Understanding Nervous System Development, Attachment & the First Year of Life with Emily Roper What if some of the behaviors we struggle with most in childhood actually begin long before a child can speak? In this powerful conversation, Tarryn sits down with Emily Roper to explore how pregnancy, birth, infancy, and early attachment shape a child’s nervous system, emotional regulation, and long-term development. Emily shares insights from over a decade of working with children experiencing ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, sensory challenges, and developmental delays, along with her experience supporting more than 600 births and hundreds of postpartum families. Together, they unpack: Why the first year of life matters so deeply for emotional and neurological development How pregnancy and birth experiences influence the nervous system What secure attachment actually looks like in real life The connection between behavior, regulation, and developmental readiness Signs a child’s nervous system may need more support Whether early patterns can be rewired over time Practical ways parents can support regulation in everyday life Encouragement for parents who feel like they’ve “missed the window” This episode is filled with compassionate, practical, and hopeful insights that will help parents better understand the “why” behind behavior and feel more empowered in supporting their children. About Emily Roper Emily Roper is a Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist and certified Midwives Assistant. She is the founder of Early Roots Therapy, a specialized therapy practice supporting children with developmental delays. With an educational background in psychology, midwifery, and neuro-developmental delay, Emily has spent more than a decade helping children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, sensory challenges, and other developmental challenges. She has attended over 600 births and supported hundreds of families during the postpartum period. Emily is passionate about bridging the gap between the birth world and psychology, helping parents and professionals understand how early experiences shape long-term neurological and emotional development. She teaches midwives and post-graduate students, speaks at conferences, and hosts The Early Roots Podcast. Resources Mentioned in This Episode 📘 Book referenced in the episode: Raising Parents: Attachment, Representation and Treatment by Patricia Crittenden Connect with Emily 🌐 Website:Early Roots Therapy 📸 Instagram:@earlyroots on Instagram 📘 Facebook: Early Roots on Facebook Connect with Tarryn If this episode resonated with you and you’d like personalized support on your parenting journey, Tarryn offers a free 30-minute parent coaching session to help you better understand your child’s behavior, emotional needs, and nervous system patterns. 📩 Email Tarryn ([email protected]) to book your free session. Featured Resource for Parents Big Feelings, Brave Goals - A Guided Journal for Kids Created by Tarryn Bovia, this guided journal helps children build emotional intelligence, gratitude, self-awareness, confidence, and healthy communication through simple daily reflection prompts and affirmations. 🛒 Available on Amazon:Shop Big Feelings, Brave Goals on Amazon

Emotional intelligence is one of the most important skills a child can develop, but most parents were never taught how to teach it. In this episode of The Parent Thing Podcast, parenting educator Tarryn Bovia breaks down practical ways parents can help children build self-awareness, emotional regulation, and empathy. When children learn to understand their emotions, they gain powerful tools that shape their behavior, relationships, confidence, and long-term resilience. Tarryn explains why emotional intelligence acts like the operating system of a child’s brain and how simple everyday interactions like naming emotions, co-regulating during big feelings, and helping children notice the emotions of others can dramatically impact a child’s development. You’ll learn practical tools you can start using immediately to help your child recognize emotions, manage overwhelming feelings, and develop empathy for others. If you’ve ever wondered how to raise emotionally healthy children without constant power struggles, this episode will give you practical insights backed by neuroscience and child development. If today’s episode resonates with you, Tarryn is also hosting a webinar on April 18 explaining what actually happens in a child’s brain when you yell, and why children react the way they do during emotional moments. You can sign up for the webinar and find Tarryn’s Big Feelings, Brave Goals Journal for Kids using the link below. Sign up for the free webinar + get the journal: https://linktr.ee/theparentthing Follow on social media: Instagram & TikTok: @theparentthing Support the podcast: https://mc.buymeacoffee.com/links/CYEkElsIAFgPbehBXIwPcuGGzxhBYAqkEHKxiGPHGBJlVfXFjnsWYacRKxHdCvEYwBlkFAEPBVxKhIwRcXWwClK/3480126?link=theparentthing

Why do so many parents struggle with guilt when it comes to taking care of themselves? And how does a parent’s emotional wellbeing impact their children? In this episode of The Parent Thing, Tarryn Bovia sits down with Shruti Trivedi, founder and CEO of TulsiHeals Life Coaching. Shruti works with working professionals and mothers to help them release the guilt around self-care and prioritize their emotional wellbeing, especially during difficult seasons like grief, stress, and loss. Together, they explore the powerful connection between parental self-care, emotional regulation, and children’s behavior. When parents are overwhelmed or emotionally depleted, it can affect how they respond to their children in challenging moments. Understanding this connection can be a game changer for families. This conversation dives into practical ways parents can support their own nervous systems, navigate guilt around self-care, and create calmer, more emotionally connected homes. Tarryn also shares how understanding what happens in a child’s brain when they are yelled at can completely shift how parents approach discipline and emotional moments. If you want to become a more regulated parent and better understand your child’s behavior, this episode is for you. 🎧 Sign up for the live webinar on March 28th 2026: https://linktr.ee/theparentthing Follow for more parenting insights: Instagram & TikTok: @theparentthing Support the podcast: https://mc.buymeacoffee.com/links/CYEkElsIAFgPbehBXIwPcu

Why do so many parents catch themselves saying the very things they swore they would never say to their children? In this episode of The Parent Thing, Tarryn explores how generational parenting patterns are formed and how parents can begin breaking them. Many of our reactions as parents are not conscious choices, they are deeply learned responses shaped by our own childhood experiences and nervous system conditioning. You’ll learn how parenting patterns are passed down, what happens in your nervous system when your child’s behavior triggers stress, and how becoming a conscious parent can change the emotional blueprint your child carries into adulthood. This episode will help you understand why awareness is the first step toward change, how co-regulation supports your child’s emotional development, and how small shifts in your responses can reshape the way future generations experience relationships, emotions, and discipline. If you’ve ever found yourself reacting in ways that don’t align with the parent you want to be, this conversation will give you the perspective and tools to begin doing things differently. 🎧 In this episode, you’ll learn: Why parenting patterns are passed down through generations How your nervous system influences your reactions to your child’s behavior Why children learn emotional regulation through co-regulation How conscious parenting changes the way discipline and connection work Simple ways to begin breaking generational parenting cycles If this topic resonates with you, Tarryn is hosting a free webinar on March 28: “What Happens in a Child’s Brain When You Yell.” In this training, you’ll learn what actually happens in the brain and nervous system when a child is yelled at, how it affects their ability to listen and regulate emotions, and what parents can do instead. 👉 Sign up for the free webinar: https://linktr.ee/theparentthing

Anxiety in children is rising, but what if one of the most powerful tools to help your child regulate stress is something they’re already doing every day? In this episode of The Parent Thing, Tarryn Bovia dives into the science behind breathwork for kids and how simple breathing techniques can calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and build emotional resilience. You’ll learn what actually happens in your child’s brain and body during stress, why logic doesn’t work in meltdown moments, and how intentional breathing can restore a sense of safety. Tarryn shares three practical, child-friendly breathwork exercises — Balloon Belly Breathing, Smell the Flower Blow Out the Candle, and Five-Finger Breathing that you can start using immediately at home, in the car, before school, or at bedtime. If you're a parent, caregiver, or educator looking for effective, research-backed tools to support emotional regulation and nervous system development in children, this episode gives you practical strategies rooted in Neuro-Somatic Intelligence. ✨ Want personalized support? Book your free 30-minute parent coaching session by emailing [email protected] Follow @theparentthing for more parenting tools and nervous system education on Instagram and TikTok

Struggling with bedtime battles, toddler sleep regression, or a child who suddenly refuses to sleep alone? In this episode of The Parent Thing, we explore the science of sleep and how to create a bedtime routine that actually works. You’ll learn what’s happening in your child’s brain and nervous system at night, why overtired kids often look wired instead of sleepy, and how stress hormones like cortisol impact sleep. We break down the real reasons children resist bedtime and how connection, predictability, and regulation can transform your evenings. This episode also covers sleep regressions in babies, toddlers, and preschoolers - including the 4-month sleep regression, 8-10 month regression, 18-month regression, 2-year sleep regression, and 3- to 4-year sleep disruptions. You’ll understand why regressions happen, how long they typically last, and what to do during developmental leaps without creating power struggles. If you’re looking for gentle sleep strategies, nervous system-informed parenting tools, and science-backed ways to help your child sleep better, this conversation will give you clarity and confidence. Inside this episode: The neuroscience of sleep and brain development How the nervous system affects bedtime behavior Why children fight sleep How to build a predictable bedtime routine How to handle sleep regression without panic Practical tools for calmer nights Sleep is not about control. It’s about regulation, safety, and connection. When we support the nervous system, sleep follows.

In this episode of The Parent Thing, we explore why regulating parental stress is one of the most powerful—and overlooked—ways to support a child’s emotional and behavioral development. Drawing from neuroscience, nervous system regulation, and a neuro-somatic perspective, this conversation unpacks how children co-regulate with caregivers and why your internal state matters more than any parenting strategy. We look at how stress lives in the body, how it’s transferred to children without words, and why behavior often reflects nervous system overload rather than disobedience. You’ll learn why regulation is a skill that can be practiced, not a personality trait, and how repair—not perfection—is what truly builds resilience in children. This episode empowers parents to shift from self-blame to self-support, offering practical, realistic ways to regulate your nervous system in everyday moments. Because when you care for your nervous system, you’re not taking something away from your child—you’re giving them safety, stability, and a model for lifelong regulation.

Calming the Anxious Child | How to Support Your Child’s Nervous System Without PressureParenting an anxious child can feel exhausting, confusing, and emotionally draining, especially when traditional advice tells you to “just reassure them” or “help them be more confident.”In this episode of The Parent Thing, Tarryn dives deep into what childhood anxiety really is and why it’s not a behavior problem, a parenting failure, or something that can be talked away with logic.You’ll learn how anxiety lives in the nervous system, why children lose access to skills when they feel unsafe, and how co-regulation- not correction- is the foundation for helping anxious kids find calm.This episode is for parents who:Are raising an anxious, sensitive, or highly reactive childFeel like they’re constantly soothing worries, fears, or meltdownsWant to understand anxiety through a brain- and body-based lensAre tired of advice that doesn’t actually work in real lifeIn this episode, you’ll learn:What anxiety looks like in children (and why it often shows up as anger or control)Why logic, reassurance, and “you’re fine” don’t calm an anxious nervous systemHow your child borrows your nervous system for regulationWhat co-regulation really means and how to practice it dailyBody-based tools that help calm anxiety more effectively than wordsWhat to say (and what to stop saying) when your child is anxiousWhy calming anxiety is a long game, not a one-time fixThis conversation will help you shift from trying to fix your child’s anxiety to understanding it, and supporting their nervous system in a way that creates lasting emotional safety.If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you.💌 Email me at [email protected] and tell me:What part of this episode hit homeWhat you’re currently struggling with in your parentingLet's schedule a free 30 minute connect call so that I can support you.📲 Follow along for daily nervous-system-informed parenting support:Instagram: @theparentthingTikTok: @theparentthingIf you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, rate, and share it with another parent who may be walking this same road. You are not alone—and neither is your child.

What if your child’s behavior wasn’t a discipline issue—but a nervous system one? In this episode of The Parent Thing, we explore the critical role movement plays in brain development, emotional regulation, focus, and behavior. Drawing from neuroscience, child development research, and a neuro-somatic perspective, this conversation reframes movement as a biological necessity—not a reward or distraction. You’ll learn why the developing brain is wired to grow through the body, how movement impacts regulation and learning, and what parents can do differently to support their child’s nervous system in everyday life. If you’re a parent, caregiver, educator, or professional working with children—and you’ve ever felt stuck in the behavior cycle—this episode will change the way you see movement, stillness, and regulation.

How much screen time is too much for kids? And how does screen exposure really impact a child’s developing brain? In this episode of The Parent Thing Podcast, parent coach and Neuro-Somatic Intelligence practitioner Tarryn Bovia breaks down the neuroscience behind screen time and child development - without fear, guilt, or extreme rules. You’ll learn how technology affects emotional regulation, attention, nervous system health, and real-world social skills, and how to create a healthy, realistic balance between screens and connection in modern family life. This episode is designed for parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals working with children who want evidence-based insight paired with compassionate, practical strategies that actually work in real homes.