Sometimes Love Isn't Enough: The Parenting Through Challenges Podcast · Angie Grandt

89. Conscious Discipline, Real-Life Parenting, and Raising Emotionally Safe Kids with Katie Jones

·57 min·5 clips

Katie shares how hitting rock bottom during COVID sparked a hunger for knowledge that transformed her parenting approach.

This episode features host Angie and guest Katie Jones, a daycare provider with 15 years of experience. Katie shares her personal journey and how she transformed her approach to childcare and parenting through Conscious Discipline. Katie describes hitting a personal low during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led her to read a book called "Coming Clean" and begin a period of intense learning. She explains that discovering the Conscious Discipline program was a major turning point, integrating all her previous learning. Katie attended multiple week-long Conscious Discipline trainings and immersed herself in their books and podcasts. A core principle she discusses is viewing all behavior, in both children and adults, as a form of communication. She provides a specific strategy for a child pulling a cat's tail: instead of saying "don't pull," she models gentle petting and says, "When you want to pet tiger, put your hand like this." For conflicts between children, she teaches the "victim" to use a "big voice" to assertively say, "Don't hit me, I don't like it." Katie emphasizes that a child's composure cannot exceed the adult's, making self-regulation the caregiver's first priority. She reveals that crying used to be a major trigger for her, but she now strives to hold space for all emotions without judgment. Katie illustrates empathy with a "you-wanted" statement, like telling a child upset about leaving daycare, "You really wanted to stay and play longer." She distinguishes between physical safety and a "felt sense of safety," where a child feels secure in their body and with the adult present. Katie shares a personal story about her 15-year-old daughter, Jalen, who once identified as non-binary and changed her name; Katie supported this journey fully. She attributes her calm response to her personal work and Conscious Discipline training. A practical tip she offers is to simply sit and take deep breaths in the middle of a chaotic room to help calm both herself and the children. The conversation is conversational, educational, and deeply personal, blending practical parenting strategies with spiritual and self-development themes. Listeners interested in Conscious Discipline, gentle parenting, or personal transformation will find this episode valuable. Those seeking quick behavioral fixes or disciplinary tactics may find the introspective and self-focused approach less aligned with their needs.

As heard by us

A calm, concrete argument for teaching kids skills instead of just punishing the behavior.

Katie Jones makes a calm, practical case for treating big feelings as something children can learn to handle, not just something adults need to stop.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a calmer way to respond to hitting and big feelings, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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