Parenting, Mental Health, and the Power of Choice with Rebecca Fox Starr

In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy podcast, host Adina Oberman welcomes Rebecca Fox Starr, a writer, therapist, and advocate dedicated to maternal mental health. They discuss Rebecca's new book, "Am I Doing This Right?" which is a unique choose-your-own-adventure book designed to help parents navigate the complexities of parenting with humor, actionable tips, and therapeutic tools. The episode emphasizes the importance of normalizing mental health struggles and setting boundaries, while also offering real-life applications of the skills provided in Rebecca's book.

Episode Highlights
00:00:00: Silence marks the beginning of the episode.
00:00:10: Adina Oberman introduces the Helping Families Be Happy podcast and welcomes guest
Rebecca Fox Starr.
00:01:54: Rebecca Fox Star expresses her pleasure at being on the podcast.
00:02:00: Adina delves into Rebecca's new book, asking for a summary of what readers can expect.
00:02:14: Rebecca describes her book as a choose-your-own-adventure guide helping parents cope with
guilt through various stages of child-rearing.
00:03:29: Adina praises the book's balance of reality and social media pressures, and Rebecca shares a
relatable vignette from the book.
00:04:39: Adina and Rebecca discuss the ongoing challenges of parenting and the need for supportive
dialogue.
00:05:31: Rebecca highlights how perceptions on social media often don't reflect real struggles,
emphasizing the importance of normalizing these experiences.
00:06:48: Discussion on challenges evolving with children's growth, and how Rachel's book mirrors this
evolution.
00:08:28: Rebecca shares practical tools from her book, such as DBT skills and boundary-setting, to help
parents cope.
00:10:13: Rebecca emphasizes the inclusion of badges as rewards for achieving certain skills, drawing on
personal experiences as inspiration.
00:11:42: The development process and personal anecdotes related to the book's vignettes are shared.
00:17:42: Adina appreciates Rebecca's authenticity and how the book's format allows for multiple readings
with new insights each time.
00:19:58: Rebecca provides information on where listeners can follow her and learn more about her work.
00:20:01: Adina thanks Rebecca for her participation in the podcast.
00:20:03: The podcast closes with Adina acknowledging Famis for their support and inviting listeners to
leave a review.

 

Key Takeaways

• The book “Am I Doing This Right?” aims to provide parents with tools to cope with parenting challenges
  across various stages of child development.
• Rebecca Fox Starr's book uses relatable vignettes and humor to tackle issues of parental guilt and self-perception.
• DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skills are integrated into the book, focusing on emotional coping and boundary-setting.
• Parenting challenges evolve as children grow, and the book reflects these transitions through its progressively complex scenarios.
• Authenticity and sharing personal experiences are fundamental in helping normalize mental health struggles amongst parents.

Tweetable Quotes

• "Every choice in life can lead you to a place where you can cope, even if there are negative feelings." - Rebecca Fox Starr
• "Everyone has their own story, and especially with mental health, almost everyone knows someone who is struggling." - Rebecca Fox Starr
• "Bigger kids, different problems." - Rebecca Fox Starr
• "The book aims to make heavy concepts more digestible through its unique format." - Rebecca Fox Starr.

Show Notes by Barevalue.