Finding Joy: Breaking the Cycle of Anger in Parenting

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this final episode of 2025, I’m sharing something deeply personal - my relationship with anger, where it came from, and how I’ve worked to change it. This is one of the most vulnerable solo episodes I’ve ever recorded, because anger is a feeling so many of us carry quietly, especially in parenthood. This episode is for the parent who feels ashamed after snapping. For the one who feels tense all the time. For the one who is scared they might repeat what they grew up with. Your anger does not make you a bad parent. It makes you human. And change is possible. I discuss: ✔️ How anger showed up in my early life and why it became my default response ✔️ The moment with our puppy that forced me to see my patterns clearly ✔️ How stress, trauma, and burnout can pull old reactions back to the surface ✔️ What I learned through coaching, therapy, and eventually EMDR ✔️ How this work changed my nervous system, my parenting, and my day-to-day mindset ✔️ The brain science behind anger and why your body reacts before your thoughts do ✔️ What often sits underneath explosive reactions ✔️ How your window of tolerance affects everything ✔️ The real tools I use when I feel overwhelmed ✔️ How I teach my kids that feelings are allowed, but hurtful behavior is not 00:00 Scary parents are scared parents01:10 Why anger shows up in parenting02:49 When anger becomes a problem, not a protector03:09 The moment I knew I had to change05:44 Trauma, motherhood, and why anger came back06:59 How therapy helped me find peace08:48 Fear, the nervous system, and the science of anger10:59 Breaking the cycle while raising kids12:14 Tools to handle anger in the moment14:13 Teaching kids that feelings are ok, harmful behavior is not17:03 Repair, progress, and modeling growth19:48 When to seek support and why it matters21:41 You are not broken, change is possible Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and ⁠subscribe to PedsDocTalk⁠. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the ⁠PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships⁠ page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Scary parents are scared parents. And the more I interact with fellow parents and guide them through parenting moments, the truer it feels. A parent who yells, a parent who snaps, a parent who intimidates, a parent who reacts with force. That parent isn't powerful in that moment. They're scared. Scared. Scared of losing control. Scared of being embarrassed. Scared of repeating the past.
0:21.9	Scared of not being enough.
0:23.3	Scared of the pressure that never seems to ease up.
0:26.7	Scared of the invisible load they're carrying alone.
0:29.6	Once I understood that fear drives so much of our anger,
0:32.7	I could finally get curious instead of ashamed.
0:35.1	So if you're angry and feel like that's a common feeling inside you, start by asking yourself,
0:41.3	what am I scared of right now?
0:43.3	Where is this fear coming from?
0:45.3	Am I scared I'm losing control?
0:46.3	Am I scared I'm failing?
0:48.3	Am I scared I not being heard?
0:49.3	Am I scared everything is on me?
0:51.3	Am I scared?
0:52.3	I'll repeat what I saw.
0:53.3	When I began asking myself these questions, the anger finally made sense because the anger may
0:59.0	have been the fire.
1:00.2	But the fear and uncertainty was the cause.
1:09.6	Welcome to the show, Dr. Mona here, and this is the last episode of 2025.
1:15.1	Maybe you're catching it the day it drops, or maybe you're tuning in in 2026 or 2027.
1:20.5	Who knows?
1:21.3	Or maybe you're binge listening in the car, folding laundry, or hiding in the pantry.
	...

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