Case Study: What To Do When "Special Time" Backfires [Fan Favorite]

Case Study: What To Do When "Special Time" Backfires [Fan Favorite]

From Peace and Parenting: How to Parent without Punishments by Michelle Kenney, M. Ed

June 10, 2025 · 30 min · Season 5 · Episode 426

About this episode

Michelle Kenney discusses the challenges of implementing special time in parenting with guest Katie, exploring solutions for common issues like sibling rivalry and emotional regulation.

Do you feel like you’re doing everything “right”? You’ve started implementing special time and focusing on connection, yet it creates more chaos. The kids might have meltdowns when the timer goes off, or sibling squabbles seem endless. You may question whether connected parenting works. You are not alone, and there is a way through it. In this episode, I have a wonderful chat with Katie, a mother of three girls from the UK. She’s been practicing connective parenting for just a few weeks and is already seeing incredible results, but she came to me with some very common and relatable challenges. We dive deep into the nitty-gritty of making special time work, especially when your children don’t want it to end. We also explore how to navigate the intense emotions of sibling rivalry without taking sides and how our own childhoods, especially if we were told to be “seen and not heard” can make it so hard to tolerate our children’s big, loud feelings. This was such a rich and supportive conversation, and Katie’s journey is one I know will resonate with so many of you. In This Episode, You'll Learn: 👉 Navigating the end of "special time" 👉 Handling sibling fights with neutrality 👉 Why…

People in this episode

Guest: Katie

Topics covered

  • special time
  • connected parenting
  • sibling rivalry
  • emotional regulation
  • parenting challenges

Keywords

  • chaos
  • meltdowns
  • connection
  • neutrality
  • play

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: UNPUNISHED, Plugged in Parenting

Places: UK

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