Why Trying to “Reason” With Your Child’s OCD Backfires

It feels so natural to explain, reassure, and try to calm your child down when OCD is loud. After all, that’s how we solve problems in real life. But OCD doesn’t play by those rules. When we try to reason with OCD, we often get pulled deeper into its loop, answering more questions, giving more explanations, and still watching our child struggle. In this episode, I talk about why reasoning and reassurance can quietly fuel OCD, what’s actually happening in your child’s brain in those moments, and how to start shifting your role from “problem solver” to “anchor.” If you are a parent who finds yourself repeating the same answers over and over, or watching your child feel better for a moment only to spiral again, this episode will help you understand why and what to do instead. Links mentioned in episode: PDF handout SPACE Study Course Video on Reassurance as an OCD Compulsion Video on Confessing as an OCD Compulsion *** This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional. Parents, do you need more support? 🌸 Here’s are resources I offer parents 👇🏻❤️ Online classes for parents raising kids with anxiety and OCD: Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD): Take one of my FREE webinars: Check out my books: 🌸 Other social places I hang out: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to Why Trying to “Reason” With Your Child’s OCD Backfires online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Why Trying to “Reason” With Your Child’s OCD Backfires is an episode from AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family by Natasha Daniels: Child Therapist, Child Anxiety and OCD Expert, Parenting Coach and Parent.

This episode is 40:15 long.

This episode was published on May 5, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from AT Parenting Survival Podcast: Parenting | Child Anxiety | Child OCD | Kids & Family when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.