Calm the Chaos

A Failproof Road Map for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids

De: Dayna Abraham

Narrado por: Dayna Abraham

A simple, fail-proof road map for parents raising even the most challenging children—including those with ADHD, autism, sensory processing challenges, or big emotions—from the founder of the life-changing Calm the Chaos methodology and the popular parenting blog Lemon Lime Adventures.

Strong-willed, spirited, explosive, defiant and highly sensitive are just a few of the most common labels for children with challenging behavior or emotional regulation difficulties. Whether your child has been diagnosed with a behavioral condition, struggles with executive functioning, or is just harder than other children you’ve met, you are in luck. Parenting expert, Dayna Abraham is here to help.

Calm the Chaos offers a clearly organized, trauma-informed, science-backed, and positive parenting approach for raising neurodivergent children, children with sensory needs, or those who don’t respond to traditional discipline methods. Dayna has created a road map to help parents find peace, build emotional connection, and meet kids where they are—especially when conventional parenting books, punishment-based discipline, or behavior charts have failed. There are five steps to calming the chaos—Getting to Safety, Restoring Trust and Energy, Finding Calm in the Moment, Getting Ahead of the Moment, and Defining Family Success. Each step employs a framework that is easy to remember, even when emotions run high: you ground yourself, you connect with your kid, you work with them to understand the catalyst and the issue at the heart, and then together you get curious about finding an empowered solution.

Backed by science and tested by hundreds of thousands of families, Calm the Chaos is a revolutionary gentle parenting guide perfect for families navigating ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety in children, or emotional outbursts.

Such a hopeful must read

The author, Dayna has a strong, soothing voice that is easily understood even at a slightly faster pace.
The sections are pretty short and easy to follow and understand (though some of the lists would be easier to see, not just hear through). I am looking forward to seeing all the printable that are mentioned too.


Where a lot of parenting advice focuses on how to "make" our kids behave, this shares how we can look at ourselves and our mindset to see our children and their behaviors differently. And when we see them differently we can respond to those "misbehavior" in a different way-a more empowering, problem solving, way for everyone involved.
When you've been stuck for so long, it shares how to move forward. With plans that start where you are. For me, that was in the middle of deep survival mode with no idea how to handle my sons meltdowns. One of the biggest pieces for me was the solid method to release frustrations and keep my calm in those big scary moments or in just the everyday little chaos. Once I started practicing (because let's face it, you have to actually practice out of the moment and implement things for them to get better) my anchor and using the tools to survive the storm, I found that our storms weren't so debilitating. Then we were able to move on to finding ways to actually solve those storms. Our home today is vastly different. And while we keep coming upon new storms, we have a map out of those storms. A plan that brings us closer as a family and teaches and skill builds that we all need for life.

This has also helped me tremendously with myself and in my other adult relationships and I would read it even if I didn't have children. I can keep calm and hold space for family when they call to vent. Understand that all behavior is communication when I'm dealing with difficult people and set my own plans to get through uncomfortable situations. And I am teaching my kids how to do the same for their own lives.
It has the power to change your life too. Seriously, apply this framework to yourself, make yourself the focus and see how it can change your life. I am currently using it for my own burnout to really understand myself and make the changes I need to move forward and it has helped way more than any of the hundreds of articles on burnout that I have read through.

I will keep using this framework for life. I have used it for school issues, meltdowns, burnout, sleep struggles, rough toddler times and disagreements with my spouse. It really can be applied to everything and gives you a way to keep moving that makes lasting changes.

Great book that also covers neurodivergent parents and neurodivergent children

This book was written from a perspective that addressed neurodivergence of the child as well as the parent which will be helpful to parents in that situation.

Super useful, realistic and life-changing

I wish I had this book 10 years ago when my eldest first started struggling with behaviour. The concepts are all based in behavioral and brain science but are expressed in such a down-to-earth, practical way. I love how the steps are broken down into achievable pieces, and there are printables to download for visual reference. It's written with such insight and hope. This book should be handed out in maternity departments at every hospital in the world!

An absolute Have to Read!

If you struggle with tantrums, get this book! Life changing! Having Dayna reading it makes it way more interesting as well!

Best parenting book!

I just started listening to this book and it has been amazing. Hearing the author read it is even better. Dayna goes into easy simple steps that anybody can follow. This book is for anybody who is feeling lost as a parent or a person. We can all go from surviving to thriving.