During our first episode we started talking about children’s nutritional and emotional health. From Mizzirella’s personal experience she has recently ordered Hiya branded Super Greens Powder to incorporate veggies into her son’s diet. Since then she also makes morning smoothies for the whole family with the ingredients listed below. 

Peeled & washed carrots

1-4 leaves of cilantro

Mango Juicy Juice (No added sugars)

Blended

Frozen strawberries

Banana (optional)

Vanilla yogurt (optional)

Blended and serve

Experience shows children truly do prefer to eat off their guardians plates so always add enough and expect to share.

Use products and dietary ingredients that do not have added sugars and dyes. Invest a little more to give your children better options than you may have had. Always check the labels on the food you choose for them and even soaps and hygiene products as well.

• Accountability and Self-Awareness: Acknowledging the need for change and understanding how past experiences affect current interactions.

  • Meaning it’s the parents responsibility to ensure change by leading with positivity instead of retaliation or consequence, just because we experienced it doesn’t mean our kids have to

• Prioritizing Mental Health: Utilizing tools like therapy, mindful reflection, and self-care to break generational cycles.

  • Most important because if you don’t help yourself first you will struggle to help your children

  • It’s never too late to change parenting techniques but acknowledgement of additional investment may be necessary

Emotionally, it’s important to provide a safe place for your kids to express themselves but reminder don’t let them out- talk or over- talk you. Asking them open-ended questions about their feelings so they can try to self- identify but also helping them come to solutions that will work and explaining why losing control is not a positive solution. 

Shutting them down every time is not a positive reinforcement. 

Gentle parenting comes in many forms and can still include proper discipline.

If you’re religious, teach your children what praying is at a young age. Mizzirella taught her four year old son how to pray and while he may not understand fully she has seen him turn to God with his thanks and wishes. 

Look for trauma triggers in your children and do take it personally but don’t react as if you are being attacked for creating or allowing these triggers to disrespect you. Most importantly- do not ignore these signs and triggers. It’s important to emotionally invest in the healing of your children. 

• Supportive Relationships: Replacing fear-based interactions with nurturing ones that offer unconditional love rather than conditional approval.

  • Understanding their initial thoughts doesn't tell them not to do it and it's our duty to remind them peacefully and remind that their outcomes are based on what they decide to do once informed

  • Reassuring your child that they are still very much loved without using it as a parenting tactic, meaning their actions don't define the amount of love that their parents feel

• Reminder: Allowing children to express their feelings and speak their minds can help undoing the pattern of forced compliance and silenced emotions. 

  • Don’t interrupt, don’t dismiss, don’t correct. In return acknowledge their feelings and share your feelings and point of view in a healthy and calm manner.

• While small amounts of stress (positive stress) can teach resilience, the "toxic" limit is crossed when that stress is severe, long-term, and unsupported.

Toxic Limits (What Causes Harm)  

Persistent Dysfunction: Carrying forward negative patterns from the past, such as screaming or lack of emotional safety.

• A form of that is called Toxic Communication: Using phrases that shame or threaten, such as "I'll give you something to cry about," or using guilt to manage behavior. 

  • Basically saying if you don't listen then I’ll do this or that in.

• Another form is Control and Fear: Prioritizing control, obedience, or "keeping the peace" over the child’s wellbeing, often involving manipulation or lack of respect for boundaries.

  • Meaning, younger children don’t just listen to what they are told, so expecting that and threatening negative outcomes are unrealistic– sometimes it requires further explanation. Explaining what you mean and how it makes you feel to start.

Healing limits (What Facilitates Recovery)

Healing involves breaking these patterns by creating a new, supportive, and emotionally secure environment. 

• Setting Boundaries: Creating a safe space by defining acceptable behavior, reducing exposure to toxic people, and protecting emotional wellbeing.

  • Meaning- explain to children that they are engaging in wrong doings and then further explaining how those will lead to consequences if their behavior continues 

  • Limiting exposure to toxic people will limit the influence your child may experience

  • Always acknowledging that your child has feelings and has a right to feel understood in the moment by explaining to them that you recognize those feelings