Ep. 183: Dr. Carla Naumburg — Parenting 4. How to Be OK in the Chaos
My guest this week is Dr. Carla Naumburg, whose new book is called You Are Not a Shitty Parent (affiliate link). We talked about how rare it is for parents to practice self-compassion, which can be a transformative experience. We also explored the difficulty with finding room for self-care, and how to make peace with the chaos that is parenting.
Topics we discussed included:
- What inspired Carla to write this book
- The power of self-compassion for parents
- Parents’ realization that they’re not alone
- The assumption that other parents are doing a better job
- The performative aspect of parenting
- The double-edged sword of telling parents to take care of themselves
- My guest’s Law & Order self-care routine
- How Carla developed self-compassion by shifting her thinking
- Parental support vs. advice
- A more helpful way to think about chaos
- Chaos as a built-in part of families and parenting
Photo: Heidi Aaronson
Carla Naumburg, PhD, is a clinical social worker and mother. She’s the author of four non-fiction books, including her international bestseller, How to Stop Losing Your Shit With Your Kids (affiliate link), as well as the forthcoming How to Stop Freaking Out, the (completely swear-free) middle-grade adaptation of How to Stop Losing Your Shit With Your Kids.
Carla’s writing has appeared in a variety of online and print publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Mindful Magazine, Slate.com, Psychology Today, WBUR’s Cognoscenti Blog, Brain, Child, Motherwell, Parents.com, PsychCentral, and Today Moms.
Carla completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Middlebury College, a master’s degree in social work from Smith College, and a PhD in clinical social work from Simmons College in Boston. Carla grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Bay Area of California and she currently lives outside of Boston with her husband and two daughters.
Find Carla online at her website and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and sign up for her newsletter.