Are We Wired to Fix Our Loved Ones? - with Michelle from Peace and Parenting

Are we wired to fix our loved ones? It might feel that way when you notice discomfort showing up when your kids or your partner are experiencing something unpleasant.  It’s easy to get caught up in finding the solution, but could we be missing their feelings and leaving them feeling invalidated?  In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Kenney from Peace and Parenting, to talk about repair, the urge to fix our loved ones, and what we can do instead when these feelings show up in our partnerships and parenting.  Michelle is a mother of two girls, as well as a former teacher and counsellor turned Certified Parenting Instructor. After years of consequences, bribes and star charts, she finally reshaped the relationship she shares with her daughters and credits peaceful parenting for changing her life. Michelle considers herself a recovering yeller, perfectionist and control freak who has found a more calm and connected way to parent. Using the ideas of Brain Science as her guide and working on childhood hurts as her deeper work, she helps other parents do what she has been able to do for herself over the last decade. In this episode, we discuss:  Fixing in our relationships [03:00] The desire for our partners to parent as we do [05:45] Our inability to separate other people’s suffering from our own [06:15] The contrast between how we consciously parent our children and how we treat our partners [07:00] Helping our partners parent vs telling them what to do [11:45]  Seeing our younger self is our child’s reaction [19:30] Apologies without saying “I’m sorry” [22:30]  Why we push pain away [27:30] EPISODE LINKS: Peace and Parenting Instagram Peace and Parenting Website Peace and Parenting YouTube Channel  Peace and Parenting Podcast Looking for more? Join me in my online teachings so you can feel like a team again Get intentional with your partner and reconnect with small actions every day with 28 Days of Love Ready to learn how to repair? Take my FREE masterclass Looking to improve your relationship? Join me in my online program, Be Connected  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Om Podcasten

Welcome to Dear Dr. Tracy, the podcast that helps you navigate the everyday challenges of relationships, marriage, and parenting with expert advice and real, relatable conversations. Hosted by clinical psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, this podcast is your place for honest, no-nonsense guidance on love, intimacy, boundaries, and communication. With over 18 years of experience, Dr. Tracy brings a mix of clinical expertise, evidence-based research, and personal insights as a wife and mother to help you break unhealthy patterns and build stronger connections. Each week, Dr. Tracy answers the questions so many of us have but don’t always know how to ask—about resentment, desire, mental load, and how to truly feel like a team with your partner. She’s joined by fellow experts, real couples, and her husband Greg, who offers a down-to-earth perspective on the struggles so many relationships face. If you’re ready for actionable tools and heartfelt conversations that will help you create a relationship that feels fulfilling, this podcast is for you.