
#44: Your Nervous System Is Teaching Your Kids
From The Ordinary Family by Coleman and Abby Housefield
March 6, 2026 · 57 min
About this episode
Coleman and Abby Housefield discuss techniques for guiding children through emotional regulation and the importance of parental emotional health.
In this episode, Coleman and Abby Housefield share proven techniques for guiding children through emotional regulation at different stages of development, emphasizing a shift from control towards connection. Drawing on their personal experiences with three kids across age ranges, and their coaching expertise they uncover how parental regulation and emotional skill-building lays a foundation for resilient, independent, and emotionally healthy kids. In this episode: * The societal myth that parenting is about controlling behavior and why it’s flawed * How children’s misbehavior is a natural part of their growth and testing boundaries * The importance of shifting from managing behavior to guiding emotional maturity * The power of co-regulation and why it’s foundational from birth onward * How emotional regulation in parents directly influences children’s capacity to self-regulate * Practical tools for different age ranges: zero to five, five to nine, and 10 to 14 * The significance of self-regulation, thought work, and emotional responsibility * How fostering independence and connection accelerates emotional strength Timestamps: 00:00 - The core mindset shift: from control to…
People in this episode
Hosts: Coleman Housefield, Abby Housefield
Topics covered
- emotional regulation
- parenting techniques
- child development
- co-regulation
- independence
- emotional maturity
Keywords
- nervous system
- emotional maturity
- behavior management
- co-regulation
- self-regulation
- parenting
- child development
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