Helping Our Kids Feel Seen
How do we ensure that each of our children receives individual attention, especially when modern life leaves little room for slowing down? Amy and Margaret explore “glass children,” the easy kid, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and how small moments of one-on-one connection can help kids feel valued.
What happens when one child’s needs take up most of a family’s attention? Even when parents are doing their best, it can be easy for another child to quietly become the “easy” one—the independent kid, the high achiever, the people-pleaser who never seems to need anything.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What the term glass child means and why some children can become overlooked
- How hyperindependence can be both a strength and a sign that a child doesn't feel comfortable asking for help
- Why people-pleasing isn't inherently a bad quality—and when it can become a problem
- How being the “easy,” responsible, or high-achieving child can lead to perfectionism
- Why some kids learn to hide anger, sadness, resentment, or other difficult emotions
- The importance of making space for children to express complicated feelings without judgment
- How small-T trauma and difficult family dynamics can affect kids even when their experiences don't seem “bad enough” compared with someone else's
- Why children may act out or seek negative attention when they're feeling overlooked
- How parents can use short, intentional moments of one-on-one connection to help every child feel seen
- The idea behind the 7-minute rule: finding small windows of distraction-free connection throughout the day
- How connection can look different at different ages, from play and cuddling with young children to mentorship and open communication with teens
- Why you don't need to perfectly balance your attention every single day to make your kids feel loved and supported
Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:
- Jenn Lonzer for the Cleveland Clinic: Always Coping, Rarely Seen: Explaining Glass Child Syndrome
- Dr Becky Kennedy of "Good Inside" blog: What is the 777 Rule in Parenting?
- Corinne Masur for Psychology Today: Helping Kids Feel They Matter
- Our episode When One of Our Kids Takes Up All of Our Bandwidth
- Our Fresh Take with Sara Hirsh Bordo
- Harlan Cohen on IG
What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables.
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