Emotional Coping Strategies For Kids Facing Divorce and Anxiety: Parenting Lessons From Dr. Siggie Cohen

The Moving On Method® Podcast

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14d ago 45:22

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What if your child’s anxiety isn’t a sign you’re failing but an opportunity to model emotional resilience?

In this powerful episode of The Moving On Method, Michelle Dempsey-Multack sits down with child development expert Dr. Siggie Cohen to explore how parental anxiety, divorce, and over-accommodation are shaping today’s kids and what we can do differently.

From redefining what anxiety really is to offering real-world strategies for emotionally intelligent parenting, this episode is a must-listen for any parent navigating co-parenting stress, child behavior shifts, or emotional regulation challenges.

What You’ll Learn:

The true nature of anxiety: why it’s hardwired into us and how it shows up in kids
How divorce can create emotional fragmentation for children and what you can do to stabilize them
The danger of over-accommodating your child’s fears and how it leads to helplessness
Early warning signs of anxiety in children (that don’t always look like tantrums)
Concrete strategies to build resilience, healthy coping, and emotional trust

Episode Chapters & Highlights:

03:12 – Dr. Siggie explains why anxiety isn’t new, just newly visible
08:37 – Why parents unknowingly transfer anxiety to their kids
13:55 – The hidden impact of divorce on emotional regulation
20:01 – When comfort becomes over-accommodation
27:18 – What to do if your child is overly focused on your feelings
32:46 – A smarter way to talk to your kids about difficulty and divorce
38:10 – Michelle and Dr. Siggie on the exhaustion of “emotional labor” as a divorced parent
42:55 – First steps when your child’s anxiety feels “bigger than you”

About Our Guest:

Dr. Siggie Cohen is a child development specialist with over 35 years of experience supporting children and families through life transitions. Known for her signature calm, proactive parenting approach, she is the creator of the Everything Anxiety course, designed to help families navigate emotional overwhelm without resorting to over-fixing.

Concepts & Tools Discussed In This Episode:

Everything Anxiety Course: A program that shifts focus from eliminating fear to building coping muscles
Modeling Emotional Regulation: How parents can “show not tell” resilience
The Cycle of Over-Fixing: A pattern where accommodation reinforces helplessness
Banana Splits Program: A school-based peer support group for kids of divorce

Closing Insight:

“Your child doesn't need a perfect life. They need the tools to handle an imperfect one.” — Dr. Siggie

The conversations we have with our children about divorce will ultimately determine how well they adapt to being co-parented. Talking to children about divorce can be tricky and of course, emotional - let us teach you the best way to have the conversation

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