What is compassionate inquiry and how can it help us better support our children with ADHD (and ourselves!)?

In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD podcast, Claire is joined by Caroline Hanson, Conscious Parenting Therapist and mum to 4 delightfully neurodivergent children aged 12 to 22. Caroline shares her story of emerging from a rigid, strict, overbearing parenting style inherited from her own emotionally challenged childhood into something much more open, approachable, compassionate and tender. Through the study of yoga, meditation, conscious parenting approaches and Gabor Maté’s psychotherapeutic model - Compassionate Inquiry - Caroline found the support she needed to become the conscious parent she wanted to be.

Caroline reflects on her journey into meditation and self-inquiry, which led her to better understand her own needs, and make the shift from traditional parenting to conscious parenting. Caroline and Claire discuss the need to support children as they are and, as parents, to focus on the emotional responses behind a child's behavior rather than the behavior itself. Caroline describes some of the challenges she faced with her own children entering their teenage years and her sense of feeling lost, unable to reach for a blueprint for parenting her neurodivergent children. She also introduces the beautiful concept of "along-sidedness", where parents focus on providing their children with unconditional support, rather than rushing in to fix their problems.

Claire and Caroline also talk about the need for self-compassion as a parent of neurodivergent children, both for themselves as individuals, and as someone who is ultimately modeling self-care for their children. They discuss the importance of prioritising the parent-child relationship rather than focusing on external outcomes and the massively positive impact Conscious Parenting can have on a child’s learning, confidence, self-esteem, and success in the future.

This episode is a must-listen for parents of ADHD children who are looking for a calmer, kinder and more supportive way to do parenting, allowing them to tune into the magnificence and wonder of their children and celebrate their unique qualities.

To find out more about Caroline and her work, head to: https://www.loveparentlove.co.uk