Raising Healthy and Happy Kids w/ Sissy Goff and David Thomas
Motherhood Series
Equipping parents during their child’s academic years to bring learning to daily moments.
The Parenting IQ Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org
On today’s episode…
We explore five foundational areas for raising emotionally healthy kids: emotional regulation, communication, confidence, screen time, and long-term parenting perspective. With insights from child therapists Sissy Goff and David Thomas, you'll walk away with practical, research-backed tools to build a calmer, more connected home.
Insights
Raising Healthy and Happy Kids: Practical Strategies Every Parent Can Use
In today’s fast-paced world, raising emotionally healthy and confident children can feel like an overwhelming task. With screens, packed schedules, and ever-growing expectations, many parents find themselves asking: Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right?
Experts in child development and family counseling agree—while modern parenting has its challenges, there are practical steps we can take to help our kids thrive. Drawing from years of clinical experience and research-backed strategies, here are five essential areas that can shape a calmer, more connected home.
1. Emotional Regulation Begins at Home
Children don’t naturally know how to manage big emotions. They need guidance. One helpful strategy is teaching kids to recognize the physical signs of stress—such as a tight stomach or sweaty palms—and use tools like deep breathing or movement to calm their bodies. Some families even create a shared “code word” that signals it’s time to pause and reset.
Helping kids notice their body’s cues early is key to preventing emotional meltdowns and building lifelong coping skills.
2. Communication Is More Than Just Talking
Healthy communication is foundational to strong family relationships. It involves not just talking, but also active listening. Parents can model this by practicing empathy, asking thoughtful questions, and learning when to pause rather than lecture. One helpful reminder is the acronym WAIT—Why Am I Talking?
Creating space for kids to feel heard without judgment fosters trust and strengthens the parent-child bond.
3. Confidence Grows Through Independence
While it’s natural to want to help, doing too much for our children can actually undermine their confidence. A helpful parenting exercise is to ask:
What are two things I’m doing for my child that they could do on their own?
What are two things they could almost do?
Stepping back allows children to problem-solve, develop resilience, and realize they’re capable of handling more than they think.
4. Technology Should Work for the Family—Not Against It
Screen time is often seen as a negative force in kids’ lives, but it can be managed in healthy ways. Parents can set boundaries by gradually introducing tech privileges, offering oversight, and using tools like chore apps or screen-monitoring platforms. Think of technology like teaching a child to drive: it requires training, supervision, and clear limits.
Ultimately, it’s about prioritizing long-term well-being over short-term convenience or happiness.
5. Play the Long Game in Parenting
Perhaps the most important reminder is that parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. Growth takes time, and the impact you make may not be fully seen for years. Your presence, your kindness, your example—all of it matters more than you think.
Even small, consistent efforts can leave a lasting legacy in your child’s life.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re parenting a toddler or a teen, it’s never too late to create more intention, connection, and calm in your home. You don’t need to have all the answers—you just need to show up with love, consistency, and a willingness to grow alongside your child.
Because in the end, raising healthy and happy kids isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being present.
Meet the Guests: Sissy Goff & David Thomas
Sissy Goff, M.ED., LPC-MHSP is a licensed counselor, author, and speaker with over 30 years of experience helping girls and families navigate anxiety and emotional development. She serves as the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville and is the author of several books, including the bestselling Raising Worry-Free Girls.
David Thomas, LMSW is a therapist, author, and frequent speaker on parenting and child development. With over three decades of experience, David specializes in the emotional and social development of boys. He is the author of Raising Emotionally Strong Boys and co-hosts the Raising Boys & Girls podcast alongside Sissy.
Together, Sissy and David bring heartfelt wisdom, clinical insight, and practical tools that empower parents to raise emotionally healthy, resilient kids.
Learn more at:
🔹 daystarcounseling.com
🔹 raisingboysandgirls.com
HEY THERE! I’M DR. CAGLE… DO YOU NEED HELP WITH CREATING GREAT HABITS???
Parenting is hard work. It requires tons of boundaries, daily consistency, so much awareness, as well as lots of patience, grace, wisdom, and filters. Combine that hefty list with all of life’s demands and others’ voice may become louder than yours in your child’s life, increasing their anxiety, fears, and doubts.
Healthy parenting is about seeing yourself as your child’s #1 teacher, saying the right words (or nothing at all) at the right time, and having the right tools to be intentional and impactful. Guessing your way through life, which is what most parents do, is a recipe for failure, but following the lead of someone who has two decades of research-based information and fully understands the demands of parenthood is a recipe for a full life— for you and your child.
With a PhD in education, I’m here to teach you how to use daily moments are learning opportunities so you raise confident and competent lifelong learners that thrive in an ever-changing world.
Additionally, I offer workshops and keynotes on various topics to parents, educators, students, and business leaders— because the need to understand, support, and empower learners is everywhere..
