Are you emotionally drained from walking on eggshells, extreme emotions, power struggles & unpredictable outbursts?
Life-saving monthly group coaching and unlimited access to transformative parenting curriculum!
Do you feel ill-equipped to parent your Spicy One® gently because most parenting tips don't apply to your high energy, independent & willful child?
>> Does your child’s explosiveness feel like it’s ruining the family peace, as well as their siblings’ childhood?
>> Are you concerned you might be dimming their light with harsh discipline, but also not providing enough structure?
>> Do you worry about their future as an adult? Will they be able to keep friends, a job, or a relationship?
Moms of Spicy Ones Academy helps you…
🙃 Stay calm with a kid (or teen) who goes from 0-60 in seconds, even when their tantrums are violent
🤯 Set boundaries without crushing their spirit or becoming a doormat
🤕 Let go of the guilt and be proud of the parent you're becoming
🥰 Build a lifelong connection with your child exactly as they are
🥶 Keep your cool during huge meltdowns, whining and defiance
😆 Find the playfulness even in the hardest moments
Here is what alumni have to say…
Frequently asked questions (FAQs):
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You have a Spicy One if your child:
• Takes more than you have to give.
• Feels things intensely and express themselves in big emotional outbursts (from rage to joyful screaming)
• Possesses a fierce drive for independence, autonomy and doing it their own way
• Chooses to be completely true to themselves, not others
• Seems unafraid to take up space or disappoint others (but feels outsized shame when corrected)
• Powerfully negotiates with adults until they lose hope and melt down
• Struggles to be consoled physically
• Toggles between exhibiting a zest for life or complaining that they don’t want to live anymore
• Has energy to spare and tend to be moving all the time
• Tests as gifted in some ways but completely inept in others
• Has a deep sense of justice (but are fine if they themselves break the rules)
• Refuses to rest long in contentedness always wondering “what’s next”
• Sometimes hurts folks unintentionally
• Defaults to brutal honesty with powerful words that can wound or delight
• Seems acutely aware of others’ feelings yet misses the social cues that peers are feeling disgruntled
• Learns best through defiance and personally experienced failure (rather than parental guidance)
• Shares a silly subversive sense of humor (and dark misuse of toys)
• Enjoys “poking the bear” or bothering other children in order to get a dramatic reaction and some sensory needs met
• Play so competitively that they meltdown when they lose and/or refuse to play by the rules
• Notice severything from how a chair was moved, to mom waking up in a bad mood
• Prefers to direct the play of peers
• Refuses to say “I love you” until they feel it
• Is a change-maker, free spirit or innovator but rarely a follower
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Moms of Spicy Ones Academy membership gives you instant access to everything below.
The Full Class Library
• CALM Class — tantrums, meltdowns, and nervous system regulation
• KIND Class — power struggles and respectful discipline
• FIRM Class — boundaries that actually hold
• Tweens & Teens Class — shifting your parenting for the adolescent years
• Siblings School — creating peace between your kids
• Just Say No Class — ending the cycle of over-commitment
• Good Enough Parenting — releasing perfectionism for good
Advanced MOSO: The Deep Work
Eight modules of inner work designed to break cycles, quiet your inner critic, and change how you show up.
Three Live Coaching Calls Every Month (optional)
• Kids Call — for parents of children ages 2–10
• Teens Call — for parents ages 11–18
• Deep Work Call — for your triggers and patterns
Can’t make it live? Replays are available for 30 days.
A Private Instagram Community
Weekly pep talks from Mary. Other moms who get it. Zero judgment.
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Three calls happen every month. Dates and times rotate so different schedules can be accommodated.
• MOSO Academy: Kids — for parents of children ages 2–10
• MOSO Academy: Teens — for parents of teens ages 11–18
• MOSO Academy: Deep Work — for your triggers and patterns
All calls are optional. Can’t make it live? Replays are available for 30 days.
👉 See the current call schedule here.
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All parents can benefit from learning to parent their Spicy One well!
This course is designed for two groups:
Kids: parents of kids aged 2-10 and Teens: parents of kids 11 - 18.
You can chose which group you want to participate with when it comes to coaching calls. Pick the child who takes the most energy to parent right now. Or attend all of the calls.
Worried it’s too late?
C.S. Lewis said it best, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”
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Heck yes. I promise not to give you techniques that assume you have a village supporting you or even someone who can watch your child while you shower!
All material can be consumed a-synchronistically to work with the meager free time you have to learn.
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Yes. You are invited to watch all the recorded curriculum and recordings of coaching calls with your co-parent.
No extra purchase is required.
LIVE calls are set aside just for moms. -
Nope. While I personally identify as a deconstructing, radically affirming Christian, no religious affiliation is explored or communicated in this course. I believe Moms of Spicy Ones need the benefits that come with opening up to a higher power, but how you define that is up to you.
Lisa Miller wisely says, “Spirituality is a necessary human capacity that exists in every person through which we experience love and connection, unity and sense of guidance from and dialogue with life.”
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Access to live calls, pre-recorded curriculum, self-reflection journals, private instagram access and last 30 days of coaching call recordings are yours for as long as you are subscribed. Cancel anytime.
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No. MOSO Academy is a monthly subscription, not a one-time course purchase.
When you subscribe, you get immediate access to everything:
All 8 weeks of MOSO (Moms of Spicy Ones)
CALM class (tantrums & meltdowns)
KIND class (power struggles)
FIRM class (boundaries)
TWEENS & TEENS class
SIBLINGS class
Just Say No class
Monthly live coaching calls
You can cancel your $47/month subscription anytime. No guilt trips.
Since you get full library access from day one, refunds don't apply.
If you have questions before joining, email me at mary@maryvangeffen.com I'm happy to help you decide if MOSO Academy is right for your family.
The entire class library is included & ready to watch now!
Take a sneak peek at the membership…
“If you're ready to do some soul-stretching work on yourself & take the time to look at the big picture of your family, THIS IS YOUR SCHOOL! Mary has a gift of bringing out the best parts of who you are as a mother & helping you shine!”
— Alicia
Join Mary at any of the 3 optional LIVE ZOOM calls each month.
Ask your questions. Get support when you need it.
From toddlerhood to the teen years!
No one should have to do this alone and lonely like I did!
How It Works
Subscribe:
Get access to monthly coaching calls, the entire MVG class library and a private Instagram community for $47/month. Cancel anytime.
Learn:
Follow the curriculum map to build your skills. Watch the prerecorded video course modules at your own pace.
Be Supported:
Ask a question on any of the monthly Zoom calls. Can't make it live? Watch or listen to recordings for 30 days. Weekly MVG pep talks on the private Instagram
Transform:
Practice and grow with regular accountability and a mentor’s wisdom. Build a long-term connected relationship with your explosive kid..
You are NOT the only mom who sometimes makes things worse!
You can learn how to hold a safe, loving space, even with a VERY CHALLENGING Child or Teen.
“I'm so thankful I took a chance and made this INVESTMENT in myself, my Spicy One, my mild one and my spouse. This group has helped make EVERYONE'S life more enjoyable”
— Katie
“DO IT!! This subscription will be like nothing you have tried before. Other courses may touch on what it is to parent a Spicy One, but no other class, book or webinar really, truly gets what you're going through. Mary sees you, she lives it, has parented the spicy child. She brings in so many perspectives and tools together in one place. This course gets to the foundation which is you, the mom. It helps you to move towards becoming whole and certain in how you show up as a parent so you can lead, guide and disciple/teach this spicy young one. It also gives you practical, usable strategies for how to parent your spicy one in a way that works for the spicy kid.”
-Jenifer
“I was surprised at how robust the coursework was, and how in depth the coaching gets. Often with these courses (I’ve purchased various parenting courses), there is not a lot of groundbreaking material. MOSO felt super informative and easy to digest.”
— Samantha
“This has been the best source of parenting support I have found in my nearly 10 years as a parent. I felt like I wasn't alone, that I have tools to help myself and my whole family. Honestly lots of it felt like things I'd worked through in counseling, I enjoyed seeing how that ties into parenting.”
— Jenna
Moms of Spicy Ones® Academy works for all kinds of families.
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Shame-Free.
When you are trying to find your footing with a counter-cultural child who will NOT comply, you are bound to make some big mistakes.
I’ll share my parenting lows right alongside you, and give you lots of space to grow, without judgment or condemnation. This is a safe space to be a real human parent who has real human challenges.
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Inclusive.
This class is for any mom whose child is difficult to parent regardless of whether your child or yourself is neurotypical or neurodivergent.
We welcome all kinds of moms regardless of race, color, age (yes to grandmoms!), national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, or disability.
You don’t need a diagnosis or an IEP to make life-changing adjustments in your home. You can shift how you show up as a parent whether or not you are medicating your child, in family therapy or surrounded by child development professionals.
There are so many ways to move toward health and healing, and this space is welcoming of them all.
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Spiritual, Not Religious.
While I identify as a deconstructing, radically LGBTQ+ affirming Christian, in this course, all expressions of faith are welcome. We will need the benefits that come with opening up to a higher power.
Lisa Miller says it well; “Spirituality is a necessary human capacity that exists in every person through which we experience love and connection, unity and sense of guidance from and dialogue with life.”
“It’s an all around wonderful self-discovering journey. I was given permission to let go of control and to get playful. That is so much of a better fit for me as a person.”
—Shannon
Worried your partner won’t be on board?
It’s understandable if your partner is suspicious of the effectiveness of gentle parenting, especially if they themselves weren't raised with respect and tenderness. Thankfully, it only takes one person in a family to change their behavior for the impact to be felt by the entire group. This subscription will be your oxygen mask that helps everyone breathe better.
Your partner is welcome to watch all the prerecorded content.
I have recorded a three-minute summary video for each week, that way you can text the link to your partner so they can follow along on your learning journey. I even give them sample questions they can ask you!
Think your child might be too challenging for this to help?
This subsciption is not designed to replace medical assistance or an official diagnosis. This is additional support for a family struggling with a difficult-to-parent child or for those also pursuing clinical help. This work primarily serves you as the parent, regardless of your child’s unique challenges.
This could be YOU...
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You stay calm & cool.
Your Spicy One just had a 5-alarm tantrum but you stayed calm and cool. In fact, you snuggled together using breathing and your warm presence. You are proud of how you didn't let their upset become your upset. Your child puts their hand in yours, looks in your eyes and says “you always make everything better.”
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You model healthy conflict.
Your young adult child sparkles out in the world, getting the first job of their dreams, winning over other adults and pursuing their passions. Their friendships are robust and healthy, and they even take a selfie with you once in a while. They know how to engage in healthy conflict because you’ve modeled it over and over again.
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You are their safe place.
Your adult child comes home often just to be with you. They seek you out for advice because you are their safe person. They are eager to offer you an intimate peek into their wild and wonderful life, because they know you love them for exactly who they are.
“I'm so grateful for the teaching to watch at my own pace, and for the in-real-time connections. MOSO has been a huge gift to me and my family.”
—Alison