What do you do when: – Your six-year-old witnessed a traumatic event, and is so traumatized that he feels he can never be away from your side – Your four-year-old "really misses mommy and daddy" and cannot enjoy his enrichment class – You fear your three-year-old's "declining independence," because she increasingly needs you by her side as she is going potty, getting dressed, and going to sleep at night – Your seven-year-old is afraid to be alone in the upstairs of your house, while you are down...
Feb 27, 2020•1 hr
So, there's a tiny swear, the word bada**, in the break of today's episode… while I'm sharing about last week's hospitalization of one of my sons. (There is also an invitation to you, to join the Ninja Parenting Community at 50% off the standard annual rate! Click here for details : ) – A parenting book about showing up – A new action-adventure podcast for kids ages 8 to 12 – An awesome ninja tactic for handling your child backtalk and disrespect – A manifesto for parents by a beloved author Wha...
Feb 25, 2020•44 min
Welcome! To listen to today's episode, scroll down to the very bottom of this post and hit the triangular "play" button. Enjoy the show! Recently an NPC member brought up a hugely important issue, and it sparked a whole line of thinking for me that led us to this video! Here's the issue: "It would be interesting to hear some data/facts on how harmful NOT disciplining your kids can be. So many times we focus on the negative effects of discipline – spanking, timeouts, etc., but what's easy to forg...
Feb 18, 2020•59 min
Will you be my Valentine? I have a special gift exclusively for newsletter subscribers… Click here to read my most recent newsletter (all about Valentine's Day) and to subscribe! "Schools are way, way behind the times when it comes to what kids need today," one of today's guests, educational psychologist Dr. Rob Reiher, shares during our conversation. Rob and his podcast cohost, Wayne Yercha, teamed up because they saw a disparity not just in schools, but in children's entertainment. So they cre...
Feb 11, 2020•1 hr 6 min
What we believe influences everything: our thoughts, our interactions, our relationships, and in the end our reality. But it can be really hard to nail down what we actually believe. In today's episode I take you into my beliefs, show you how I figured out what they are, and most importantly help you clarify your own. It's a master class in getting the reality that you want most – both as a parent and as a person. I hope you find this episode helpful! Click weturnedoutokay.com/316 for a cheat sh...
Feb 04, 2020•41 min
Hey friends! I'm excited to be a part of the launch of a new podcast, FAM – For All Moms . In this quickie bonus episode, you get to hear from Susan and Sharzad, the creators themselves, about their journeys to motherhood. ( Click here for the trailer and additional information about FAM.) The podcast is available right now, so if you like what you hear, be sure to find FAM - For All Moms in your favorite podcatcher! Enjoy!! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subs...
Jan 29, 2020•10 min
FYI: If you need support keeping your sanity while raising kiddos, try out my private coaching community (called the Ninja Parenting Community)! You can spend your whole first month in the community for just $1 - but only when you join by Friday 1/31. Click here for details! ) -------------------------------- Welcome to our first ever Parenting News Roundup! Over the month of January a theme has developed around here, with the interview and podcast episodes all relating to the idea of self worth...
Jan 28, 2020•48 min
"My dad and stepmom are, simply put, selfish and controlling. They guilt me about not seeing my son more often, and usually want us to drive an hour out to their very not-kid-friendly house. How do I find a line of how often to see/talk to them that works for me and my kid?" So writes one of our most beloved ninja parents, known in the Ninja Parenting Community forums as Mama Llama. Maybe her feelings are familiar to you? In this episode, I outline 5 ways for you to get control of your relations...
Jan 21, 2020•43 min
My wellness coach is here for YOU today! "Linda," who's going incognito for our conversation, shares about so much: – Her own wellness journey – What it was like for her to raise a child with special needs – How to get what you want out of life Hope you enjoy this conversation and find it helpful! Here is the link to the show notes for this episode : ) PS One place where you can get help with your own challenges while raising little kids is the online community that I run, NPC . During January 2...
Jan 14, 2020•56 min
Happy New Year!! In 2019 I had two goals: 1. To fit into my ski pants 2. To be in control of my food intake If my ski pants fit, that meant I could go skiing and spend wonderful, exhilarating time with loved ones! And if I could be in control of my food intake, that meant I wouldn't inadvertently hijack other goals that I had about health and weight loss. Today I share about how I met those goals, through a 5-step process that I hope will be helpful as you work to achieve your goals! Links and o...
Jan 07, 2020•48 min
Continuing in this end-of-year "big idea" line of thinking, one of our beloved Ninja Parenting Community members recently asked a huge, and great question: "How can I relax and enjoy our relationship more and not feel like I'm always on the edge of discipline mode or like I should have handled things differently [with my 3-year-old]?" Effectively she's asking: do I have to control my young child's behavior all the time, or is there anything else besides that? Today's episode is my response. Vide...
Dec 31, 2019•40 min
"He asked me tonight who God was…" When Ninja Parenting Community member Mama Llama shared about this conversation with her three-year-old, I knew you were going to want to hear about it too. This is a short-and-sweet episode (and it's topsy-turvy, with the other stuff coming after the main part of the show, rather than before.) But don't be fooled by its brevity. We talk about something big! So big, maybe it can only be glimpsed at by us. I am excited to share, somewhat different, episode with ...
Dec 24, 2019•32 min
I love this conversation. It's different from many of the others I've done, a little less focused on children and family… And more focused on how today's guest, Sunny Gault, found fulfillment within herself and built a career in helping other parents find fulfillment. Consequently Sunny is able to love and support her family, as they love and support her. Come with me on a deep dive into one mom's journey. You may, as I did, recognize yourself in Sunny's choices, thoughts, and actions. You may a...
Dec 17, 2019•1 hr 25 min
This question came directly from a ninja parent with this problem: "I can't identify a trigger but [my three-year-old] wakes up sometime around 1 to 3 AM and is just wide-awake and mad that it's not morning yet. Any tips on sleep stuff?" In this episode we talk about what to do when your child wakes up in the middle of the night and doesn't want to go back to sleep. Join us! Sign up for my Weekly Parenting Newsletter Each Wednesday I send out a Parenting Newsletter, to help you stay sane while r...
Dec 10, 2019•33 min
Welcome to the fourth and final installment in our series about school, and how it can screw up your child, and how to make sure that that does not happen! Today we discuss the dangers that come with someone feeling continually assessed, judged, and evaluated. I work really hard to give you ideas to overcome this challenge. Plus in Parenting News: I share about this documentary that I first watched in college as a human development major. (Based on this documentary … Some of what's in the other ...
Dec 03, 2019•58 min
It's almost time! -- NPC Cyber Monday special: 30% off of annual Ninja Parenting Community membership… Get on the waiting list (and get 7 of my best parenting resources – for free) by clicking weturnedoutokay.com/cybermonday ! In this episode find out: – What's the right age for starting soccer – What to do with your three-year-old's tantrums – How to handle night terrors in your young child – How to deal with disrespect We're bringing you some GREAT questions from the parents I work closely wit...
Nov 26, 2019•1 hr 12 min
Surprise! Bonus episode on how to have a happy Thanksgiving! Special thanks to Graham Smith and Kirsten Dunlap of the Welcome Home podcast, and Desirae Endres of Minimal-ish , for sharing in this edition of We Turned Out Okay … We are connecting our shows, each of us with a "Best Thanksgiving Day Ever" in a pod hop, similar to the blog hops of old! FYI: NPC Cyber Monday special: 30% off of annual Ninja Parenting Community membership… Get on the waiting list (and get 7 of my best parenting resour...
Nov 21, 2019•40 min
NPC Cyber Monday special: 30% off of annual Ninja Parenting Community membership… Get on the waiting list (and get 7 of my best parenting resources – for free) by clicking weturnedoutokay.com/cybermonday ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a preschool teacher I used to get asked all the time about when we would be teaching reading. Or writing. I could see the stunned disbelief on parents' faces when we'd tell them "we don't teach formal academics,...
Nov 19, 2019•58 min
NPC Cyber Monday special: 30% off of annual Ninja Parenting Community membership… Get on the waiting list (and get 7 of my best parenting resources – for free) by clicking weturnedoutokay.com/cybermonday ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Fortunately the children have no words to define the panic and anger they feel at constant violations of natural order and sequence fobbed off on them as quality in education." – Jon Taylor Gatto, Dumbing Us Down ...
Nov 12, 2019•1 hr 1 min
We talk with the Mindful Mama Mentor, Hunter Clarke-Fields, in this episode of We Turned Out Okay! Hunter is a parent coach who found real solutions to her own anger and frustration with meditation and mindfulness. She is a force for good, and I am so excited to bring her on the show! The title of this episode was very nearly "Mindfulness: A Cool Parental Brain Hack," which is how today's guest characterizes this state of mind in the latter part of our conversation. I love this idea, that mindfu...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 28 min
"This morning we were reading a space book and [my three-year-old] was talking about how he was going to kill the astronauts. Aggressive talk really freaks me out." When one of the parents I mentor in the Ninja Parenting Community posted this recently, I knew that you might be hearing "aggressive talk" with your child as well. Why DO kids seem to talk and think so much about death, and killing? We get into that today, and I share 3 ways you can address what might seem an unhealthy obsession with...
Oct 29, 2019•1 hr 5 min
There are lots of reasons why we want our kids to become independent, in their actions and their thinking. (If for no other reason than, when our kids are independent, we do less for them. This means we are happier, and also it helps help our children understand the joys of being part of a system in which we all work together.) Today's episode is about how, if we're not careful, we might be teaching in the opposite. Today we discuss the possibility that simply attending school could make our chi...
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr
We're celebrating today, 300 episodes of We Turned Out Okay! I am super excited to welcome back beloved guests Tricia Tomaso, preschool teacher extraordinaire, and Janine Halloran, coping skills expert, for a roundtable discussion talking about social and emotional learning, and if schools actually do screw up kids… And we're also answering your questions in this tri-centennial episode! Join us! Go to weturnedoutokay.com/300 for the bazillion links we discuss today… And FYI Parenting News, and M...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 43 min
"I am still just so scared these challenges are going to last forever, and school and daily life will always be a struggle. It's so hard to see the stuff other kids can do that [my three-year-old] just can't." If this lament – if these fears – sound familiar, I hope today's episode will help. Raising children is a hard job, especially when you're worried about a child's behavior, and if it's normal or not. In this episode we've got 5 ways for you to feel better about the bad behavior, and how yo...
Oct 08, 2019•57 min
This episode almost didn't make it. Not because I don't think it is wicked important. I do think that. But because I worried about hurting your feelings. Ultimately (as you'll hear in the first five minutes or so) I decided to bring it to you, because from everything I'm seeing, school is broken. Systemically. In the long-term, I hope we can work together to fix it. But in the short-term, we need to make sure that it's not screwing up our kids. Plus in Parenting News: This TED talk by Allison Le...
Oct 01, 2019•47 min
Reminder: join my Ninja Parenting Community for $1 for your first 30 days! But only by joining before October 1! “Thank you for all of your help! You have truly changed our lives and helped navigate some massive life changes and I am so grateful!” – Mama Llama, Mom of a three-year-old boy and NPC member "Karen helps me feel like I actually know what I am doing.” – Steve, Dad of 3-and-5-year-old boys, 1-to-1 Parent Coaching Client Click here for details – or check out the fancy-pants button I mad...
Sep 26, 2019•31 min
I am super excited to bring you a conversation with two of the most beloved people in podcasting, Biz Ellis and Theresa Thorn of One Bad Mother ! Take note: there WILL be swears, so listen away from your kiddos… Also I totally mess up in describing a genius moment of my own! (I guess that's a fail at a genius moment : ) So in the preshow I try to rectify that. Biz and Theresa are such generous people that, while I'm sure they were looking at each other with extremely confused "why is this a geni...
Sep 24, 2019•1 hr 22 min
So, today's Parenting News segment makes me cry, those mushy, parenty, happy/sad tears. You know the ones. That's coming up in today's break. Also! Join my private coaching community for just $1 for your whole first 30 days! Get the support you need to help your child – or yourself – through the huge challenges that parenting can bring. This is for a limited time, only through September 30, because of a technical screwup. Listen to the break for more on this. And click here to join the Ninja Par...
Sep 17, 2019•57 min
If the anxiety is hyped up in your home right now, for kids and/or for you, hopefully you'll find this episode helpful! It even includes a discussion, during the break, about how to deal with our own parental anxieties. I read listener Cathy's letter, sharing about her own anxiety, which starts off the thinking about what we can do to feel less anxious ourselves. Plus in Parenting News: I completely screw up a quote from Dr. Elven Semrad in the second half of this episode… Which led me on a sear...
Sep 10, 2019•1 hr 14 min
Are you, as a parent, coming to view American healthcare as a soul-sucking showstopper of happiness? Don't despair. Today's guest, Dan Weissmann, has some great ideas and advice! Dan sparked a movement when he began a podcast about the many ways average Americans - confronting a healthcare system that can be ruinous both financially, and healthwise - think of and approach family health and happiness. The Arm and a Leg Podcast dives into some crazy stuff! Listening to Dan's show you can learn abo...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 32 min
