What Radical Acceptance Actually Looks Like for Pathological Demand Avoidance Parents | Ep. 156

About this episode

The episode discusses radical acceptance for parents of children with Pathological Demand Avoidance, sharing personal experiences and coaching insights.

This is the first episode in a new behind-the-scenes series I am doing with Kendall, one of the coaches on the At Peace Parents team. Each month, we pull back the curtain on our own lives as parents who are practicing the same skills we teach, and on what these principles look like inside real coaching work with families. This episode is about radical acceptance: what it actually means, why it matters specifically for PDA families, and what it looks like in practice, not as an abstract concept, but in the messy, everyday moments of parenting a demand avoidant child. We start by defining radical acceptance through Tara Brach's framework, which I read directly from her book in this episode. From there, Kendall and I talk through what it has looked like in our own homes, including sleep arrangements, regressions that feel like they will never end, and the particular kind of grief that comes when you realize the approach you have been using is not working. I also share a detailed example from my work with a family whose six-year-old son was in deep burnout and engaging in a compulsive behavior around toileting. Kendall shares a case from her own coaching practice involving a child…

People in this episode

Host: Casey

Guest: Kendall

Topics covered

• radical acceptance
• Pathological Demand Avoidance
• parenting
• coaching
• grief
• toileting difficulties

Keywords

• radical acceptance
• PDA
• parenting strategies
• coaching
• toileting issues
• emotional pressure
• family dynamics

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