Rewrite Your Parenting Story
EPISODE 27:
Attachment Styles Explained and What you Actually Need to Know to Raise Secure, Connected Kids with Eli Harwood
In This Episode:
Attachment isn’t just a parenting buzzword. It’s the invisible thread that shapes how we connect, love, and feel safe for the rest of our lives. In this powerful conversation, therapist, author, and the face behind @attachmentnerd, Eli Harwood brings nearly two decades of clinical experience to unpack what attachment really means, why secure relationships matter far beyond childhood, and how parents can intentionally build safety and trust with their children. From understanding the different attachment styles to exploring whether healing your own wounds can truly impact your parenting, this episode offers clarity, hope, and practical tools. Eli also shares four realistic ways to foster secure relationships at home and a simple but transformative activity that helps children feel safe bringing any topic to their parents.
Topics We Cover:
What attachment is and why humans are wired for connection.
The different attachment categories and how caregiver reliability shapes them.
Why attachment styles are flexible and can evolve over time.
How to identify your own attachment style and recognize patterns in your child.
The pressure to “break cycles” and how that mindset impacts today’s parents.
Whether healing your past can influence your child’s sense of security.
What reflective function is and why it matters.
A nuanced conversation around sleep training and attachment.
Four attainable strategies to strengthen connection at home.
A practical communication exercise to help kids feel safe opening up.
Eli Harwood
MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODES’S GUEST
📖 Get Your Copy of Securely Attached
📖 Get Your Copy of Raising Securely Attached Kids
📖 Get Your Copy of Uniquely Us: Mother & Daughter
📖 Get Your Copy of How to Deal with Your BEEP! So Your Kids Don't Have To
Eli Harwood is a licensed therapist, creator of Attachment Nerd, and author of the books "Securely Attached" and "Raising Securely Attached Kids," who has over 19 years of clinical experience helping people process relational traumas and develop secure attachment relationships with their children and partners. Eli has three children, one husband, two cats, a gaggle of baby chicks, and an extraordinary number of plants!
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