Episode re-release: In this episode, we dive into a Q&A format, addressing two thought-provoking questions from our listeners.

Question one comes from a non-parent who comes to terms with the ways in which their own parents hurt them. Many of us grapple with the realization that our parents may have unintentionally or intentionally hurt us in the past, but the decision to confront them as an adult is a complex one. We share our insights on whether it's the right time for one listener to tackle this emotionally charged issue. Drawing from our experience as therapists, we discuss the potential benefits and risks of such a conversation.

Question two, we discuss another listener’s question around effective ways to apologize and reconnect with your child after moments of rupture where we feel we’ve acted out of alignment with our values. We provide practical tips for repairing the parent-child relationship and explore what a sincere, relationship-focused, and deeply meaningful apology looks and sounds like.

Stay tuned for more Q&A episodes in Season 4, and write us your questions at yourkidsdontsuck@gmail.com

Key Topics:

• Confronting parents about past harm: timing, risks, and potential benefits
• Navigating the complexity of deciding whether or not to bring up a painful history with your parents
• Therapist insights on healing past wounds without re-traumatizing yourself
• Repairing connection with your child after rupture
• What a meaningful, values-aligned apology to your child sounds like in practice
• Practical strategies for rebuilding trust and modeling accountability between parent and child

Support YKDS https://buymeacoffee.com/yourkidsdontsuck

Book a mentor session with Rythea https://calendly.com/rythea

Connect with Cara https://www.caratedstonetherapy.com/

We (Rythea and Cara) are white, cis-gender, straight, middle-class women living with financial and societal privilege. Our perspectives are limited. We are committed to featuring guests from diverse lived experiences to reflect the realities of a broader parenting community. 25% of proceeds from this podcast go to creators of color who have shaped our work.

Rate & Review: Your feedback helps us reach more families who are parenting with presence, resistance, and love. Let us know what this episode stirred in you.

Episode re-release: In this episode of Your Kids Don't Suck, hosts Rythea Lee and Cara Tedstone dive deep into the world of non-coercive parenting within the framework of coparenting relationships. Joined by Rythea's partner Will and Cara's husband Sanjay, the conversation unfolds into a heartfelt exploration of parenting dynamics and philosophies.

Sanjay and Will offer unique perspectives on parenting, bringing diverse backgrounds and value systems to the table. Together, they share their personal journeys into the realm of non-coercive parenting, shedding light on the challenges and triumphs encountered along the way. Listeners gain insight into the reasons behind Will and Sanjay's embrace of non-coercive parenting as a guiding philosophy. Drawing from their own experiences and upbringing, they reflect on how traditional parenting models shaped their worldview and the pivotal moments that led them to explore alternative approaches. You'll hear about the nuances of non-coercive parenting, with Will and Sanjay candidly discussing the toughest aspects of adopting this mindset.

From confronting societal norms to reconciling with their own upbringing, they offer a raw and honest portrayal of the obstacles faced on their journey. Tune in to this heartfelt and illuminating episode of YKDS to discover what it's like for non-mothers to parent in a way that challenges convention and nurtures connection!

Key Topics:

• What non-coercive parenting looks like within co-parenting relationships
• How traditional parenting models shape current parenting choices
• The pivotal moments that led Will and Sanjay to embrace non-coercive parenting
• Challenges of practicing non-coercive parenting in a society built on control
• Honest reflections on reconciling past experiences with new parenting philosophies
• Building connection and collaboration in parenting while resisting convention

Support YKDS https://buymeacoffee.com/yourkidsdontsuck

Book a mentor session with Rythea https://calendly.com/rythea

Connect with Cara https://www.caratedstonetherapy.com/

We (Rythea and Cara) are white, cis-gender, straight, middle-class women living with financial and societal privilege. Our perspectives are limited. We are committed to featuring guests from diverse lived experiences to reflect the realities of a broader parenting community. 25% of proceeds from this podcast go to creators of color who have shaped our work.

Rate & Review: Your feedback helps us reach more families who are parenting with presence, resistance, and love. Let us know what this episode stirred in you.

Many parents who reject authoritarian parenting don’t have a clear model to follow. It can feel isolating, overwhelming, and exhausting—especially in a society that prioritizes punishment, control, and individualism over connection and collaboration.

In this confronting and compassion-filled episode, Rythea speaks with Yolanda Williams, an activist and single parent raising her neurodivergent child with intention, autonomy, and resistance at the core. Rythea asks about the connection between facism and childism during this moment in history, and Yolanda expertly breaks this down. How is our parenting directly related to fighting against or participating in fascist patterns?

Yolanda expands on the need for building a village—a local community that supports her child while also inviting her child to actively participate in building that community. She speaks about the moment she refused to let survival mode sever her bond with her child, how she is intentionally shaping her physical environments to support her values and her family’s needs, and how community-building has become part of her parenting practice.

Yolanda’s insightful vision weaves its way through this conversation as she talks about parenting an autistic and developmentally delayed child—and how conscious parenting looks different when collaboration cues are not available. She brings voice to the reality of being a Black, disabled, solo parent, and the ongoing work of balancing self-responsibility with survival, in an unsupportive social and political system.

Key Topics:

• Building intentional community as a parenting practice
• Parenting while disabled, solo, and under-resourced
• Refusing to let survival disconnect you from your child
• Creating physical spaces that reflect anti-oppressive values
• Conscious parenting with neurodivergent children
• Redefining the “village” as real, local, and reciprocal

Yolanda Williams is the founder of Parenting Decolonized, and is currently documenting her journey of building a farm.

Follow along Yolanda's farming journey https://www.youtube.com/@WildandFreeFamilyFarm

Listen to Parenting Decolonized podcast https://parentingdecolonized.com/podcast/

Support YKDS https://buymeacoffee.com/yourkidsdontsuck

Book a mentor session with Rythea https://calendly.com/rythea

Connect with Cara https://www.caratedstonetherapy.com/

We (Rythea and Cara) are white, cis-gender, straight, middle-class women living with financial and societal privilege. Our perspectives are limited. We are committed to featuring guests from diverse lived experiences to reflect the realities of a broader parenting community. 25% of proceeds from this podcast go to creators of color who have shaped our work.

Rate & Review: Your feedback helps us reach more families who are parenting with presence, resistance, and love. Let us know what this episode stirred in you.