FINDING YOUR WAY BACK

Become the parent you want to be, even when you're stressed, exhausted, or overwhelmed.

You probably already know a lot about the parent you want to be.

But in the hardest moments, knowing how you want to respond and actually being able to respond that way can feel like two completely different things.

I’m exploring what happens psychologically in those moments, and the small shifts that can help us find our way back

Does any of this sound familiar?

  • You lose your temper over something tiny, and wonder why you reacted so strongly.

  • You give in because you're too exhausted to hold the boundary.

  • You feel surprisingly hurt when your child pushes you away.

  • You worry endlessly about whether you're doing the right thing.

  • You feel guilty about something you said or did.

  • You read so much parenting advice that you end up even less sure what to do.

  • Or you know exactly how you want to respond, and still can't seem to do it in the moment.

These may look like different parenting problems.
But underneath them, something remarkably similar may be happening.

You probably don't need more parenting advice.

Most parents already know a great deal about what they're supposed to do.

The harder question is:

Why can't I access what I know in the moments I need it most?

When we're overwhelmed, we can get pulled into familiar patterns incredibly quickly. We react. We worry. We give in. We withdraw. We overthink.

And then we often judge ourselves afterward.

I'm interested in what happens underneath those moments.

Because when we can begin to see what's actually happening, we have a much better chance of choosing what comes next.

Hi, I'm Hayley.

I'm Dr. Hayley Watson, a clinical psychologist, researcher, author and founder of Open Parachute, a mental health program used in schools around the world.

I've spent my career trying to understand what actually helps people change, not simply what we're told we should do.

I'm also a parent.

And I'm currently working on Finding Your Way Back, a book about what happens in the moments when we lose access to the parent we know we can be—and how we find our way back.

This is where I'm sharing what I'm learning along the way.

You don't have to become a perfect parent.

Maybe the work is learning to recognize the moments when you've lost yourself—and knowing how to come back.

Finding Your Way Back

Short, practical notes from me about emotions, patterns, parenting and the psychology underneath the moments that feel hardest.