Art Creativity & Wellbeing

Today's guest didn't set out to be a writer. But after getting her law degree and being a practicing attorney for six years, she made a discovery: law just wasn't her thing; instead, she found, she was a writer. In the spirit of finding stuff out through writing, KJ Dell'Antonia began freelancing about motherhood; she's written for Slate magazine, Parenting magazine, Parents magazine, and many oth...

When listener Marcy wrote recently, asking for help with her son, whom "counselors and therapists believe may be suffering from depression and anxiety," and the decision to either keep him in school or pull him out to homeschool, I initially thought I'd answer her question in a Your Child Explained episode, and address the school-homeschool decision. On reflection, however, I saw something bigger...

I've been really wanting to do a show on potty training, but I've held back for a few reasons: one biggie is that I just haven't found a great book on the subject, and another is that my experience potty training my oldest was really tough! But recently I heard from listener Erika, who had this to say: "I have to have the most stubborn child on the planet and have tried everything I can think of....

Lots of things can happen over the course of a day to make us all feel anxious…How does your child handle anxiety?  Today licensed mental health counselor, play expert, and mom-to-2 Janine Halloran gives us some wonderful – and very specific – tools to help our kids handle stress. True to the nature of We Turned Out Okay, my hour-long conversation with Janine covers lots more than this! Janine and...

As a podcaster who helps you advocate better for your young children, I meet and hear from an awful lot of you who are… Unhappy. Stuck. Sinking under all your worries and fears for your children – and awfully hard on yourselves. In January I did two episodes about goal-setting and affirmations, and I shared about one particular life-changing exercise I've done every night for more than a year: spe...

Maybe you think that self-acceptance and self-forgiveness are fine for other people, but not for you (I know I used to feel this way.) I work with a lot of moms and dads who struggle with this – and the struggle 100% affects their parenting, and thus their kids . If you need a kick in the pants – or a guide into the world of not scowling in the mirror – then sign up for my free Friendly Mirror 10-...

Remember a few weeks ago, when I got emotional about talking to myself in the mirror every night? (Listen to that episode, We Turned Out Okay's second annual goal-setting episode, by clicking here .)   If you struggle with self-acceptance and self-forgiveness – and if you also want to be a better example for your child – click this link to listen to today's episode! You can read the full text of l...

Diving into the archives of We Turned Out Okay, and finding wonderful shows like this one which you may not have heard before (and will get something out of even if you have heard it already), seems like a fitting start to a new year. My guest today, Gift of Failure author Jessica Lahey, has helped me in so many ways: to be a better mom, to forgive myself when I screw up, to take the long view on...

Just about a year ago, on the Flipped Lifestyle podcast, co-host Shane Sams asked me if what I do here at We Turned Out Okay is to teach people how to combat their kids' "evil Jedi mind tricks" – which I thought was such a great definition! In the last few weeks my family and I saw and loved Rogue 1, and also mourned the loss of Carrie Fisher; it seems fitting to talk about all that with you today...

Today's show asks the question: how can I help you go to bat for your child? It's easier to think about standing up for our children that it is, oftentimes, for us to stand up for ourselves. But sometimes – especially when an authority figure like a doctor or a teacher is doing the pushing – it can be hard to know how to stand up for our children. Today's show is brought to you by the Ninja Parent...

Diving into the archives of We Turned Out Okay, and finding wonderful shows like this one which you may not have heard before (and will get something out of even if you have heard it already), seems like a fitting start to a new year. Today's guest, along with his wife and children, have been special people in my family's life ever since we had the excellent luck of moving in across the street fro...

This early in the new year, everyone is thinking about resolutions and how to keep them; today, I'm asking you to think a little bit differently about resolutions – in fact, I'm asking you to not even use the word "resolution!" I prefer the shorter, less-charged "goals." Goals can be short-term, medium-term, or long… And the goals we choose for ourselves today don't just help us; the goals we choo...

In our first Your Child Explained episode of the new year, listener Jennifer asks: "When my boys says, "that's for boys" or "girls can't do that," is there more I could do than simply replying "you know, girls can do everything boys can do…" The short answer: yes, there is lots more we can do to foster the gender identities of our sons and daughters. Go to weturnedoutokay.com/129 for show notes an...

Maybe you know the symptoms: tummy aches, excessive temper tantrums and stubbornness, crying over everything and over an extended period of time. If your child shows some of these elements, and it's freaking you out, how do you know what is wrong? And if you can figure that out – how do you help your son or daughter make it right? In this rebroadcasting of a great conversation from early in 2016,...

The story I tell today really happened. The year I was nine, we headed up to Montréal from our home in New England to spend the Christmas holidays with our extended family as usual. But this trip was anything except for "usual!" It took us more than 54 hours to complete the trip – which normally takes 8-hours – and included many harrowing moments as my mom tried desperately to get herself and us 3...

Today I'm asking the question: "what matters most… To your kids?" It's something I've been thinking about since speaking with Jonathan Fields, this past Tuesday's guest. Through his Good Life Project podcast, Jonathan has been a HUGE mentor of mine. Tuesday we found out who some of Jonathan's mentors are; one turns out to be Milton Glaser, a man who helped Jonathan realize the value of structuring...

I've been a huge fan of Jonathan Fields' Good Life Project podcast for over a year now; the guests, subject matter, and message have been instrumental in my life and We Turned Out Okay. So, when Jonathan accepted my invitation to come on my show, I did a happy dance! (I was already doing one anyway… Jonathan's book, How to Live A Good Life , came out right around the time of our conversation : ) I...

I'm cranking up the mic for two reasons today: 1) listening back to episode 123, where Ninja Parenting Community member Sabrina shared her concerns about holiday overwhelm and helping her girls handle gift-giving, I wanted to create something to help you if you're facing those same problems… So, I did! Download the FREE 3 Principles of Kids and Gifts if you want help: – cutting through the gift gi...

Recently I did an episode called How to Help Kids Cope with Anxiety Over New Situations, episode 117 – and it got near-record downloads. In episode 117, we helped Melissa figure out how to help her kids handle new situations better – and even how to handle new situations better herself. (Episode 117 is a recording of a coaching call with a Ninja Parenting Community member – if you want to become a...

Today, Ninja Parenting Community member Sabrina shares about the concerns she's having right now: how to manage her children's expectations, everyone's feelings of overwhelm – and balancing her own needs with the needs of her family. Recorded in early December, Sabrina has both a daughter's birthday coming up as well as the busy and overwhelming-in-and-of-itself holiday season. Sabrina got to have...

Are you feeling overwhelmed in your parenting? Check out the Ninja Parenting Community, for expert advice about how to handle anything your kids throw at you! We've got training courses – like the Sanity With Kids course, about staying sane even while raising kids – exclusive members-only calls, vibrant forums, and lots of ways to feel better. Click here to check out the community, I hope to see y...

On November 4 of this year, we heard our very first Christmas commercial, prompting my youngest and I to freak out a little bit. I mean, November 4! We're still eating Halloween candy on November 4, we're not ready to even think about Thanksgiving, never mind the crazy end-of-the-year extravaganza the holiday season is nowadays. So my question is: how are you feeling? Are you stressed out about th...

There are so many great reasons to help our kids give, no matter their age. Today we dig into not just why but how to help even very young children become "givers." For many years now, my two boys set aside just a little bit of money each month – an idea given to us by the mom of a friend of theirs. This particular mom also happens to be a midwife, and Max and Jay are helping fund her trip to Hait...

Today's guests, Annemarie Kelly-Harbaugh and Ken Harbaugh, did some pretty amazing stuff before they became parents. She helped troubled young people in a program that functioned mainly way out in the woods, he was a naval officer who flew reconnaissance missions and responded to disasters here at home and internationally. They had each encountered their fair share of storms, which helped them pre...

When Ninja Parenting Community member Melissa shared about the anxiety that her kids can feel in new situations – as well as that she herself experiences this anxiety – I knew this was going to be a great Your Child Explained episode. Who among us has not felt anxiety in new situations? It's so easy for kids to feed off of our worries. I hope you learn lots as Melissa opens up about the toughest p...