In this episode of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, I talk with fellow parent-in-the-trenches, Melissa Wardy. Melissa is the author of the book Redefining Girly, How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween, and is the founder and CEO of Pigtail Pals & Ballcap Buddies, an inspiring apparel and gift company for full of awesome kids.

In our conversation, Melissa shares how she’s navigated the journey of learning how to support her own full-of-awesome kids, both of whom have anxiety disorder. This is an honest dialogue about the challenges kids with anxiety face every day, how Melissa made the decision to homeschool her kids and what that looks like in her life, facing the stigma and lack of understanding surrounding anxiety in schools and in society head on, and much more. I hope you enjoy this powerful conversation. 

 

>>Click here to watch my After the Show video about this episode!<<

 

 

About Melissa: Melissa Atkins Wardy is a speaker, media consultant, and the author of Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood, from Birth to Tween. Her work has been featured on TODAY, CNN, New York Times, NPR, Forbes, and more. Her popular parenting blog has been read by millions, pigtailpalsblog.com, and addresses marketing, media, gender stereotypes and sexualization in childhood. Find her at www.melissaatkinswardy.com. You can connect with her on Facebook (Pigtail Pals Ballcap Buddies).

 

THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

  • Melissa’s story of coming to realize her children were differently wired
  • How Melissa reframed courage, confidence, and bravery by seeing it through the lens of her daughter’s anxiety
  • What led up to Melissa making the choice to pull her kids out of school to homeschool them
  • How Melissa took on her kids’ anxiety from a place of strength and choice
  • What Melissa has found to be the most useful tools in her parenting toolbox for supporting her kids
  • The importance of creating a safe space for our kids at home to get them out of fight or flight mode

 

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

 

 

Read through the whole episode!

 

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

 

Download

 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING!

Do you have an idea for an upcoming episode? We’d LOVE to hear from you. Please share your thoughts in our Suggestion Box!

And if you have any other feedback or thoughts you’d like to share, feel free to leave a comment below or send us a note directly through our Connect form.

If you liked this episode and know of others who would find value in the information, please use the social media share buttons below to help spread the word.

Lastly, if you are so willing, I encourage you to leave an honest review for the TiLT Parenting Podcast over on iTunes. Reviews are very important for helping podcasts find their audiences, and we would love your support in helping us find ours!

To subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode, you can do so on iTunes here and SoundCloud here.

Download the Transcript