Whether public school, charter school, private school, or homeschool, this time of year brings massive changes to lots of families' lives. It's exciting, but it can also be stressful. Today I want to help you stay more on the positive side of the exciting/stressful balance! How are you feeling about the start of the new school year? Today we discuss 4 ways to start the year off right. Important Program Notes: – In this episode you'll hear me talk about a Streamline Your Mornings workshop, that w...
Aug 27, 2019•1 hr 4 min
"Learning" can mean different things to different people: – Getting good grades – Passing a test – Reading, writing, coding, mathematics, etc. But how do we get to the point where we know, and can demonstrate, our knowledge? It all starts in early childhood. Today we dive into how young children learn best. Plus in Parenting News: As parents, we can't be all serious and big-business. Without some downtime, we can't keep going, in child-rearing, in outside-of-the-home jobs, or within ourselves. I...
Aug 20, 2019•57 min
Today's guest, Anna Seewald of the Authentic Parenting Podcast , experienced a truly traumatic event in her childhood, an earthquake in which she lost her mother. In part because of this experience, she went on to become a therapist, a woman who has dedicated her life to helping others through their toughest moments. "My true passion is to help children to thrive," she writes. Today we discuss many ways to help your child to do exactly that. I know you will get a lot out of this conversation. Ma...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 9 min
We have all been hit hard by the news recently. And if we, as adults, are feeling the strain and stress, it's a safe bet that our children feel it too. How can you help? In this bonus episode I offer five ways. Helpful links: Click here for episode 261 of We Turned Out Okay , my conversation with Maureen Healy (whose Bubble Breathing exercise I suggest in this episode.) Click here for the link to the Eckerd College article about Marjorie Sanfilippo, whose study about kids and guns I talk about i...
Aug 08, 2019•37 min
(Possibly due to Mommy Brain, I don't mention the survey link in today's episode until I've practically already said goodbye. So, here it is: weturnedoutokay.com/wreck Click there to help me wreck this podcast : ) Also included in the survey: the chance for you to have a quick 1-to-1 call with me in September! Completely free, and without obligation. September is really hard for a lot of you, and I want to help you make it better. Today I am asking the questions: How can this show be better? How...
Aug 06, 2019•14 min
In this week's episode of We Turned Out Okay, we examine a parent's role in a child's education! Lots of parents have no idea how to help their kiddos in learning how to read, write, do math, or code. But these are the essential skills of the future. How do we help our kids, when they're young, get ready for all that learning? Find out by listening to this episode of We Turned Out Okay ! Plus in Parenting News: A really fascinating episode of Experiential Wisdom, all about lifelong learning and ...
Jul 30, 2019•59 min
Do you ever feel like your family life is sliding in a direction you don't want? In today's episode you will hear how one mom, a coaching client of mine, worked with me to take control. [caption id="attachment_2614" align="alignleft" width="300"] NPC member Jen, with her two daughters.[/caption] Getting control over the direction her family is going has brought has meant many good things, including fun, fulfillment, and real joy. Listen in as Jen, mother of 2 young girls, talks about what she's ...
Jul 23, 2019•1 hr 6 min
How does one mom handle it, when she finds her daughters throwing dirt at each other? (FYI: I'm taking your questions for an upcoming episode! What's on your mind about your kiddos right now? I'm a child development expert and parent coach, I'd love to help! Ask, and I'll address your question in our August 6 episode... I'm taking questions until Thursday, August 1 (which is when I'll record the episode.) Go to weturnedoutokay.com/contact to ask your question : ) No matter the season, there's al...
Jul 16, 2019•57 min
In today's bonus podcast episode I answer WTOO Facebook group member Jennifer's question about how to get kids to take responsibility without continually hovering around them and "politely interrupting" in order to get kids to clean up their messes. I put this in the context of a roadmap, which includes three crucial steps to independence, responsibility, and guilt-free parenting. (BTW: I share about a conversation I had recently on a wonderful show, Authentic Parenting. Click here for Anna Seew...
Jul 12, 2019•41 min
What are the factors that matter – like, REALLY matter, over the long haul – versus those that don't, in your child's education? (Quick heads-up: starting this coming Monday, July 15 I'm offering a program to help you do less for your child, and feel good about it! It's called "21 Days to Independence for your child… and for you." In these 3 weeks we will cover: how to not be your child's personal entertainer; how to stop hovering, for your benefit AND theirs; how to help them resolve conflicts,...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Hey my friend! Next week I'm teaching a FREE workshop on independence, for your child and you, in the We Turned Out Okay Facebook group: click this link to take part or scroll down right here in your podcatcher to find out more! When I first saw How to Raise a Boy , the book today's guest, Michael Reichert, PhD, wrote, I knew I was in for a treat. Dr. Reichert 's writing is a skillful blend of personal stories and relevant, amazing research, and before I knew it I was highlighting, marking pages...
Jul 02, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Heads up on 2 counts: First, I'm teaching a FREE Online Parenting Class I'm teaching this Thursday, "How to Help Your Kids Get Along with Other Kids!" Scroll down to read more and sign up! Second, soon I am teaching a FREE, week long workshop on how to get your child to be more independent so they don't have to rely on you! I'm teaching this workshop in the We Turned Out Okay Facebook group. Click here to join the group! My jaw was on the floor recently during a parent coaching call with one of ...
Jun 25, 2019•43 min
Here's something that you may not have thought of: developmental stages aren't just for kids. Each of us grown-ups is still working on stuff developmentally. Today we talk about the adult stages of development – a concept that really matters! It matters in relation to our young children. But most of all it matters to us, inside ourselves. Plus in Parenting News: Friend-of-the-podcast Devorah Heitner, who always makes me feel better about life in our digital age, recently wrote a beautiful essay ...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Heads up: keep listening after the interview, because I read out Emily Orton's responses to questions that were asked in the We Turned Out Okay Facebook group. Her responses are awesome and I don't want you to miss them! Sometimes we have down moments in our lives. Times where we second-guess ourselves and our choices; times where we're not sure what direction to go. That was the case for Erik Orton, at a low point in his life when a project he put all his time and energy – and his family's fina...
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 25 min
I know you're wondering: what is this untapped force? It's… Wait for it… BOREDOM. Several factors have combined to illustrate for me the amazing power of being bored. I share about these factors in this episode, and I also share about how they are helping me understand that us humans need boredom in our lives. We need to "get comfortable with being uncomfortable," as next week's guests on our show will share. (To find out who they are, you'll have to tune in next week. All I can say here is that...
Jun 04, 2019•43 min
Welcome to another installment of Educating Little Kids! (When it's a book, it will have a better title, promise.) We dive into development today, and if you're wondering "why should I care about child development," I hope this episode makes that clear. Really and truly, it's a good thing to know. Today we dive into the stages of development – stages all of us humans are going through – to give you a sense of where your child is developmentally. Plus in Parenting News: How our own biases can sto...
May 28, 2019•55 min
Today's guest, Jacky Lamenzo, ate "only off the kids menu" well into her adulthood. Then, she had the opportunity to go to China for a year, and knew something was going to have to change. Could she make the change? You bet. In our conversation Jacky shares what she did to stop being a picky eater, and also about her delightful children's book that helps parents and kids with picky eating now. And here's the cool thing: before we even get to the picky eating, we talk about so much other interest...
May 21, 2019•1 hr 12 min
"She will not eat with us at the dinner table. No matter what we have for dinner she won't eat it. She just says "yucky" and won't eat anything. Help!!!" So writes Megan, mom of a two-year-old girl who is a seriously picky eater. I bet, if you've got kids, you know Megan's struggle. I certainly do! There is help. Today I share 4 things to consider when you've got a child who refuses to eat. Also! Click here to sign up for the "5 Ways to Handle Your Picky Eater" Free Guide , which I tell you all ...
May 14, 2019•39 min
Do you tend to think along the lines of "I don't need to worry about teaching… that will be taken care of when my child starts school"? I want to push back on that idea today. Because the opposite side of this coin is "I am not a teacher and what I do here at home does not matter." What we do at home really and truly matters. And today, we're talking about 3 ways you can take advantage of this. In this week's Parent News segment: We consider the Parent Police… anyone who disparages our personal ...
May 07, 2019•51 min
Clarity; balance; peace… Sometimes it can be hard to feel that we have any of these in our frantic homes and lives. Today's guest, Meagan Wilson, specializes in helping families reconnect with those positive feelings, and best of all helps us bring those positive feelings to our children. In our conversation we talk about: – The best kind of learning for little kids – How to get more of that into our kiddos' lives – The importance of wonderful things like daily rhythms and self-directed play int...
Apr 30, 2019•1 hr 17 min
One of the most concerning things for us parents is that our kids will not have any friends. Maybe because we all remember that feeling of being lonely, or singled out. We can feel kind of helpless at the same time. You may be feeling like either the process is so intuitive that you can't teach it, or you may even be thinking "I don't have that many friends, who am I to be trying to teach my child how to make friends?" In this episode I deconstruct this process. I offer 4 ways to help your child...
Apr 23, 2019•42 min
As life partners, we all have some disagreements. But what if you feel like your disagreements are interfering in family life? That's what this episode is all about, so if you're worrying about any of this you're in the right place! I've got 3 ways to get your spouse on the same page as you are. Plus: in Parenting News, we consider coding as one of the academic 3Rs. Join us! Go to weturnedoutokay.com/274 for: A cheat sheet of the 3 ways discussed today Links to a whole bunch of good stuff, inclu...
Apr 16, 2019•47 min
A conversation with Audrey Monke is always welcome, even more so when she's written a book that can fix so many of the worries we confront on a daily basis. Which this one totally is! If you're worried about: – How to keep your kids close while giving them their independence – If they'll ever make friends, and what might happen to them if they don't – How in heck they will develop the skills necessary to make it in this world You are going to LOVE our conversation! Also: included in this episode...
Apr 09, 2019•1 hr 3 min
If you've ever struggled with less-than-quality childcare, whether in daycare or in a school setting, today's episode is for you! Because you are not alone. I've been working closely with people whose childcare providers do inscrutable things – one mom tells of an "aggression journal" her 3-year-old son's childcare teachers are keeping about him! – and another who found her most recent parent-teacher conference frightening and overwhelming. Which is why today I'm bringing you, in audio format, t...
Apr 02, 2019•1 hr 13 min
What's your go-to approach for getting work done? Do you view something difficult as an exciting challenge, or a way to prove to yourself and others – once again – how crummy you are at difficult stuff? Today, we look at how our own mindset impacts our children's eventual success. Take a listen! Go to weturnedoutokay.com/271 for: A cheat sheet on getting your best mindset for your child's success Key links from today's episode The video of the week: "What is a good mindset for learning? How to g...
Mar 26, 2019•43 min
You may have heard that creativity is important to our children's developing minds. But have you ever thought about how important creativity is for yourself? Today's guest, Dan Blank, not only helps us understand how important it is… He helps us figure out ways to incorporate creativity into our busy parenting lives. I hope you enjoy today's conversation, whether you heard it when it was originally broadcast about 18 months ago, or if this is your first listen. Cheers! Go to weturnedoutokay.com/...
Mar 19, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Last summer, the two-year-old son of a Ninja Parenting Community member was in a car accident. Thankfully no one was injured. But the car was totaled. And this little boy kept asking the same question, over and over: "Why did Daddy crash Daddy's car?" The accident was not Daddy's fault. But you couldn't convince the boy of that! Everyone just wanted to move on. But this little boy struggled to do that. Maybe your child hasn't recently been in a car accident, and so this isn't the question that k...
Mar 12, 2019•35 min
If you've been listening to our Successful, Fulfilled Kids series (of which this is part 7), I know you're implementing some great tactics, like making sure your child does chores , and doing something besides "parenting." But today's episode gets into a concept that is really key. It's a mindset shift that parents need to make, if only to show our kids what is possible. Yup: we've finally come to the topic of Grit. Listen in to find out why it's important and how you can make sure your children...
Mar 05, 2019•38 min
Wondering what to do when: – Your child fills the pull up or leaks through, every single night, despite being potty trained during the day? – You are stuck – at least for a little while – with subpar childcare? – Your child is being picked on due to intolerance? We answer these questions and more, in today's episode! I'm so excited to bring you another round of Ask the Experts with Tricia Tomaso! [FYI: in the break I mention having One Question for you… Click here to hear the bonus episode about...
Feb 26, 2019•1 hr 38 min
What's your biggest parenting challenge? I really want to help you with it! (For context, listen to this recent quickie bonus episode : ) Click weturnedoutokay.com/contact to go to my contact page and share what's toughest for you as a parent. Thank you sooooo much! How do you react when your child makes a mistake, does something wrong, mouths off? If you respond to bad behavior with lesson-teaching/consequences mode engaged – in other words, if you have "zero tolerance" for your child's transgr...
Feb 19, 2019•47 min
