're trying to get out the door, check out with your cart full of stuff or line up at the gate, you feel it coming. The whining and the screaming, followed by the full-body flop to the ground. Your toddler is officially having a moment. And you're officially dying inside. For me, that's the moment the shame voice kicks in: You're doing it wrong. No one else's kid acts like this. Look around — everyone's staring. They're judging you. Good moms don't have kids who scream in public. That voice? It's a liar. Here's what's actually true: Your child's tantrum is not a reflection of your failure. It's a reflection of their developing brain doing exactly what it's wired to do. Let's break that down, along with tips on how to handle a toddler meltdown. Toddlers live in what's called the 'emotional brain,' aka the limbic system. The rational, logical part of the brain that helps regulate big feelings (the prefrontal cortex) is still in development. Like, years away from being online. That means toddlers physically cannot handle overwhelming emotions in a calm, measured way because the part of the brain that would help them do that isn't built yet. So when your child loses it over a broken granola bar or the wrong color cup, it's not them being 'bad.' It's their brain being immature and developing exactly on track. You're not just dealing with a dysregulated kid, you're also dealing with every set of eyes in the grocery store or at the playground on you. The shame. The heat on your face. The desperate urge to make it stop. Let me say this as clearly as possible: You are not a bad parent because your child is struggling. You are not a failure because your child is having a hard time in public. It's actually the most human parenting moment there is. Here's a quick survival-mode guide to get through it: Regulate yourself first: Your child's brain is on fire. If yours catches fire too, it's just two brains in a blaze. Instead, take a deep breath. Literally. Ground yourself in the moment. You're not in danger, you're just in aisle 7. Forget the audience: The people staring? They've either a) never had a toddler or b) have had one and have just forgotten. Your job is not to manage their discomfort, it's to support your child through theirs. Get low and stay calm: Kneel down to your child's level. Speak softly. Your calm is contagious, even if it takes time for it to spread. Skip the lecture: This isn't a teachable moment; it's a survival one. Let the storm pass. You can talk later when everyone has calmed down and is back in their body. Have a go-to phrase: Something like: 'You're having a hard time. I'm right here with you.' It grounds both of you in connection, and that's what helps tantrums pass faster. Public tantrums feel like the worst moment of parenting. But they're actually one of the most important ones. Because when we stay present, calm and connected, even in the chaos, we teach our kids that big feelings aren't dangerous and that they're not alone in their hardest moments. And that their emotions are safe with us. That's not a parenting failure. That's parenting at its finest.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'After After Bedtime': The parenting experts behind Big Little Feelings are here to help
Deena Margolin and Kristin Gallant, the moms and toddler experts behind Big Little Feelings, will be sharing how to navigate modern parenting each week in the Yahoo column 'After After Bedtime.' (Yahoo News) For parents looking for answers as they try to navigate everything from potty training and sibling rivalry to the pressure to do everything perfectly, Big Little Feelings has been a lifesaver, offering practical advice while having 'ridiculously honest' conversations about the messiness of parenthood. It's an approach that has clearly resonated with many parents: Big Little Feelings, which also offers popular online parenting courses, boasts 3.5 million followers on Instagram. The moms and real-life best friends behind the parenting platform are Kristin Gallant, a parenting coach with a background in maternal and child education, and Deena Margolin, a child therapist specializing in interpersonal neurobiology. Together they blend their expertise with candor, humor and 'real talk' about what it's like raising kids. With their podcast, After Bedtime With Big Little Feelings, the duo dive into some big topics, like what happens to your marriage after kids and how to deal when your toddler's behavior triggers you. It's the real, messy, hilarious, sometimes hard parts of parenthood. And in After After Bedtime, a weekly companion column on Yahoo, they go even deeper, offering practical, expert-backed tips and real talk in their signature style: late-night group chat with your smartest, most supportive mom friends, the ones who keep it 100% real and remind you that you're doing way better than you think, vibes. Advertisement Keep scrolling to check out all of their articles, and be sure to come back every Wednesday for the latest post. Deena Margolin, one of the moms behind Big Little Feelings. For years, Margolin consulted doctor after doctor for help with chronic fatigue. Then as a 35-year-old pregnant mom to two toddler boys, she was diagnosed with autism. Bright lights, loud noises and restricting clothing — all of this was overwhelming her system, leading to meltdowns, shutdowns and burnout. 'Getting this diagnosis has helped me become more aware of what overstimulates me and what I need to avoid,' she wrote. Read on to find out how she's navigating neurodivergent parenting — from wearing sunglasses inside to wearing a uniform — and the lessons everyone can learn about self-acceptance.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Big Little Feelings is bringing their 'After Bedtime' podcast back. Why they're ready to dive into the 'real, messy, hilarious, sometimes hard parts of parenthood.'
For parents looking for answers as they try to navigate everything from potty training and sibling rivalry to the pressure to do everything perfectly, Big Little Feelings has been a lifesaver, offering practical advice while having 'ridiculously honest' conversations about the messiness of parenthood. It's an approach that has clearly resonated with many parents: Big Little Feelings boasts 3.5 million followers on Instagram, along with popular online parenting courses. The moms and real-life best friends behind the parenting platform are Kristin Gallant, a parenting coach with a background in maternal and child education, and Deena Margolin, a child therapist specializing in interpersonal neurobiology. Together they blend their expertise with candor, humor and 'real talk' about what it's like raising kids. Now, after a yearlong hiatus, they're bringing a parenting podcast back into the mix. The podcast, After Bedtime With Big Little Feelings, hosted by Gallant and Margolin, will relaunch with Dear Media starting on May 28, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. The duo will be diving into some big topics, including 'imperfect marriages, miscarriages, managing toddler mania, apologizing to our kids and everything in between,' Gallant and Margolin tell Yahoo over email. 'We're going there — no topic is too big, too small or too 'did I just say that out loud?' this season,' they say. 'We're excited to talk about the invisible side of parenting that no one tells you about, how parenting can sometimes feel like Groundhog Day (and that's OK) and what it actually looks like to keep your identity and your sanity when you're raising little ones.' Gallant and Margolin say they're also digging into tougher topics with the podcast, 'like what happens to your marriage after kids and how to deal when your toddler's behavior triggers you. It's the real, messy, hilarious, sometimes hard parts of parenthood — and we promise you'll never feel alone in it.' The moms say that what makes this parenting podcast different from others is that they're not just spouting advice. 'We're in the trenches with you — laughing, crying, learning (sometimes failing) and figuring it all out in real time,' they say. 'Yes, we bring expert-backed tools, but we also bring the perspective of two real-life moms who know how overwhelming, lonely and straight-up wild parenting can be.' Their hope is that podcast feels more like 'a late-night group chat with your smartest, most supportive mom friends — the ones who keep it 100% real and remind you that you're doing way better than you think.' Both Margolin and Gallant have gone through a lot themselves since launching Big Little Feelings in 2020, from the ups and downs of infertility to new babies, and they say they've grown 'a ton' in the past five years. 'There's been a lot of joy but also a lot of pain and challenges that have stretched us and deepened our empathy for what parents are going through at every stage,' they say. 'We've learned how to hold space for grief and gratitude at the same time, and that's changed how we show up as moms and as a team.' They've also learned to give themselves 'permission' to ask for help when they need it and 'rewrite the story of what 'good parenting' really means. 'We're still learning every single day — and that's what makes this next chapter so exciting,' they say.
