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When I ask parents of intense kids how they feel about things at home, 4.7 out of 5 tell me they “don’t feel confident” in their approach.
It’s worth saying ALL THESE PARENTS ARE TRYING.
They’ve tried parenting models such as: love and logic, positive discipline, gentle parenting, attachment parenting, natural consequences, authoritative parenting, whole brain child, etc.
Yet behaviors persist as they experience:
- Arguing
- Tantrums
- Refusals
- Outbursts
- Swearing
- Lying
- Stealing
- Throwing
- Kicking/Hitting
- Sibling Fighting
- Disrespectful Attitude
Take parents Charla and Jackson, for example…
Before the Mad to Glad Blueprint™️ their 9-year-old daughter refused to go to school. Every morning, she would frantically negotiate to stay home. Like clockwork, her anxiety turned into a meltdown and parent found themselves physically shepherding her into the car, twisting and yelling.
When asked how they felt, parents said, “We feel anxious and exhausted. It’s like we always have to anticipate her moods and think 3-steps ahead. It strains our family dynamic and consumes all aspects of our day. We can’t count on her doing what she needs to do.”
“It’s not like we haven’t tried a bunch of things. We’ve studied the respectful parenting style, we work with a school counselor and see a family therapist. We talk about her feelings, and we take a breath before reacting. But we don’t see big enough changes, and that makes us question if what we’re doing is working.”
Clearly, Charla and Jackson love their daughter. They devote time and energy to making things better. So why isn’t it working?
It became clear in our first conversation…nobody taught them what was causing the behavior in the first place.
Emotionally intense children tend to have an overactive fight or flight stress response. I call this “fire in the brain.” Their heightened state of stress appears as anger or anxiety, and it can easily trigger yours.
Which is why parents of intense kids need a specific brain-based approach to helping their child.
An approach that makes you feel confident.
That’s why I created the Mad to Glad Blueprint™️ (starting in 2004). It’s a brain-based and trauma-informed parenting program that calms “fire in the brain” and equips you with practical strategies proven to create more peace at home.
It’s an 8-week game plan that I teach live -- online -- twice a year. We typically start the class series in February/March and again in October.
If you want to feel confident navigating challenging family situations, I hope you join me!
And who knows, maybe you’ll walk away FEELING CONFIDENT IN YOUR NEW PARENTING APPROACH like 91% of parents who go through the Mad to Glad Blueprint™️.
We always cover simple ways to navigate challenging moods, behaviors, routines and positive discipline. Every family leaves with an action plan that is geared toward your unique needs, and is simple to follow.
Registration details here: Online Parent Training with Samantha Moe, M.A. SLP, Certified Parent Coach
Hope to see you in class!
Warmly,
Samantha

Samantha Moe, M.A. SLP
Certified Parent Coach
Creator, Mad to Glad Blueprint ™
Professional training to support intense kids and their families
www.samanthamoe.com
P.S. We transform brain-based parenting tools into concrete action steps so your child calms, connects, and cooperates. View the full course curriculum here and register today.
Continuing education, advanced training, and parent coach certification for professionals who support intense kids and their families. View my mental health Ted Talk on helping families heal from stress here.
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