Meltdowns and tantrums often look similar on the outside—but what’s happening underneath is very different.
In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Mark Bowers explains why confusing meltdowns with tantrums leads to so much unnecessary blame, escalation, and exhaustion for parents of neurodivergent kids.
We’ll talk about what regulation actually means, why punishment doesn’t work during meltdowns, and how much common parenting advice unintentionally makes things harder. You’ll also hear one mindset shift that can change how you respond in these moments—without lowering expectations or giving up boundaries.
This episode isn’t about excusing behavior or finding quick fixes. It’s about understanding what your child’s nervous system is doing, so you can respond with more clarity and less self-blame.
If you’ve ever been told, “That’s just a tantrum,” and felt like that explanation didn’t fit, this conversation is for you.
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My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.