EP 225: How to Stay Curious When Behavior Makes No Sense

EP 225: How to Stay Curious When Behavior Makes No Sense

Author: Robyn Gobbel June 10, 2025 Duration: 31:33
When your child’s behavior leaves you feeling confused, frustrated, or even hopeless, staying curious might be the last thing on your mind. But curiosity is actually SO COOL! It’s both a parenting strategy AND a nervous system state. In this episode, we’ll explore how to access curiosity, even when behavior makes no sense, and how that curiosity helps us find the path forward. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why curiosity is a sign your owl brain is online, and how to use curiosity...

Robyn Gobbel, an internationally recognized expert in children's mental health, hosts The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}. This podcast serves as a compassionate guide for parents raising children whose nervous systems are vulnerable due to past trauma, toxic stress, neuroimmune disorders, or sensory processing differences. Each episode is dedicated to decoding the confusing and often overwhelming behaviors that can leave caregivers feeling isolated and unsure. Robyn translates complex neuroscience and attachment theory into practical, relatable insights, moving beyond simple behavioral tips to address the root causes of family stress. You'll find a sense of community and understanding here, a place where the struggle is acknowledged without judgment. The conversations in this podcast offer more than strategies; they provide a framework for building safety and connection, helping to shift your perspective from "what's wrong with my child" to "what happened to my child." It’s a resource for anyone exhausted by conventional advice that hasn't worked, emphasizing that you are not alone on this journey. Through stories, expert interviews, and Robyn's own grounded wisdom, the podcast fosters resilience and hope, empowering you to create a family life grounded in co-regulation and mutual understanding.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}
Podcast Episodes
EP 239: When Your Words and Feelings Don’t Match [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:21
Have you ever smiled while you were seething inside? Or told your child “it’s fine” when it absolutely wasn’t? That mismatch (incongruent affect, we’re gonna talk psychology mumbo jumbo) isn’t just confusing. It’s a cue…
EP 238: Happy Birthday RKBBB- and a gift for you! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:59
Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors turned TWO! 🥳 So, we’re having a party right here on the podcast. Parties have gifts, so I’m offering three “gifts” for you- a little help around three behaviors that are still SO…
{REPLAY} Is Understanding Behavior Just Excusing It? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:42
Understanding behavior helps us actually solve the problem, leads to compassion, and actually helps behavior to change, but first we must understand why we are so afraid that understanding behaviors means we are excusing…
EP 237: Connection: A Biological Imperative (for parents) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:58
Parents aren’t the only ones providing co-regulation — we need it too. In fact, connection is a biological imperative for every nervous system, including yours. When you’re raising kids with big, baffling behaviors, the…
EP 236: Rewriting the Nervous System Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:00
Your child’s behavior isn’t telling you the whole story. Their behavior is telling you just the story their nervous system is writing in that moment. This week, let’s continue my deep dive into my conversation with Deb D…
EP 235: Parenting in Chronic Protection Mode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:07
Parenting kids with vulnerable nervous systems often means that parents and caregivers are living in a state of chronic chaos and danger. Even if the behaviors aren’t ‘that bad,’ it’s dysregulating to live with someone i…
EP 234: Polyvagal Theory, Hope, Dysregulation, and Repair [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:49
What if dysregulation isn’t the problem? I know I know- that’s really hard to wrap our brain around! At least, it was for me. In this episode, I continue the conversation from last week’s interview with Deb Dana and take…
EP 232: Swearing- What it Means and How to Respond [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:27
When kids swear, it often feels jarring, disrespectful, or even threatening. But swearing isn’t about defiance or being a bad kid- it’s a clue about the state of your child’s nervous system. Swearing might mean your chil…
EP 231: EMDR with Kids with Attachment Trauma with Deb Wesselmann [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:36
I’m so excited to introduce you to someone who has deeply influenced my work- Deb Wesselmann! Deb is a pioneer in integrating EMDR therapy with family therapy for children with early attachment trauma. In this episode, w…