Podcast of the month: The Hidden Pains of Parenting

October 30, 2024

Podcasts are a great way to absorb information and find out more about all sorts of topics. This month we wanted to share a specific episode from Josh Brooks’  Tell Us Who You Are podcast that really resonated with us at Capa HQ – when he reached out to Jane to see if she could spare some time to meet with him to talk about ‘child against parent abuse’ as part of his research. The episode titled The Hidden Pains of Parenting is a hard hitting insight into a lived experience of this behaviour – a must listen for anyone experiencing, or working with families where a child or teen is using aggressive behaviour toward their parent or carer. Of course we are all for shining a light on this topic (hence our own podcast and work) but when it’s picked up in the wider media, and especially by young and talented journalist like Josh, even better! When more people are aware of an issue things will start to change for the better.

You can listen to Josh’s podcast On Spotify  or  Soundcloud, and although the other episodes are about different topics they’re worth a listen too.

We asked Josh to share with us a little about why the topic of CAPVA caught his attention:

I first met Emily (not her real name) out at dinner – she’s a family friend. We had a lovely night of food, drinks, and conversation. While we chatted, she started to open up – to tell us about something she had never shared with anyone before. Emily told us that she had been abused by her son.

Her story was heart-breaking – and an issue which I (somewhat shamefully) never really knew existed.

Coming away from that evening, I realised that I needed to look at it more. I had so many questions… Why had I not heard of it? How big was this issue? Who did it affect? Why was it happening? The research soon snowballed, and as I got in contact with more and more members of the community who work tirelessly to create a conversation around this form of abuse – I learnt how important it was to talk about this issue.

Despite the best efforts of so many – it is still heavily under-funded, under-researched, and ill-defined. So, what I hoped I could do (in my own tiny way) with this podcast was help to highlight something that so many families are going through – and start a conversation about how we can push even further to get people meaningful support.

I would like to say thank you to a number of people and organisations – without whom this podcast would have been impossible. Helen Bonnick (Holes in the Wall), Jane Griffiths (CAPA First Response), Michelle John (PEGS), Simon Retford, and Al Coates MBE. Without their research, campaigning, and devotion to those going through this abuse – I would not have even had anywhere to start.

And, of course, to Emily – thank you for being comfortable and brave enough to share your story with me.  

 

jane a white female stands next to Josh a white male who is taller than her. they are smiling and standing outside in a garden in summer

Josh Brooks & Jane, of Capa First Response

Keep up with Josh professionally on LinkedIn

You can see our previous ‘books of the month’ here & listen to our own podcast here.

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