Art Creativity & Wellbeing

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...

We've got a great August coming up for you, a whole series of new episodes on overcoming the perils of back-to-school! Starting with today's episode, in which I share three ways to know if your child is ready – for preschool, for kindergarten, for first or second grade, for relocating to a new school… You name it and we cover it in this episode. If, after you listen, you're thinking "maybe my kid...

Talking with returning champion KJ Dell'Antonia is always a pleasure, and this episode is maybe my favorite conversation with her yet! KJ has got a book coming out later this month, and if you're feeling the pressures of parenting, you are going to LOVE her book, How to be a Happier Parent . Like so many of my favorite conversations, this one zooms around and goes in directions that I didn't envis...

What's toughest for you about this time of year? Maybe it's your worries about how your child will handle the upcoming school year … Or maybe it's just that you can't stand the thought of the crazy schedule changes that are coming your way… Or maybe you're worrying about how to work with teachers or administrators? I'm creating a Back to School Bootcamp to directly address your toughest struggles!...

Welcome to Part 5 of our series on how to have good weeknights with your kids! Click here for our FREE Tame the Weeknight Chaos Guide Today we are talking about what to do when things go wrong with even the best-planned weeknight.. I've got 3 easy steps that you can use to overcome the frustrations, troubleshoot the problems that come up, and truly enjoy weeknights with your children! Watch this v...

Welcome to Part 4 of our series on how to have good weeknights with your kids! Click here for the FREE Tame the Weeknight Chaos Guide Today we are talking about how to say positive, weeknight after weeknight, even when you are burned out on family time.. I've got 3 easy steps that you can use to overcome the feeling of being fed up and instead truly enjoy weeknights with your children! Watch this...

Welcome to Part 3 of our Taming the Weeknight Chaos series! Click here for the FREE Tame the Weeknight Chaos Guide, including Video & Checklist Today we are talking about how to start weeknights off right. I've got 3 easy steps that you can use to get a peaceful and enjoyable start to this very evening! Want my complete, free Guide to Taming Weeknight chaos , which includes a 6-point checklist and...

Welcome to Part 2 of our Taming the Weeknight Chaos series! Today we address a huge challenge in every parent's efforts to create enjoyable, smooth family weeknights: there's just not enough time to get everything done. In fact today is a troubleshooting episode, because we tackle that problem – and also the "I'm always the bad cop" problem that comes up for tons of parents! You'll find this episo...

Today is the start of a new series here at We Turned Out okay! It's all about taming the chaotic and crazy weeknights that so many of us experience in raising kids. We start by investigating: WHY are weeknights so tough? For us parents, evenings – especially weeknights – are a constant slog. I want to make this series tailored exactly to your needs, and in order to do that I need you to respond to...

Today we're talking about safety – just simple safety. I've got three unconventional ways to help you ensure that your child is safe, in a variety of situations and from the time that they are very small… For notes on the three ways I share this episode to keep your child safe, and also for every podcast back episode, Go to weturnedoutokay.com/231 And for podcast extras you will LOVE go to patreon...