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
Dr. Cheng Qian: Should my child see a therapist?
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In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Cheng Qian, Stanford & Harvard trained Clinical Psychologist. We speak about all things difficult behaviors. Specifically Dr. Qian gives useful, effective and simple tips & tricks to deal with your child’s difficult behaviors. Here’s a preview of what we talked about:
- 4:03 - When to seek professional help for tantrums
- 6:47 - What can a parent expect in a therapist’s office
- 10:32 - How do we teach our kids how to comply or listen
- 13:25 - How to deal with a child who won’t clean up their playroom, ever
- 16:51 - How to use praise and rewards in an effective way
- 19:57 - How to deal with biting, hitting, yelling and throwing things depending on your child’s age
- 27:19 - What to do after a child comes out of a tantrum
- 28:39 - How do emotions and emotion regulation skills play into difficult situations
- 33:54 - Once you notice a pattern in your child’s misbehaving, how do you implement change
- 36:41 - Great tips for bedtime
- 42:35 - How to choose a child therapist or psychologist
- 49:40 - What if I’m doing the work, but my child’s tantrums are getting worse
- 51:04 - What is my role as a parent in my child’s tantrums
Find the podcast summary page here.
Join Dr. Qian on Instagram here
How to build a calming corner
Watch this interview on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/bCsG6QW9ZYY
- 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
- Get your FREE emotional awareness training (comes with a poster, workbook and video):
https://tremendous-hustler-7333.kit.com/84371dc0b2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iEbFRZ5QQ&t=12s
- Grab our course for $99, The Emotionally Aware Parent: https://curiousneuron.com/reflective-parent-club/
- Or email me to join the next 6-week training, to schedule a discovery call for a 1:1 consult for your and your family or to book some leadership training for your workplace info@curiousneuron.com