Art Creativity & Wellbeing

How can I stop my child from being so impulsive? How can I stop her from hurting others with her bad behavior? How can I stop him from alienating people because he's hitting, or spitting, or worse? Sometimes it is scary how much anger and frustration our little kids have inside. And when it erupts, we can feel so powerless. This week's We Turned Out Okay podcast episode guest, Maureen Healy, has w...

So, I never actually use the word toxic in the whole episode… instead of that, I talk about balloon-poppers. A much more fun name, I'm sure you'll agree! In this episode I share four ways that you can protect yourself against toxic people, a.k.a. balloon-poppers. Which is really important, not just for your health, but for your child's as well. In this early part of the year, where we have more of...

This episode starts off as a review of my 2018 goals, and how I did with them. But then it takes a dramatic turn: I actually had to record the second half of the show more than once. Why? Because when I recorded the first time, I didn't have clarity. So I renamed the episode, and re-recorded the second half, and now I hope it is much more helpful than the first version would've been! Go to weturne...

Happy new year!! As you climb out from underneath tinsel, and excess, and cranky kiddos, I wanted to share some success stories. I hope to inspire you, right at the beginning of the year, by giving you some stories where things, well, turned out okay, to use the pun that I always swore I would never use (and have indeed not used until this very moment : ) So, today's is a re-broadcasted conversati...

Let's just say it: at this time of year, we don't always get the best behavior from our kids. They're overstimulated. They're out of routine. In many end-of-year traditions they are being showered with gifts. This can make them forget that life is about so much more than receiving presents from everybody who walks through the door (or whose door they walk through.) So, today I wanted to help you d...

  When a coaching client of mine recently posted an article by today's guest in our Ninja Parenting Community forums, I was introduced to one of the great positive parenting forces of our time: Dr. Laura Markham. As soon as I visited her Aha Parenting website, and read some of the advice Dr. Laura shares, I knew you needed to be introduced to her too! Today our conversation gets into vulnerability...

I feel your pain about getting kids to do chores. They whine, and complain, and with enough of that, we begin to ask ourselves "is this really necessary? I could have already had this done myself, and saved us all this trouble." But if kids don't do chores, what happens? Are they any more or less likely to have a successful, fulfilled, happy life? Today we dive into this topic. We explore the righ...

HEADS UP: At the top of the show, we say we're going to tell you if we go into PG-13 territory. In the second half of this episode, I share about being sexually abused at age 7. You may want to listen away from your littles, or with headphones. "Is it shyness or bad manners?" When a member of our private coaching community asked this question during a live members-only call recently, I knew I need...

Today I share how the stress I was under 7 1/2 years ago resulted in a lifelong tendon disorder. I was so busy running our household and putting everyone else first, I did not pay attention to my health. I really want you to learn from my mistake. Today's show focuses on how our stress isn't just bad for us. It's bad for our kids, too. We also dig into the stresses of "intensive" parenting (a.k.a....

Thanksgiving is supposed to be fun, right? It's time with family, one last deep breath before December's insanity. But when our kids were small I used to worry. It's such a big meal. It takes such preparations. And it goes on for such a long time… How could I keep my boys quiet and happy on this day? Then, there were the issues of stranger anxiety, and of small kids in a crowded space, with lots o...

I did a happy dance a few weeks ago when I read that American Academy of Pediatrics has revised its guidelines on spanking and corporal punishment. This 67,000-doctor organization is coming out strongly against spanking, humiliating, and frightening children as discipline. Today I'm rebroadcasting my conversation with former AAP president, Dr. Benard Dreyer. Dr. Dreyer gave such wonderful advice f...

"What's a reasonable consequence for when I ask my young child to stop running away, and he doesn't stop, at the park?" This is the gist of a recent question from one mom in our We Turned Out Okay Facebook group. I shared what I think is a pretty good answer… and then other parents in the group shared their ideas. These ideas were so great – and so different from mine – that I knew I needed to tal...

The term "parenting style" feels so nebulous. But what if your parenting style – what you do in day-to-day interactions with your young child – makes it harder for you to connect, to be happy as you raise your family? What if it affected, not just your young one's childhood, but their whole life? Framed like that, the parenting style we bring isn't so much nebulous, as important. Key, even. Today'...

Do you sometimes feel like you are raising your family in mighty frightening times? So do I. That's why, when I learned about the thing of beauty this week's guest created to combat fear, I knew I had to bring her on the show! Mom, quilter, poet, and personal friend Cathleen Dinsmore recently created an amazing quilt-and-poem combination. The quilt is breathtaking – and, combined with the poem, fo...

I am SO excited to bring you today's show! I have good friend and colleague, Tricia Tomaso, a veteran preschool teacher and holder of a master's degree in special education. Recently, Tricia helped me figure out the right mindset and steps parents can take while potty training – her amazing ideas come up in my Successful Potty Training Under Pressure course , in fact – and she has graciously agree...

Today's show dives into something difficult to imagine, when your kids are so young and your focus is on stuff like temper tantrums, sibling fights, and picky eaters. We can wonder, what miracle will occur, just in the next decade or so, to change my kid from being so young and helpless, to someone who can lead a successful, fulfilled, and happy life? Today, I'm beginning a deep dive into the idea...

Diane Hessan always knew she wanted to work full-time, while raising her daughters. Today she shares what that was really like, and how her life's work prepared her to fulfill a super important role in today's frightening and demoralizing political climate. Nowadays, Diane speaks daily with 500 American voters. These are people from every area of the country, every walk of life, every creed, every...

When should you start potty training your child? [caption id="attachment_1787" align="alignleft" width="150"] Don't you wish your kid looked this happy sitting on a potty?[/caption] How should you potty train your child? I've done some research on these two questions, and let me tell you, they are asked really often in Google. Is this on your mind? Or, are you already trying to potty train, but hi...

Recently one of the moms in my parent coaching community wrote in to share that her 4-year-old sons were about to start school… in a preschool-through-12th-grade school where corporal punishment is used. "I can't imagine [my boys] doing anything that would warrant a paddling, but I could not make myself check that box saying it was okay," she wrote in our forums. She then shared that, if parents c...

You'll love today's conversation if you look at your little kids and can't imagine how they could possibly become functioning – never mind happy or successful – adults. Dad and author Jonathan Greene shares wisdom, and great stories, with us today! Our conversation is all about how Jonathan went from being a latchkey kid – who was routinely mugged, and didn't let it bother him – to a hovering fath...

"Today my 2.5-year-old and his Dad were in a car accident… This happened around 1 PM today and my son has been talking about it and asking questions all evening. I'm trying to answer in simple clear terms but I feel over my head. It feels like a punch in the gut every time it comes up again ." So wrote one of our Ninja Parenting Community members over the summer. Scary stuff! Helping her process h...

"[My husband and I, and our little daughter] are rushing out the door and late to work most mornings. I'm looking forward to participating in the challenge to figure out how to get to work on time!" "With kindergarten I feel like I'm about to toss [my daughter] to the wolves. I'm worried I will have to practically push her through the door. How can I help her overcome her fear and her habitual mor...

To wrap up our Back-to-School Bootcamp series we take a look today at milestones, guidelines, and goals in our kids' education. How important is it to have a 20,000-foot view of a young child's life? What kind of goals should you set, and what kind of milestones should you look for? That's what today's episode is all about. Go to weturnedoutokay.com/241  for notes to this episode... Sign up for th...

Glad you are here for  Module 3 of our Back-to-School Bootcamp! Today we follow up on last week's discussion of what to do about school or childcare problems, so listen back to that one if you're wondering "how do I handle THIS?" Many of us wonder "what is my role in my child's education, how can I best help?" I've got three crucial actions you must take so your child can thrive! Go to weturnedout...

Glad you are here for  Module 2 of our Back-to-School Boot camp! Today we follow up on last week's determination of readiness, so listen back to that one if you're wondering "is my child ready for this?" Problems can crop up whether your child is "ready" for this step or not, so I've got three crucial steps you need to take to handle challenges! Go to weturnedoutokay.com/239 for more on these 3 st...