Episode 10 | I Promised I’d Never Be This Parent: Reactive Parenting, Triggers, and How to Stop Yelling
Episode Summary
Have you ever had a moment where you hear yourself as a parent… and don’t recognise who you’ve become?
You’re in it—yelling, reacting, saying things you don’t mean. And even while it’s happening, there’s a part of you that wants to stop… but can’t.
It feels like watching something unfold in real time, completely out of your control.
And then it hits:
I promised I would never be this parent.
In this episode, we’re talking about reactive parenting, emotional triggers, and why those moments feel so overwhelming and impossible to stop.
Because what’s happening in those moments isn’t just about your child.
It’s something deeper. Faster. Already in motion.
And if you’ve ever sat in the aftermath—replaying what you said, feeling the guilt, wondering “what is wrong with me?”—this episode will help you understand why it happens and how to begin shifting it, one step at a time.
In This Episode, We Cover:
• Why reactive parenting feels so out of control in the moment
• What’s actually happening in your body when you get triggered
• The difference between your child’s behaviour and your emotional response
• Why yelling, shutting down, or over-controlling are all forms of the same trigger response
• How unresolved past experiences show up in present parenting moments
The Invitation
This week, when you find yourself in the aftermath
(not before the reaction yet)
Pause.
And reflect back on when you were a child and what happened to you.
In that moment just sit with whatever feelings come up, sadness, grief, anger, heartache… try not to judge.
Pick one emotion (the most intense is the easiest one)
Put a 3 minute timer and allow yourself to feel that emotion for the 3 minutes.
If you feel yourself getting distracted come back to it. But complete the 3 minutes.
Work With Muneeza
If you’re listening to this and something in this episode felt a little too familiar… those moments where you react in a way that doesn’t feel like you, and then you’re left sitting in the guilt afterwards… you’re not alone in that.
And more importantly, it doesn’t mean you are a bad parent.
It means something deeper is asking to be understood.
This is the work we do together.
We gently slow things down, look at what’s underneath those reactions, and help you create just a little more space between what you feel and how you respond… so you can start showing up in a way that actually feels aligned with the kind of parent you want to be.
If you’d like support with that, you can learn more about working with me here: