Episode 113: From Twitches to Triumphs, Holistic Heroics with Dr. Piper Gibson

Children  0:00  
We think you should know that Imperfect Heroes podcast is a production of Little Hearts Academy USA.

DJ Stutz  0:09  
Welcome heroes and heroines to episode 113 of Imperfect Heroes, Insights Into Parenting, the perfect podcast for imperfect parents looking to find joy in their experience of raising children in an imperfect world. And I'm your host, DJ Stutz.

We've all heard that kids don't come with a manual. But a new book just came out on August 1, and it's called The Parenting Owner's Manual. And it's a compilation of 33 different family experts from around the world. And yours truly is chapter three. So order your copy today on Amazon and guess what the link is in the show notes, surprise dependencies. And you can also find the link on my website, which is www.LittleHeartsAcademyusa.com. And you're going to be so surprised to hear that the link to that is also in the show notes. 

So welcome back to another episode of Imperfect Heroes. And today we're diving into a topic that's bound to get your curiosity ticking. Yep, those involuntary little dance moves our bodies sometimes do when we least expect it, and we call them ticks. Now before you go thinking that ticks are just exclusive to Tourette Syndrome, hold on to your hats because we've got a tick tastic revelation coming your way. Our guest today is the remarkable Piper Gibson and she is about to peel back the layers of tick orders like an onion. Dr. Piper isn't just a doctor with more credentials than you can fit on a health food label. She's also a tick busting wizard. And we're talking about those sneaky little tics that aren't always caused by Tourette Syndrome. Who knew? So whether you're a parent looking to decode those mysterious twitches, or just a curious soul, this episode is your front row ticket to unraveling the truth behind ticks. But wait, there's more. Picture this. You're in your kitchen wondering if your kid's favorite cereal is secretly causing their tics well wonder no more, because Dr. Piper spills the beans on how food and diet play a starring role in the tick taming saga. And it's like a culinary detective story. And we're all here for the grand reveal. And let's not forget about the heroics of supporting your TIG trot and kiddos, say that three times fast. Dr. Piper shares her wisdom on how to be the ultimate sidekick to your child or even a friend's child that's dealing with those particular twists and twirls. Think of it as being the Robin to their Tiki Batman, holy Holistic Health Batman. Now, here's the real kicker advocating for your child medically and educationally. Have you ever felt like you're just lost in a maze of medical jargon? Well, Dr. Piper's whoops in like a health savvy superhero, arming you with the questions you need to ask when taking when talking with doctors or specialists. So whether you're a parent on a mission, or health detective, or just someone who's curious about the quirky world of ticks, this episode is your compass. It's your magnifying glass, and your sidekick all rolled into one. There's so much to learn. So let's get started. 

Everybody, thank you for joining us today on Imperfect Heroes podcast. And today we're talking about a topic that has touched my family in a way that I have learned so much from Piper Gibson, my special guest today about tics, I have a brother with Tourette's. And he's just barely younger than me. So he's managed to live his life thoroughly and happily, and he's married eight kids for heaven's sakes. So I grew up with him and not understanding really what was going on with him was just as irritating my stupid brother did. Right. And so, we want to talk about tics in general. What I learned from Piper is that Rhett's is not the only thing that causes tics, and I kind of thought, Oh, you have to take you have threats. So Piper touches a little bit about what you have going on who you are, and introduce us to our topic.

Dr. Piper Gibson  4:52  
Yeah, so my name is Dr. Piper Gibson, and I'm actually a mama who has been in other parents shoes. My son was diagnosed with transient neurological tick 11 years ago, he'll be 18 this year. And we went down the rabbit hole of conventional approaches. And when that completely failed us, I went back to school to relearn everything I thought I knew about health and wellness. And now I specialize in helping gogetter parents who are really ready to make big changes in their children's life. Reduce tic disorder symptoms naturally. So this is where all of this has led me, I simply started out to help my son, but through the process, and through his major changes, we now work with clients all over the world, and we specialize in the TIC disorder. But what I find with kids who have tic disorders is that it's not just tics, they have a laundry list of symptoms, ADHD, sensory processing, OCD, whatever the letter acronyms are, you know, we have, we've seen it. And so we're really working with parents to help them get their children back on track naturally.

DJ Stutz  5:53  
That is such a great and I love the natural pace. And part of that, I mean, we want to do natural things for our body. But now we're finding that so many medications are suddenly finding shortages, and you can't get them or they're coming from countries that are not exactly our friend right now. And so if we're so dependent on these other medicines and stuff, rather than finding the way to do it naturally, if something should happen with production line, or delivery, or whatever, and there's some kind of a shortage, then you're really stuck. And so so it's, it's better for us in so many different ways to go with that natural approach, right?

Dr. Piper Gibson  6:37  
Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, there's a study out of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where they really looked at medications that are being prescribed for ticks and Tourette's. And what they will flat out tell you is, medication prescribed for ticks. And Tourette's will not cure tics or Tourette's. And rarely does it reduce symptoms more than 50%. And so when we go to our physician's office, and we're like our kids are, you know, they cannot control their bodily movements, we're given a prescription. But we're not told, Hey, one, this will won't cure your tics too. Rarely does it reduce symptoms more than 50%. And three, they're prescribed off label, meaning these drugs are FDA approved for one use, and they're being used for something else. So for example, one of the big medications is something called guanfacine. guanfacine is a blood pressure medication that they are using for tic disorders. So you're giving a blood pressure medication to a child who doesn't have dysregulated blood pressure, in hopes that it might start to reduce symptoms. So it really is complicated. And parents go into it completely unaware we were completely unaware of those, those issues. Plus, you know, when you decide you want to get off of it, there's a withdrawal period. So it really is complicated when we start to look at that medication side of ticks and Tourette's.

DJ Stutz  7:59  
Right? Absolutely. And I would say that kind of philosophy spreads into a ton of different symptoms and, and conditions. Yeah, so yeah. And so well, I think part of having tics and stuff, things aren't going to get better overnight, no matter which route you take. And so helping your child come to terms with what's going on with them is, I think, really important. And then if they're siblings, like I said, I have this brother. And of course, back then, you know, we're all parts and weren't diagnosed immediately. Right. In fact, he was an adult when he finally got diagnosed with it. And he didn't have the shout out stuff that people tend to.

Dr. Piper Gibson  8:46  
It's rare. That's actually very rare. Yeah, yeah.

DJ Stutz  8:49  
And so it was just the tics and the blinking and all of that stuff that was going on. And, and so I remember it was embarrassing to me sometimes when he would do it. I know that it frustrated my mom a lot. You know, she couldn't understand why he would do that. He just needs to calm down, calm down, calm down, which then makes it worse. And so right. And so I think helping that your child and then first off starting off with other family members that you may have, whether you have other kids, or there's cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents who don't understand is getting the word out and helping them understand what's going on.

Dr. Piper Gibson  9:29  
So one of the ways that we like to teach people and I think it's easy for kids to understand because they start out little, you know, preschool, kindergarten, they're practicing fire drills, right? The the alarm goes off, you have to get up and go outside. So we really start to explain it like your body has a fire alarm. And when something is spring, that fire alarm, it's going to go off and maybe your symptom is a tick like you're blinking your eyes or drinking your neck, clapping your hands making a noise, whatever the case may be. That What is your fire alarm your fire alarms going off? There are so many reasons that a fire alarm can go off. One is that there is a fire. But to is like if you're cooking, and maybe the bacon gets a little bit too hot, you're setting off that smoke alarm. Yeah, me too. So you have to start to look at what what is causing the smoke alarms, maybe the smoke alarm is right above your dishwasher and the dishwasher, the steam is coming out and the steam causes it to go out. So the way we explain it to kids is those takes those responses, it's your body's alarm, your alarm is going off telling you hey, something's wrong inside, you need to figure out how to fix it. And that's not how conventional medicine looks at it. They're like, just sweep that under the rug. Right for us, Hey, you have an alarm, your your car's check engine light is going off your smoke alarm was going off, we need to figure out why that alarm is going off. Why are we getting those warning signals that something is wrong? Right.

DJ Stutz  10:55  
Right. And so getting into that, and I think it's gonna be different for different kids. Everyone's an individual. So different things, different fears, different things that bring anxiety, whatever, it's so wide with kids. And so I think you're really right on, when you say let's find out what it is. First off, it may be a fear of dogs or, you know, it may be that things that there's too much going on around them. And so they're on overload.

Dr. Piper Gibson  11:23  
Absolutely. And what I have found is there's really four triggers that we look at when it comes to tic disorders, Tourette's, all of the laundry list of symptoms, and those include environmental factors, what's going on in your environment? What do you clean your house with? What are you cooking on? What are you storing your food and all of these things that are going to really impact your environment. And then we have to look at biological. So what's happening inside your body, if we have an underlying infection, that might be making our own toxins in our body, we have our own process that are called endotoxins. Or maybe we have leaky, or maybe we have food sensitivity. So you've got environmental, you've got biological, then we have physical, we're not made to sit on our butts all day. Like if your kid goes to school, they sit all day, and then they come home, and they're on their little game all day. They're not getting that physical movement that they need. So we have physical stressors. And then we also have mental stressors, your boss is a jerk, or maybe there's a bully at school, we have those mental stressors. But we have to look at all four of these kinds of stress triggers that kids who struggle with ticks and Tourette's are dealing with. So the environmental, the biological, the physical, and then, of course, the mental emotional stress. And what I find with kids who struggle with tics is that it's not one trigger, but many triggers. And so it really is a matter of getting to the bottom of that and figuring out what why your smoke alarm was going off.

DJ Stutz  12:45  
Right? Right. Because I think a lot of things if it was just one thing, most kids can manage just one little irritating thing, unless it's like a huge phobia, you know that their fight or flight mode over. But generally, you're right, it's an addition of several factors coming into play at once. And the body is just processing way to latch on whatever level and and so then these things start coming into play. I know that's the case with ADHD as well, with the sun that's, you know, anyone's Listen to me, they've heard the Christian stories. Now police officer, perfect job for him. But

Dr. Piper Gibson  13:28  
I just had this conversation with a client. And she was like, I feel like as a boy, he has a ton of energy. And I said, you're not going to become a Navy SEALs sitting on the couch. And you have certain individuals who have more energy that are gonna grow up to be police officers, people that you know, they're gonna save the world or whatever. And so yeah, I definitely, definitely see that.

DJ Stutz  13:49  
Yeah, for sure. And so I think, too, as being, you know, I just retired as a teacher, I just didn't finishing my first year without kids. But having that communication with parents and saying, not just he has a tic disorder, or she, or threats or whatever diagnosis is there. But then to say, and here are his triggers that we're aware of right now. And so now I've got a lot more information on when I start noticing some behaviors that are letting me know, hey, we're on our way to an IPS, or things are becoming too much. Now I can look around and say, Oh, there's one of his triggers. And there's another one of her triggers. And so then I can start managing them down.

Dr. Piper Gibson  14:38  
Absolutely. And you know, one of the best ways to really figure out what's going on is to test you know, my clients are using functional lab testing like stool pathogens, genetics, food sensitivities to really figure out like, what is happening what is making that smoke alarm go off.

DJ Stutz  14:52  
So let's look at some of the things then that we've you do talked about maybe leaky gut or some of the other things that could be going on, what are some of the approaches that we can make, you know, as parents and caregivers grandparents to help them start building their body in a way that can manage all of this.

Dr. Piper Gibson  15:12  
So I tell parents, one of my favorite things about the probe my program is that, in the end, it is not overnight, you know, six months to a year from now, your child is going to be so much more aware of how their body feels and how their body reacts. So the way that I look at it is we're going to do this testing, we're going to see what's going on under the hood. And then we're going to make changes accordingly. So let's just say for example, we have somebody who has leaky gut, which I would say probably all the people I work with do is, you know, we're having this intestinal permeability. So your gut is like your sidewalk, you want it to be nice and tight, you don't want weeds going through your sidewalk. Same thing with your gut, you don't want junk getting through your intestinal wall. But what happens is, when these tight gap junctions get inflamed, they get kind of pushed apart, and it makes these gaps where food particles, pathogens, endotoxins, whatever, get into the bloodstream, the immune system is like, ooh, whoa, buddy, what's happening that doesn't go there. And so then what we have to do is figure out well, what are these things that may be causing some of the leaky gut? Are you sensitive to foods like, I don't know, gluten and dairy, for example, sugar is another one, it's really inflammatory. So we have to look at what is causing this intestinal permeability. And we have to start to remove those factors so that this child can then be their body can start to do what it needs to do naturally. So we're looking at making diet and lifestyle changes in order to help them improve their health. For example, you take out gluten for a child, and it's gone for a year, and then they go to a birthday party, and they eat three pieces of pizza, they may notice that they feel real bad afterwards. And they're like, whoa, I'm not gonna do that, again, because they have learned how those foods are impacting their body. So it's a matter of let's make these changes. But then as kids, they also have to live and learn, you know, they have to learn ooh, I don't like that reaction. I don't want to feel that way.

DJ Stutz  17:09  
Well, and once they get to that point, then they're able to police themselves. Yeah. And yeah, say, oh, yeah, that I don't feel good after I eat a pizza. And so you can go for something else. And I think to making sure that at a party or whatever, that you do have some healthier alternatives, or something at least to mix in. If they're going to have the pizza has something else that's a little more healthy for them on as well. So they can either combine them, or they're just going to eat the other stuff and leave the pizza alone. And so having those alternatives is great. Yeah,

Dr. Piper Gibson  17:44  
I'm a huge proponent of if you made changes for your kids, don't be afraid to show up at a party with your gluten free dairy free pizza and your homemade cupcakes, and then simply explain, you can explain in advance on the phone, hey, we're gonna you know, we made these changes my kids gluten free, dairy free, we're gonna bring our own food, or, you know, show up at the door. And instead of parents being irritated, and annoyed that you're showing up with your own food, they're actually very curious. And they're like, wow, you know, what, you take these things out, like what's happened, what has changed, and when you start to share with them, like, their behaviors better, their focus is better their tics are better. Parents are like, Oh, maybe maybe I need to do that. So I am a huge proponent of Do not be afraid to take your own food to your parties. We are my kids. I'm 18 years old, and I still do it.

DJ Stutz  18:31  
Yeah, and I think too, I love the idea that you brought up about letting them know ahead of time, instead of just landing on them with that. Some people, they have a thing in their head a scenario of how things are gonna go. And, and so when a last minute thing is thrown in. But if you know ahead of time, it's much easier.

Dr. Piper Gibson  18:52  
Absolutely. And I agree with that. Because some people just do not handle change. Well, they

DJ Stutz  18:58  
know, or when there's some more stressful, like, normally they've met handles change, but then things are more stressed. So you're really stressed about this party being just writer or whatever. There's too many kids coming in, how am I going to manage with all right, and so that's when people tend to be less flexible with their plans. Right? So yeah, we can talk about gluten free and dairy free, but what are some of the things then that we can have in their diets? Because I always talk about the we tell people what not to do. Let's help them with what to do. Yeah,

Dr. Piper Gibson  19:37  
I love to tell parents don't focus on what you can't have. Because what you can't have in the grand scheme of things is minuscule compared to all the things that you can have. One, there's tons of alternatives, but to Yes, it may take you a period of time to learn how to cook gluten free, dairy free, but when we start to look at the changes in the things that the parents need to do on their side, yes, parents get overwhelmed, but know that start easily making a couple of recipe changes, like, follow some paleo recipes that are going to be gluten free, dairy free anyway. And a lot of people will say to me, this was a conversation I had right before we got on this, this interview was before they started working with us, the child was like, dairy was a staple, he, that's what he wanted to eat pizza was his thing. And she said, we had a period where he was hunger strike, she goes, he didn't want to eat, she goes, but once we got through that hump, she said, he's eating things he's never eaten before. And he loves them, like, you know, hamburgers and things like that. So what I want to tell parents is that, yes, it's gonna be hard to make changes, it is hard, it is not easy, but we are going to help give you the tools, you need to be successful in that change. And then it becomes second nature, you don't even think about it anymore.

DJ Stutz  20:49  
And that's the truth. I mean, let's be honest, that's the case with pretty much anything, we're trying to teach our kids, whether it's to get to bed on time, and have enough sleep, whether it's to brush your teeth twice a day, sometimes you're lucky if you get it in once a day with some parents right at all. And so getting them to do those things and, and just being consistent and strong on your boundaries. But you don't need to yell or get mad or threaten, punish, it's, it's just, okay, I can see once pizza, we're not going to have pizza, you know, okay, they throw themselves on the floor, they get all upset, they do their hunger strike, and it's like, I understand you're upset, we're still want to own the pizza. Some

Dr. Piper Gibson  21:32  
parents really, they cannot, they can't handle that behavior in their child, they don't have the mechanism, the coping skills to handle that. And so, I have found that a lot of parents, and there's not a great read way to say this, but they let their kids run them. So instead of saying, Hey, you're 11, you're not having that we're not doing that you don't have a job, I'm not giving you the money they give in because they cannot handle working through that behavior. They just let them get away with it. And so that can really be a difficult transition. Because you feel like at some point, you have to step up and say, No, if you want to feel good, these are the things we have to do, I'm going to teach you how to do that.

DJ Stutz  22:13  
And then be prepared for their little tantrums, or their little Poopoo. And whatever it is that they're going to do, and just say, Yeah, I see you're upset, and I get it, you know, but we're going this other route. And so if you need to be upset and cry, you're welcome to do that. I'm going to change the outcome. And, and so, but if you can take it as like, Oh, this is the stage we're at, you know, and realize that, and again, this applies just opening parts of guarantee that just know you're gonna go through a little bit of a rough time, for a certain amount of time. And the length of time may go ahead.

Dr. Piper Gibson  22:56  
No, I'm sorry to interrupt. I was gonna say that's what makes it an IF YOU and imperfect hero though, is because, yes, if you're not perfect, it is not fun the process is, but you're gonna get them to the other side. And they're gonna appreciate you later.

DJ Stutz  23:11  
Exactly. You're so right, you're so right. And the payoff down the road is so huge. And I think oftentimes, it's not as far down the road as you might think. It's going to be, right, you know what I mean? And so I've seen parents give up on whether it's dietary or restrictions around our values, we don't do this. You know, this is unkind, whatever. But that helped give up finally, because the kids have been fighting against it for so long. And the sad thing is, you're probably just almost over the hump. It's like running a marathon and giving up a mile away from the finish line

Dr. Piper Gibson  23:54  
is, and I have clients like two months, and that'll call me like panicking. And I'm like, hold on, we talked about this is not overnight, stick with it. And you're gonna get to the other side of that hump. You just have to get over the hump. And I think that's the hardest part for parents is getting over the hump. I really.

DJ Stutz  24:12  
Yeah, I agree. I agree. It's just a hard thing. And so I think too, I'd like to kind of maybe circle back to around. How do we explain this then? You know, I always joke around that grandma's role is sugar muffin, send them home.

Dr. Piper Gibson  24:31  
Grandma needs to change her rule.

DJ Stutz  24:35  
So but if you have a parent that's like, Oh, you were fine. We had cake or we did this. We did that. And he's let them have fun. It's at Grandma's house. Grandma gets to have fun or whatever. And grandpa, I don't really grandpa out in our house. It's Poppy. But how do you talk to family members or friends but mostly family members, I think It's a good place to start.

Dr. Piper Gibson  25:01  
Yeah, you know, it's not always easy because not everybody is going to be on board and not everybody's going to understand your holistic, natural approach. And they're going to be like, that's not going to work. You're a weirdo. Yes, they will poopoo your approach, I will tell parents, because we go through the testing, and we have the data on the paper, and we record that, share that with your families, like, here's the data, here's why we're making these changes. And this is what is happening. And if you can't respect that, maybe there's a period of time where we're not going to Grandma's house until we can get this under control. So I think having that open, honest conversation with your family members and your school about, we have the data, we have the information, this is why we are doing this, people will be a lot more accepting. But what I can tell you from experience is that they're a lot more accepting when they start to see the changes. And they are like, Oh, this really does work. So the proof is in the pudding. But I think having that open, honest conversation, and it's not a conversation of, you're just gonna bombard them, you're gonna say, Hey, we're making some changes, can we set up some time to talk about this to talk about these changes? And then sit down and explain to them why you're making those changes and why it's important. And then offering them, hey, if you need help with a gluten free dairy free muffin recipe, or some options of things that they can eat or snack on, we can work on that, that way you have your list, and you know, like what they can and can't have?

DJ Stutz  26:30  
Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of great recipes, even for cookies and for all kinds of things that you can make. And depending on what it is that your child is sensitive to, that might be causing some of that. And if you share that, I think to at least so, you know, I've got 12 grandkids. And I think if my daughter or son came to me and said, All right, Susie has x, this medical condition. And now when I'm looking at it as a grandma saying, Oh, this is a medical condition. Well, this is different that makes it different than just mom or dad's gone. Whoo, whoo. Has someone my age mindset, right? That Yes. Oh, wait, wait, wait, no, this, this is gonna affect the health of my grandchild. That might change the approach. That grandparent aunt or uncle whatever might take, it will.

Dr. Piper Gibson  27:29  
And we we have to understand, even from, you know, the time I was growing up, our food has changed so drastically. So when I was a kid, we weren't spraying wheat with glyphosate to dry it, dry it out. So it's used as a desiccant. So to dry it out, we weren't spraying our wheat with that. And the wheat was a little bit different based on genetic modifications. Now, it's very short. So it's very highly packed with gluten, and we spray it with glyphosate. So the food sources have changed drastically, because of our soil depletion. We don't have a lot of magnesium in our foods anymore, or the nutrients that we normally were getting from the time I was a kid and the time you were a kid. And so being able to explain things have changed so drastically. I mean, when I was a kid, my parents still cooked dinner all the time. And now it's like, well, let's go through the drive thru. Let's have this packaged Kraft macaroni and cheese. And it's not, hey, we're making these things. We've changed ingredients, we've changed the content of our food, to change the nutritional value of our food. And so all of those things really do make a difference. So yeah, we can say, hey, I ate cake at birthday parties when I was a kid. I did. But I can look back now and tell you I shouldn't have been.

DJ Stutz  28:41  
Yeah, but you didn't know that. And I think parents for a big part of it is, are generally unaware of these changes that have taken place in our food sources. Right, for sure. And so I think, as we work to educate our parents and our loved ones, and then maybe the parents of especially strong friends of our kids, so they're spending a lot of time over, as we can do some educating without sounding pompous or highest in at all. But really getting some of the word out, they might be making some changes in their own diets and in their own family diets as well as they come to understand some of these bigger issues.

Dr. Piper Gibson  29:30  
Right. I totally agree. And I think that when you sit down to have those conversations, it's important for both people to be open minded about making the changes, hey, if we make these changes, and it works great. If we've done this for six months, and it's not working well, we may throw it out the window, but I do think it's important for people to really stay open to that fact.

DJ Stutz  29:49  
Yeah, I would agree. I would agree. Let's talk a little bit about helping our kids manage through any of the easing or the comments. Is that insensitive. Other people, whether they're kids or adults, I know that my brother got insensitive comments from adults as well. And he still has was tics. But he's really changed his diet and exercise. And he doesn't eat sugar. And he, he's done a ton of things. And he's gotten a lot better. But the key was, when I was talking to him about it, he said, I just feel better. How do we help our kids manage with comments that are made?

Dr. Piper Gibson  30:33  
I think, for me, it doesn't matter. If your kid has an outward appearing diagnosis or not, so tics, Tourette's, whatever, I think kids are mean in general, that find something to razz each other about and make them feel bad. And so, you know, again, it's having this open conversation with our kids, our kids are so much more capable of understanding things than we think they are. And so just having an open conversation, Hey, there, there might be somebody who is mean to you, you could, you know, here's the steps, you could walk away, you could stand there and nicely explain to them what is going on, you could tell a teacher, and so really helping them to understand that but also giving them the skills they need to cope with their diagnosis. I think as parents, that's something that we don't learn very well. And so teaching our kids, how do you cope with your own symptoms, and then cope with other people being jerks. And so there's breathing techniques, there's exercise techniques, there's so many things that you can do to help your child process that piece. But definitely, I think having that open conversation with them, like, you know what, there's people that are not nice to me, too. And they say, not nice. And I said, and I have a choice, I can be mad and angry and lash out at them, or I can ignore them and just say, they're just not a nice person.

DJ Stutz  32:02  
And that's everybody. And I think when you start explaining that, honestly, everybody gets teased about something, everybody gets bullied at some point not too long ago, we did an episode on bullying, Dr. Kate Lund is I forget what episode number, but she had hydrocephalus as a kid and so she had to wear like that helmet. But she went outside to play on Playground Dance, her hair was always in a weird haircut, because they were always doing something with her head, and trying to manage all of that. And so we talked about how to help our kids deal with bullying, but also, as parents what to do, if we find out our kid has been unkind and been the source of bullying. And instead of the target, I think you're so right on this, we talked to them and let them know that everybody gets that. And practice them ways. I'm a big advocate of at least once a week, getting together with your family and make it a fun time this is joyful, have fun things to do games, you know, a favorite treat, or whatever, and practice some of these skills of if you're the target of a bully. If you see someone being bullied, what can you do? And then if you catch yourself, what does bullying look like? And how to catch yourself when you're saying something may be unkind. And it just comes out, especially with kids just comes out sometimes, right? Or they've had a bad day, or they're not feeling well, or their blood sugar levels aren't right or whatever it is, right? What is it? Like? How can you catch yourself? And then what do you do when you realize, oh, that was rude. That was mean, and we practice these things, then I think they're more likely to be able to use those skills when the occasion arises. And so yeah, I'm really big on at least once a week more if you can. But I know people get busy, but having that opportunity is key.

Dr. Piper Gibson  34:09  
But I love that because I tell parents all the time, like my parents did not have those kinds of skills to teach me those things. So in return as a parent, I can say I totally sucked at teaching my kids how to cope with those kinds of things, because I didn't know those skills. And so I agree with you like the rote memorization, the practicing the knowing how to respond, because even as an adult that is going to benefit you. So for me, I'm going to respond, I might fly off the handle at somebody. But if I had had those skills and been taught those skills, and my kids had been taught those skills, the response would have been that much more different. And I just think that like, if you can teach your kid those skills, they are going to benefit so much more throughout their life because they're going to know how to react to somebody who's not nice. You're so

DJ Stutz  34:57  
right. And we talked about muscle memory. But I think we forget that your tongue is the muscle. True. Very, right. And so as we say things and we get used to saying certain things, as we grow up. And as we're exposed to different things. Let's help our tongue remember how to use those kinds of words. Instead of the more negative and angry. Yeah, words. Yeah. So cool. So cool. So if parents are looking to find a resource, though, to help their kids or to get information, how would they get in contact with you?

Dr. Piper Gibson  35:35  
Yeah, so there's, I have several ways. First way is the book, I wrote this book, it's called tick tock. It is common misconceptions, real conversations and natural approaches to tic disorders. Super easy, like weekend read, but I wrote it because I wanted parents to have a different perspective, I feel like all of us who had done the conventional approach, felt defeated, felt like we had no hope. And this is a completely different perspective. And I think just a great easy way for people to get started and grab it on Amazon, just Kindle. There's hardcopy, you can also find us at regenerating dot health. So www degenerating dot health. And there's tons of information, podcasts, interviews, articles, blogs, things for you to reach out and look at on there, you can also contact us as well. But I think a great place for parents to start is read the book. And if it strikes a chord with you book a call with our team, it's just a free initial consult, we're going to take some help history, we're going to talk about what's going on and then find out what you know, if you're a good fit for what we do.

DJ Stutz  36:37  
That would be amazing. We're gonna have all of that information in the show notes. Everyone, if you have questions, if you're on rumble, or YouTube watching this, you can throw them in the comments section. And we'll get back with Dr. Piper and send them on to her and maybe get some information to get back with you. He has stories to share. All of that is great. And be sure while you're doing all that to follow or subscribe and be a part of our experience of the Little Hearts Academy in the imperfect heroes family, we'd love to have you be sure and do that. And I also have an offer, that if you leave a rating, and a review on any of the formats that the podcast is on, I actually have a book called Loving and kindness, a journey, a journal and a workbook. And I can give you an E copy of that for free if you if you do that. So I look forward to connecting with everyone. And so Dr. Gibson, I just want to thank you so much for Wow, so much great information and a new perspective that I think is really closer to what we've had in the past have the appropriate responses to some of these issues. Now, before we go, though, I want to ask you, I asked everyone the same question. How would you describe a successful parent?

Dr. Piper Gibson  38:08  
I think a successful parent is a parent who is not afraid to have those open, honest conversations with their kids, and who are not afraid to give their kids enough rope to hang themselves. And I know that sounds that sounds atrocious. But my point is, your kids at some point are going to leave your nest they are going to grow up they have to learn from for themselves. And I really am a true believer that there's some live and learn in letting your kids be kids and you being a parent. And so for me, I think being able to have honest conversations with your kids and letting them be able to experience things for themselves and not helicoptering really can help to create a successful parent.

DJ Stutz  38:52  
You are so true. And I I love because we've lost in many ways the ability of letting our kids take those risks. We're so afraid of things right now and we want them to be engaged and empowered and courageous and all of those things. But with that comes back bad decisions here and there. Right?

Dr. Piper Gibson  39:16  
That for sure. And I mean, I certainly made bad decisions as a as a teenager and as a kid but I agree with you. I see so much of that fear. We're afraid of everything and I'm like you're you're not going to change the world sitting on your couch.

DJ Stutz  39:31  
No, no, no, no, no, never ever. Well, Dr. Piper Gibson, thank you so much for being a part of our show today. I truly appreciate it. Everyone remember to reach out get her book and the link to get it is going to be down like I said in the shownotes and then really think about how to be kinder and more thoughtful around other kids. Maybe our our kid doesn't have a syndrome like that, but they're gonna have friends. Very definitely. Because all of these things are on the rise right now. So thank you so much for engaging with us and sharing this important information.

Dr. Piper Gibson  40:11  
Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. It was fun. Oh, absolutely.

DJ Stutz  40:19  
Crazy, huh. If you want to learn more about Dr. Gibson and her book, just click on the link in the show notes. And while you're there, hit the Follow button and make sure you're getting in on the amazing episodes that we have each week. And if you liked what you hear in today's podcast, be sure to rate review and tell a friend. And you can do this, whether you're listening on Apple, Spotify, or some other platform like YouTube or Rumble. And if you're listening from the Imperfect Heroes podcast website, on the webpage of the podcast, imperfectheroespodcast.com. Just click on reviews, it's at the top, and then you're gonna click on leave a review. And it's that easy. 

So are you ready to become the ultimate guide in your child's development journey? Well, I'm introducing my self-paced Cicerone Master's class. This is a transformative course that's designed to empower parents with the knowledge and tools they need to foster their children's social, emotional, and academic readiness for school. There are four comprehensive modules to help you dive deep into understanding your parenting style and how it impacts your child's growth. Learn to navigate the critical stages of your child's development with confidence and ease. So each module is packed with three to six interactive and insightful lessons. And you're going to get practical strategies, real life scenarios, and hands on activities to enrich your parenting journey. And in these modules, you're going to uncover the secrets to nurturing emotional intelligence and social skills in your little ones. build a solid foundation for their happiness and success in relationships. And you will find invaluable insights in preparing your child for the primary grades of school life. From academic readiness to social adaptation, we're going to ensure that your child is confident and excited about their educational journey. So join the masterclass now by visiting our website or just simply clicking on the link in the show notes. 

So next week, my guest is Bryson Tarbet as we talk about the benefits of using music, while teaching our kiddos new skills, so check it out and see and until next time, let's find joy in parenting.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai