Curious not Furious

Friendship problems can be some of the hardest things to watch as a parent. Your child comes home upset, excluded, angry or confused — and suddenly you want to fix it.But what if fixing it isn't always what they need?In this episode of Curious Not Furious, Louise explores how we can support our children through friendship difficulties without jumping in too quickly, taking over or making the problem bigger than it needs to be.We’ll look at how to listen without interrogating, believe your child’s feelings while staying curious about the full story, help them build their own “friendship toolbox”, know when to encourage them to speak up or walk away — and recognise when it really is time for an adult to step in.Because our goal isn't to make sure our children never experience friendship problems.It's to help them develop the confidence and skills to navigate relationships when things get difficult.If you’d like some individual support with a parenting challenge you’re facing, you can book a free discovery call with Louise to explore how 1:1 parenting coaching could help.To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Why do our children sometimes save their biggest feelings for each other? In this episode, we look beyond the fighting to explore what might really be going on underneath—and how a different understanding can change the way we respond. To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

When parenting feels like pure survival, hygge can be a lifeline.In this episode, I’m joined by Ellie Kelly, forest school leader of Wonderwood Explorers, and I share my perspective as a native Dane on what hygge really is, not just cozy props, but an inner mindset that helps create connection. We explore how this sense of connection supports us in the harder parts of the day, when our children are more likely to follow our lead because they feel safe, seen, and close to us.We also talk about seasonality, and how tuning into the rhythms of nature can support both parents and children through daily challenges.Join my upcoming morning session on self-esteem for pre-and primary schoolers: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1982354137589?aff=oddtdtcreatorFor information about Forest School and family sessions, you can find Ellie on: Www.wonderwoodexplorers.co.ukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderwoodexplorers/To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

You ask your child to turn it off, stop playing, or join the family… and you’re met with eye-rolling, protests, or a blunt “I don’t care.”Instantly, you feel it. The heat rising.In these moments, parenting can feel deeply personal and wildly triggering. But this is where real parenting success is shaped.Because success isn’t about raising a perfectly behaved child. It’s about becoming a calm, sturdy leader when your child can’t be.In this episode, I share a powerful mindset shift and a practical tool to help you respond with clarity, confidence, and self-respect, even in the face of pushback, attitude, and big emotions.If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?” — this episode is for you.To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Parenting at a time when safety is top of the list, can make it difficult to raise a child who's able to cope with failure and think for themselves. In the midst of parenting and family life, the question of 'what kind of adult do I want to raise'  easily gets lost in daily fire fighting. In order to make life a little more efficient we so easily dismiss our child's requests for autonomy in favour of efficiency, control and certainty. But, for Oscar Van Rooij, a favourite guest and master coach, there's been no doubt; his children have been raised to independent thinkers, recongised for their innate ability to know what's good for them. Home schooling therefore became his child's own choice and most days his children cook - while he generously provide the shopping. Join us for this interesting conversation, when Louise and Oscar sit down to explore the reasons it can feel hard to hand over more responsiblity to our children, the implications of doing too much for them and ways that we can take an developmentally appropriate step back, so that our child can step up. To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

With the divorce rate in the UK currently at 42% it is important to shed light on the complexities of living in a blended family. How soon after getting together can your new partner rightly correct your child?How do we avoid becoming the wicked step parent without trying too hard to be liked?Why is it vital that you speak respectfully about your child's other parent -even though he / she is the one who left and inflicted hurt?Step parenting is not easy but blended family dynamics  offer a real opportunity for personal growth and connection if you ask family advisor, Janne Leth Førgaard, who is an expert within this field. Janne talks about the signs you need to recognise that alert you that you are in a position to parent your partners child. And the vital importance of BOUNDARIES. This episode has such much for you, even if you are not yourself living in a blended family. About today's guest: A successful parenting coach and family advisor in her native Denmark, Janne Leth Førgaard, has dedicated her worklife to understanding the complexities of parenting and navigating blended family dynamics and offers 1:1 coaching to parents both in Denmark and internationally. With 3 published books under her belt and regular TV apperances on debate panels, Janne is an advocate of a more neutral term to describe the role of the step parent; Janne calls it the 'Extra - parent'. Because, as the word suggests; you get extra - everything; Extra conflicts Extra love Extra peopleIf you feel you or a friend might benefit from coaching and guidance in this area you might want to check out her work which you can find here: https://ekstramor.dk/https://www.instagram.com/ekstramor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jannelethfoergaard/To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Oscar Van Rooij is back! The Dutch mindset coach, public speaker and Tony Robbins associate is joining me on today's epsisode to explore the existential dilemma we all grapple with: Our innate human needs; on the one hand, to belong to others/ the group. And also, belonging to ourselves and being true to what we feel and sense. We ask questions like: What have you learnt to be / not be - in order to receive love, attention or praise?What triggers you most in your child? How can you support your child to not have to choose between authenticity and connection to you or others? This wonderful conversation is sparked by the important work by Dr Gabor Mate, Hungarian / Canadian physician and thought leader whose books include, but are not limited to: The myth of normal When the body says noHold on to your kidsScattered minds https://drgabormate.com/Oscar Van Rooij is a highly sought-after coach and motivational speaker and you can reach him: https://oscarvanrooij.com/Parenting is not easy. Our children press on all the stuff that need our attention. So if you wish to give yourself the love and attention that you deserve, or if you have any concerns about your child or family that you wish to heal, please reach out to me. Free discovery call bookings can be made here: [email protected] www.louise-brooks.com I'll look forward to supporting you on your parenting journey Louise xTo get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

This episode is for you if you are raising toddlers or anyone occasionally behaving like one.  It IS hard to raise little children. And even harder when we lack clarity around what is expected of us at their developmental stage. If we parent our toddler like we would our infant, and our teen like we would our primary schooler - we soon find that we will have some epic power struggles on our hand. This episode will help you to get clear on your role - and define when you've had a parenting success moment - even when it doesn't feel or look like success. Be sure to share this episode with anyone who might need this!To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

With December around the corner it is easy to step onto the same old merry go round that takes us to exactly the same place every year; overdraft, overwhelm and a looming new year that feels anything but exciting. Granted, Christmas is joyful and fun. But I can see from my engaged followers on social media that too many of us end up working harder than ever during December and ofte have a sense that we could have done things differently. But what? In this episode I share three ways you can avoid abandoning yourself in the run up to Christmas and a ton of practical ways you can introduce more low cost / no cost rituals to make Christmas feel joyful for all To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/

The ability to weather upsets, setbacks and unwanted circumstances is a quality we all want in our children. Without it, we all know that life is going to be difficult. But how do we foster reslience in our children? By removing obstacles in their path? By praising them all the time? By toughening them up? In this episode we explore how OUR own feelings about our child's experience influence our child's resilience and 3 ways that we can support them when life feels difficult, emotions are big and our parenting instinct screams; FIX IT. To get weekly tips and parenting inspiration sent straight to your inbox - head over to www.louise-brooks.com to sign up for my weekly newsletter You can follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentingsuccesscoaching/And onFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/