5 Must See Parenting TedTalks to Save Your Sanity

Let’s be honest; parenting is hard. F*cking hard.

And for some reason the social expectation is that if we feel like it is hard, then perhaps we are just doing it wrong. This is why we all need to watch my top 5 favorite parenting Ted Talks. Because sometimes we just all need a bit of reassurance, knowledge from experts or the honest-to-god truth from real parenthood survivors. These talks will inspire you to feel motivated to make positive changes and allows you to stop questioning your decision to have children in the first place. (Kidding on the last part…kind of). But more importantly they will allow you to feel a sense of acceptance and that it is okay for parenting to be hard.

For anybody who is about to embark on their parenting journey, or knows a parent, or is a parent, these Ted Talks are for you. They will give you “AHA” moments, shifts in perspective and they will leave you feeling armed and ready to tackle one of life’s greatest challenges…parenting. So make it your mission to watch these 5 Must-See Parenting Ted Talks. Your children, your spouse and your soul will thank me for it. Because we all need a light at the end of the tunnel sometimes!

#5: For Parents, Happiness Is a Very High Bar

Jennifer Senior | 18 mins

Jennifer Senior sums up in 18 minutes what I’ve been trying to articulate for six years. This talk is about modern parenting and why we all feel like we are in crisis about it. Quotes like “I’ve not been alone in the bathroom since October” and explanations why our expectations about parenting are too high and unrealistic are the reasons everyone needs to watch this.

#4: My Year of Saying Yes to Everything

Shonda Rhimes | 18 mins

It is a rarely advertised fact that many parents struggle with having to sit down and actually play with their children. Ahem…I am raising my shame-filled hand in the air right now, as I am one of those parents. However, Shonda Rhimes inspired me to say yes every time my children asked to play, regardless of how I actually felt about playing or what I would rather be doing with my time. But once I said yes, every time, I realized that the reward was greater than the apprehension, the stress and the mess. This is a life inspiring Ted Talk as it makes us realize our potential for happiness once we start simply saying YES….to everything not only our children.

#3: Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection

Reshma Saujani | 12 mins

After reading Reshma Saujani’s best-selling book, Brave Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder, I was led to her successful Ted Talk she did years prior about the same topic. She inspired a new life changing perspective that all children, not just girls, AND adults should abide by - that bravery leads to fulfilling lives and should be our number one exercised skill in our tool belt. She helped inspire my post Bravery Therapy: Move Aside Big Girl Panties it’s Time to Put on our Brave Capes. Reshma’s talk is a quick and easy peak into why bravery is so important. So put on your brave cape people and watch this talk!

#2: A New Way to Think about the Transition to Motherhood

Alexandra Sacks | 6 mins

If you’re looking for a realistic view into what motherhood ‘should’ feel like then Alexandra Sacks, a reproductive psychiatrist will enlighten you. I felt so relieved to hear that the confusing emotions and hormones evoked by pregnancy and motherhood should not be internalized as a negative thing and that our world simply has unrealistic expectations of what motherhood should be and feel like. We don’t have to be diagnosed with post-partum depression to experience the overwhelming emotions that are brought on by hormonal changes as mothers. Watching this Ted Talk allowed me to let out a huge sigh of relief…finally we can stop pretending that motherhood should be rainbows and butterflies all the time, it’s hormonally impossible.

#1: It's Time to Explode 4 Taboos of Parenting

Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman| 17 mins

This video lands itself in the # 1 MUST-WATCH parenting videos…be prepared for many AHA-moments.

If you’ve ever had an inkling that there is false advertising around parenting, then this talk is for you. Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman are my heroes. Had it not been for my husband and me watching their video, while pregnant with our first child, we would have had a very unrealistic approach about the emotional times to come during parenthood. With charts and graphs it inspires us to talk about the things that are usually taboo, like love, loneliness, marriage, miscarriages and more. This Ted Talk is over ten years old yet still highly relevant in our world today as many of us are still dealing with the hidden struggles of parenthood.

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