Connected Parenting

join me and my guest Natalie in our get real conversation on what it means to parent even in hard times, especially when parenting our gladiator child who tend to be the more sassy, spicy, feisty kind of kids.

Today I want to talk about the difficult events that are happening in the world right now and how we can talk to our children about it.

Parents report that their kids are dealing with eco-anxiety, and having trouble sleeping at night because of the stress that comes with it. Consumed by the fear that the world is not going to be a place they can live, work and or raise a family in. So what exactly is eco-anxiety, what causes it and how can we as parents help our kids manage it?

What is happening in the brain when a child steals and how can we as parents can best love them into overcoming those strong impulses that often feel so overwhelming they take them over?

Don’t panic, lying is a normal developmental stage that children go through. How we respond or react to it can determine whether the behavior of lying is reduced or if our kids just become better liars. The key here is to remain calm, always listen to what our kids have to say and root ourselves in love not fear when it comes to addressing the lie.

In this episode, Jennifer explores temper tantrums, meltdowns, hissy fits, and other emotional outbursts. Tantrums are a normal part of child development but they are challenging to deal with and can be exhausting for parents. Children have big feelings that don’t always fit in their little bodies. In this episode, we explore the purpose and function of tantrums and how to deescalate or even at ti...

Yelling is a very popular parenting technique, but not a very effective one. If it was, there would be a lot of very well-behaved children in this world! Yelling doesn’t work.  At best, your kids tune you out and roll their eyes or worse they are terrified.  In this episode, Jennifer explores why we yell, how it impacts our kids and ourselves, and what we can do instead.

I once had a little girl in my office, in tears, calling herself “the ruiner”. She confessed that she ruins everything she is excited about... birthdays, holidays, vacations. Everything! This stuck with me and I have heard it over and over again, over the years, both from kids and parents. Why do some kids ruin things and sabotage things? In this episode I break down why this happens and its effec...

In this podcast, Jennifer discusses the importance of emotional literacy and emotional processing. Feelings are meant to be felt… They are essential in helping us navigate relationships, stay safe, make good choices, and to be at peace in our world. Feelings are information. If we ignore that information - if we don’t listen - feelings don’t go away.  They build in intensity and find creative ways...

Do you notice the judgmental glances from other parents when you drop your child off at school or birthday parties? Can you sense the teacher is frustrated and fed up with your child? Do you hold your breath as you approach the playground crossing your fingers hoping that your child behaves? Does your heart skip a beat when the phone rings for fear it is the school? In this episode, Jennifer talks...

The morning routines that looked so promising at the beginning of the school year may be starting to fall apart right about now. Mornings can be very challenging and an absolute nightmare for some families. Mornings set the tone for the day and a bad morning can throw everyone off. In this episode, Jennifer covers a powerful technique called Morning Windows to make mornings go smoothly and set eve...

In this episode Jennifer talks about the teenage years. They can be difficult years but they don’t have to be. Understanding that the teenage brain is under construction and is not fully developed until well into the 20’s can help parents understand, predict, manage and most importantly enjoy their teen.

Many children who “act out”, have difficult behaviours, and a strong counter will (gladiators, as I like to call them), have a story about themselves. “I’m the bad one in the family. I am the one who wrecks everything. I am a destructive force in my family’s world.”  That story can affect choices, behaviour, self-esteem, and emotional regulation. As parents, it is important to rewrite that story b...

In this episode, our 50th, Jennifer talks about the importance, the magic and the power of play.

In this episode, the roadmap of childhood continues through the tween, teen, and young adults years. Jennifer helps parents recognize normal and expected developmental stages, what to expect on this part of the parenting journey, how to enjoy your kids, and how to handle the inevitable bumps in the road.

In part one of this episode, Jennifer helps parents recognize what are normal and expected development stages, what to expect on this parenting journey, and how to handle the bumps in the road from ages 2 to 13.

In this episode, Jennifer explores what happens when one parent is too serious and the other is too playful...how to see each other’s strengths and work together instead of against each other.

In this episode, Jennifer tackles swearing; Why kids do it… How to understand it and how to redirect it.

In this episode, Jennifer talks about the importance of self-parenting and how to parent yourself from a place of kindness and compassion. As parents, we are the architects of our children’s brains, and our parents were the architects of ours. In truth, we are all walking around as adults with programming that was installed before we were seven years old. Self-compassion and loving self-parenting...

The pandemic is taking its toll on children’s mental health. Many kids are struggling and parents are struggling with knowing how to help them. In this episode, Jennifer gives parents some important tips on how to soothe and comfort your kids while building your emotional resilience during these trying times.

In this episode Jennifer shares practical tips that really work to help you teach your child to go from a worrier to a warrior.

In this episode Jennifer shares how to help your teens with heart break. It is so hard to watch your child suffer and at times it hurts us more than them, but there is much to learn as kids practice life and learn how to grow and thrive through whatever life throws at them. This episode will cover the what to do and what not to do to help your kids heal.

If 2020 taught us anything it’s that we have to help our kids deal with change and disappointment. In this episode Jennifer talks about how to help your kids manage big hurts and little hurts.  Listen to find out how to help your kids develop the emotional shock absorbers needed to handle anything.

Jennifer talks about the importance of learning to control our mental screens, what we think about and how to help our children master this important skill.

In this episode, Jennifer explores why couples work against each other, how to stop it, and how to harmonize.