Good Enough Parenting

This week’s episode is a special one. It’s the final episode of the Good Enough Parenting podcast — and saying that out loud feels both tender and true. Bittersweet, in the way meaningful things often are. Over the past few years, this podcast has been a place of connection. A reminder that you don’t have to get it right all the time. A soft landing on hard parenting days. A voice in your earbuds...

Holiday gift shopping stressing you out? I can’t recommend what to get your Aunt Margaret, but I've got you covered in the toy department.  Tune in to hear the three categories of toys you want to have represented in your playroom plus favorite board games for fostering self-regulation and sibling cooperation.  And don’t worry – Santa is a fan of “Good Enough Parenting” so he’ll make sure to...

This time of year is filled with celebrations, excitement and STRESS. If you're raising young kids, it can feel like a never ending marathon of to dos and temper tantrums. Lack of sleep, too much sugar and disruptions in schedules can lead to big emotional hangovers in kids. Today I share how to do less and be more this holiday season. From delegating to boundary setting to remembering the sa...

Ever find yourself wishing you could raise kids who think beyond themselves, show emotional resilience, and eat their veggies without a bribe? Well tune in and buckle up.  This week on the Good Enough Parenting podcast, I sat down with Sarah Robertson-Barnes , sustainability writer, educator, and host of Sustainable in the Suburbs — and she’s here to remind us that parenting with the planet in min...

Hiring a nanny sounds simple—until you realize you’re basically trying to find a magical Mary Poppins who can keep your kids alive and make healthy snacks and not judge the state of your laundry room and somehow feel like part of the family without actually being family.  No pressure, right? Enter the magnificent Sarah Davis, founder of Olive You Nanny . On this week’s Good Enough Parenting episod...

Before I had kids, I was sure I’d never use screens to entertain my kids at restaurants, I’d never threaten consequences without follow through. And I’d never change the core of who I was just because these little beings entered my life. Oh, the confidence of those pre-parenting days. Fast forward to today, and sometimes my reality looks more like threatening to cut my daughter’s hair when she won...

It’s officially late July, which means we’re deep in the season of sticky popsicles, sunscreen battles, and the kind of sibling squabbles that make you rethink that “no screens before noon” rule. In this week’s episode, we’re pressing pause on the chaos to do a little mid-summer check-in. Is summer feeling more magical mischief or creepy cult vibes? (Looking at you, Midsommar’s Florence Pugh.) Eit...

How did you pick your kid’s name? It’s my favorite question to ask families as soon as I meet them. It tells me about: Partnership Dynamics  “Oh we got in a big fight over that one! But my wife had the final say like she always does…” Family History   “My grandmother had died a few weeks before she was born so we named her after her” And MOST importantly it tells me  The vision they had for their...

ENCORE EPISODE!  The summer season is officially upon us! Which means it’s time to wrestle your toddler to the ground so you can apply some ghost-whitening sunblock while your six year old screams “I hear the ice cream truck! Can we get one?” at 10am.  Are you already counting the days until Labor Day?  Fear not! There are ways we can find more sweetness and less stress this summer with our famili...

You know that moment when your kid comes home from a full day of school and sports—covered in mystery smudges and smelling like a locker room—and then acts personally offended when you suggest a shower? Yeah, me too.  If your kid melts like the Wicked Witch the moment they hear the water running, you’re not alone. This week on Good Enough Parenting , I’m joined by Sabrina Yavil, mom of 3 boys, for...

In honor of Mother's Day, we are revisiting one of our most popular episodes "How to Have a Happy Mother's Day" because who couldn't use a littler reminder that the day is actually supposed to feel good for YOU ❤️ A few years ago, I got a call around 3:00 on Mother’s Day. A dear friend asked me if I would be able to meet her for a drink before dinner. Hell yes. We had both...

I try not to stay too tuned into the daily news cycle (because going into an anxiety spiral every time my phone dings with a news alert is not my favorite way to spend the day) but it’s hard to ignore just how bananas things feel right now.  This is especially true in our economy -  inflation, tariffs, layoffs, budget cuts—it’s enough to make any adult anxious. But guess what? Our kids feel it too...

The number one question I get from parents is...  How do I get my kid to just… DO the things I need them to do ?? And if you’ve been with me for a long time, you know my usual answer: Don’t start a sticker chart! It’s a short term solution that usually leads to more stress than success.  BUT (get ready for it)… today I’m going to tell you that when done right  sometimes sticker charts can work Yep...

February is rough . The winter blues are real, the kids are bouncing off the walls, and if your family has managed to dodge the flu, norovirus, and pink eye this season—tell me your secret! This past weekend, my husband and I got a much-needed break while the grandparents took over. And while I love that my kids get this time with them, it also meant one thing: a weekend filled with sugar and scre...

Happy New Year! We made it to 2025. And if the first few weeks are any indication, it looks like we might be in for a bit of a bumpy ride. Which is why I open this month’s “Good Enough Parenting” episode with the reminder that tapping into things that bring us joy is not a luxury as parents – it’s a necessity for your family’s well-being. Whether it’s catching a movie, meeting up with a friend or...

This month, we’re diving into the sacredness of multi-generational family time. After returning from a vacation with 20 relatives—ranging from babies to grandparents—I’m reflecting on why these connections matter so much for our kids and for us as parents. We’ll talk about how spending time with multiple generations helps kids develop empathy, responsibility, and self-worth (yes, even when they co...

In this episode, we’re taking a classic fire safety rule— Stop, Drop, and Roll —and turning it into your new secret weapon for navigating those fiery parenting moments. Remember how often the fire department visited your elementary school to drill this into our heads? Turns out, that advice is just as helpful for when your kid is melting down over the color of their cup as it is for actual flames....

Fear Isn’t the Enemy 👾   We often think we need to protect our children from things that scare them, but in reality it's better to help them face it. “Fairy Tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.”   ~GK Chesteron    Kids know that scary sh*t is out there. But their biggest fear is not the m...

Oh dreaded transitions.  Anytime we’re asking our kids to move from one activity to another (“stop playing and come to dinner” or “head upstairs to brush your teeth”) a whole host of things need to happen in their brain and body to turn their boat in a new direction.  Transition struggles are the biggest complaint I hear from families I support. It is incredibly frustrating when you have to yell “...

Have you ever had to peel your 4 year old off your leg at daycare drop off? Or tried to convince your 7 year old that they’ll have fun at school when they’re begging you to stay home because the idea of leaving you makes them want to puke?  Separation anxiety is tough. And unfortunately many of the strategies that parents try, like being logical (“You love your teacher – you’re going to have a gre...

Your kid doesn’t need to sit cross legged, chanting OM while praying for world peace in order to get introduced to the benefits and power of quieting the constant chatter in our brains and connecting to something bigger than ourselves.  On today’s “Good Enough Parenting” podcast, I share the SIMPLE and EASY loving kindness meditation practice I use in my house to calm bodies & minds, reduce st...

If only there was a way we could connect with our kids, foster their social/emotional skills, develop their executive functioning while also having fun as a family.  Oh wait! The answer has been hiding inside our cluttered closet the whole time….  Games!  Structured games are an incredible way to help kids learn to manage their emotions (who hasn’t wanted to punch the candy land board when you get...

Have you heard of the new book “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” by Jonathan Haidt?  From PBS to TikTok – everyone’s talking about it.  And when something strikes a chord this deeply across our culture, it means something big is resonating.  And here’s the headline – our young adults are showing more signs of anxiety and depressi...

If every problem in your kid's life feels like a level 10 catastrophe, this episode is for you.  Tune in to learn a game-changing parenting tool called "Pebble, Rock, Boulder."   In essence, you share with your child that some problems are pebbles (a pencil breaking, running out of milk), some are rocks (having a hard time with math, fighting with friends) and some are boulders (nat...

If you've got a kid who would rather eat boogers than broccoli, this episode is for you. Today I share a conversation with Caitlin Kiare, registered dietician nutritionist and founder of "Mom 'N Tot" Nutrition. We talk about how all foods fit, what parents do to actually fuel unhealthy eating habits and how to shift your meal time energy so your kid will be open to trying new t...