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Parenthood and maintaining a healthy relationship are ambitious endeavors. Being fully aware, you armed yourself with all the latest books, articles, podcasts, and resources, committed to being present and strong for your family. Yet, despite embracing every piece of advice and strategy in your search for reassurance, there are times you find yourself wondering why the harmony, connection, and closeness you envisioned seem out of reach. If this rings true, let me tell you: it’s not you! It’s what they didn’t tell you. The parenting guidance and strategies we read online lack depth. They hardly ever address the transition into parenthood and the profound impact this has on our identity, partnerships, and ability to show up as the parent we wish to be for our children. But guess what? We’re about to turn that around. Hi there, I’m Markella Kaplani. A clinical-counseling psychologist, a parenthood and relationship Coach, a matrescence coach and facilitator, a former special educator, and a parent myself. In my 15+ years in counseling and coaching, I know this to be true: once a parent is truly supported, not only through being given techniques to overcome parenting challenges, but on a personal and relational level, then the entire family can thrive. So, welcome to the Parenthood and Relationship Podcast! Here, we learn to grow individually, normalizing and validating the processes of matrescence and patrescence (i.e. struggling with identity, mom guilt, dad guilt, postpartum rage, work-life balance, etc). We also grow together by unraveling how parenthood affects marriage and what stands in the way of following the actionable parenting strategies that we know are helpful. So, if you’re feeling ready, let me hold your hand while we tackle intriguing, yet difficult topics, with compassion and curiosity. Interested to know more? - Reach out via email at info@markellakaplani.com with your questions, and - Visit www.markellakaplani.com to access FREE resources and check out ways to work with me personally. Let’s do this! --- 🔎 Is Parenthood Making or Breaking Your Relationship? FIND OUT NOW! https://www.markellakaplani.com/couplesquiz 🖥 Reconcile the ’old’ identity with the ’new’ Grab your FREE Matrescence Mini-Course https://www.markellakaplani.com/videoseries 👥 Join our Circle: www.facebook.com/groups/parenthoodandrelationship/ 🤝 Would you like a more personalized touch? I can offer Parenthood and Relationship Coaching. info@markellakaplani.com www.markellakaplani.com Book an introductory session to explore our chemistry and whether I am the right fit for you: http://tidycal.com/markellakaplani/intro-session
Episodes

Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Sunday Feb 09, 2025
We all want to do our best as parents, but perfect parenting might not be the gift we think it is. In fact, striving to be a perfect mother or a perfect father can actually create struggles for our kids later in life. This episode dives into why perfect parent syndrome leads to emotional dependence, low frustration tolerance, and unrealistic relationship expectations.
So, what is good parenting? Research in attachment theory shows that kids don’t need us to be flawless—they need us to be real. The concept of good enough parenting, first introduced by Donald Winnicott, explains why children benefit more from good enough parenting than from a parent who never makes mistakes. The ability to repair small ruptures in relationships, rather than avoiding them altogether, builds resilience, emotional intelligence, and self-trust.
In this episode, I’ll be sharing positive parenting tips to help you shift from trying to figure out how to be a perfect parent to embracing a more balanced approach. You’ll learn why letting go of perfection doesn’t mean lowering your standards but actually making space for connection, growth, and emotional security.
I’ll also share a case study about a client, “Michael,” who was raised by a perfect mother. His childhood was full of warmth, attentiveness, and love—but as an adult, he struggled to form meaningful relationships because no one could measure up to that level of emotional perfection. This is why it's so important to rethink how to be a perfect mother or how to be a perfect father and instead embrace good enough parenting.
If you’ve ever felt guilty for not getting everything right, this episode will help you reframe your mindset and show you how being “good enough” is actually the best thing you can do for your child.
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Full Transcript HERE.
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Markella Kaplani, M.A.
Clinical-Counseling Psychologist
Parenthood & Relationship Coach
www.markellakaplani.com
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