Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron
You don’t snap at your kids because you’re a bad parent. You snap because your stress builds faster than your awareness, and no one ever taught you how to handle that.
I’m Dr. Cindy Hovington, a mom of three with a doctorate in neuroscience and founder of Curious Neuron. I created The Reflective Parenting Podcast for parents who care deeply, know a lot, and still find themselves overwhelmed in the real moments.
This is not a podcast where I tell you how to be a perfect parent. I’m in it with you.
Each week, I invite you into my own reflections:
- what I’m learning from scientific articles and books,
- what I’m noticing in my nervous system and emotions,
- and what real parents and experts teach me in conversation.
Together, we get curious about why we snap, shut down, or over-function in conflict, and what’s actually happening in our brain and body when we do. We talk about stress, shame, repair, boundaries, playfulness, and the quiet moments no one sees—so you can start to recognize your patterns and gently shift them.
By listening, you’ll learn to:
- notice your stress and body signals earlier,
- understand the lenses and stories that intensify hard moments,
- regulate your nervous system when parenting feels like “too much”,
- and handle conflict with more calm, clarity, and repair.
- But more than that, you’ll have a companion in the work.
I’ll share where I struggle, what I’m practicing, and how I’m trying to grow, so you don’t feel like the only parent who finds this hard.
If you’re ready to move away from “perfect” parenting and toward reflective parenting—where every tough moment becomes data, not failure—pull up a chair.
Let’s learn, feel, and grow together.
Find out which book I will be covering next month:
https://curiousneuron.com/podcast/
Join the private group on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/groups/reflectiveparentingpodcast/
Start training your emotional awareness for FREE:
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
Purchase my course The Emotionally Aware Parent.
https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
Follow us on Instagram @drcindyhovington or Facebook @curiousneuronparenting
Reflective Parenting Podcast by Curious Neuron
Why boredom is important for kids with Susie Allison from Busy Toddler
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In today’s episode, we chat with Susie Allison, M. Ed., a former teacher and creator of Busy Toddler (1.8 million followers!). We discuss boredom, what it is, why it’s important for our children’s development and how to respond to a bored child. We discuss how to introduce boredom to a child that is currently constantly engaged in a realistic way. Susie explains what child-led play is, and how parents can actually get things done while their children play ALONE. You heard it here – you don’t have to be your child’s entertainment!
We talk about screen time, good toys for your children & what a truly educational toy really is. Tune in to hear why Susie hates the term “boredom buster” just as much as some people hate the word “moist”!
About our guest:
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 1.7 million followers on Instagram. She's also a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher with a Master's in Early Childhood Education. Susie shares ideas and tips on playing, learning, and parenting that she's developed through years of experience as a teacher and parent.
Follow Susie on Instagram @busytoddler or Facebook HERE
Visit the Busy Toddler Website busytoddler.com for easy activity ideas for your kids and for Susie's very popular Playing Preschool book - a new way to preschool at home. This is a 190 day program of hands-on, play-based learning. EXPLORE MATH, READING, SCIENCE, ART + MUCH MORE!
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Resources:
Study about what an educational toy is:
The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children HERE
Atomic Habits Book HERE
I am excited to announce that I am the new co-founder of Wondergrade! An app that helps your entire family with emotion regulation.
Download the Wondergrade App HERE and follow us on Instagram here @wondergrade
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Our sponsors:
Thank you to our supporter the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute at The Neuro. The Neuro is the first health sciences institution in the world to commit to Open Science, an approach to research that ensures scientific knowledge is shared widely and transparently.
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Website: www.curiousneuron.com
Podcast website: www.curiousneuron.com/curiousneuronpodcast
- Join the Reflective Parent Book Club for only $9.99 for the year: https://reflectiveparentclub.circle.so/checkout/reflective-parenting-book-club
- Watch my Tedx Talk on YouTube called The Over-Educated, Emotionally Underprepared Parent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDYJFY_9K9E&t=19s
- Grab my course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
- Doors open to join the next 8-week training (Starts Oct 12th) here https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/