84: Why is my kid always the wild one?

Why is my kid always the one running off, climbing everything, touching everything or having the enormous public meltdown while everyone else’s child seems so calm?

After travelling with my almost three-year-old, I found myself watching children his age quietly walking beside their parents or sitting peacefully through a flight and thinking, “Why can’t it be that easy for me?”

I love my son fiercely and wouldn’t change who he is. He is funny, adventurous, imaginative, strong-willed, sensory-seeking and emotionally intense. He loves big and lives big. But that also means I have to parent big, and sometimes it is completely exhausting.

In this episode, I talk honestly about:

• the shame of wondering why your child seems harder to parent

• comparing a wild or strong-willed child with calmer children

• questioning whether their behaviour is somehow your fault

• how a child’s temperament shapes their mum’s experience

• why the same parenting advice won’t work for every child

• the different demands of anxious, highly sensitive, neurodivergent or medically complex children

• how your child’s needs can affect work, relationships, friendships and mental health

• wishing motherhood felt easier without wishing for a different child

There is no perfect temperament. Every child brings their own gifts and challenges, and every mum is parenting a different human inside a different family structure.

Loving your child and finding them difficult to parent are not opposites. Sometimes the child doesn’t need to become less. The mum needs more capacity, recovery and support to hold everything they bring.

👭 The Five Villages Every Mum Needs⁠this FREE audio guide will walk you through the different levels of support mums need, and how to build them. ⁠Get it here.⁠

🫂 Join a loving community of mums in IT'S A LOT – free for 30 days.

We talk about this kind of stuff in It's A Lot. So, if you’re feeling shaky having brought your new baby home, in the trenches of toddlerhood or just need a place to share the joys of being a mama with people who get it, this is your new support network. The best part? It’s all via voice notes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nataliekmartin.com/mama-circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Want to share your thoughts on this episode?

TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@nataliek.martin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natalie.kmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

☕️ Support my work: if you’re enjoying my podcast, you can buy me a virtual coffee here! Thank you 🫶🏽 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/nataliekmartin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

New episodes every Wednesday🎧 Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a quick review — it really helps other mums find the show.