Art Creativity & Wellbeing

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...

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 p...

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'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 Heitn...

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 Ort...

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...

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 yo...

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...

"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!...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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 ne...

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-teac...

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...

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 originall...

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...

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...

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!...

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-teachi...

I am struggling with something, and it would mean so much to me to hear from you about it… I hope you'll answer me just one question, which I ask in this episode. You can answer my question in 2 ways: Click weturnedoutokay.com/contact and respond right on my contact page; or Email me directly– I share my email address in this episode Thank you SO much! This is a public episode. If you'd like to di...

What difference, you might be wondering, can it possibly make to my kids if I have good relationships with other grown-ups? Actually, it matters quite a bit. In this installment of the Raising Successful Kids series we talk about the impact of our relationships, including with our spouses and life-partners, on the eventual fulfillment and happiness of our children. Join us! Go to weturnedoutokay.c...

I know it's difficult to imagine your child as a teen or young adult.  But it will happen, and sooner than you think. If you just can't imagine it – if it even makes you a little frightened to think of – today's guest will inspire hope and excitement in you (he did for me : ) Today I'm excited to share a conversation with a guy who works with teenagers to help them achieve their goals, Blake Boles...

Welcome to another episode on how to make it so our kids grow up into successful, fulfilled, happy adults! In today's installment, we consider whether it's important that we parents work outside the home. And we end up considering an even bigger, more mind-blowing question: how do we even define success and fulfillment? Go to weturnedoutokay.com/262 for: A cheat sheet on the 3 practicalities of ra...