Parenting For The Present

When looking for solutions to the second leading cause of death for persons ages 10-23, you would be forgiven if you didn't turn first to an opera singer. But if you didn't, you'd miss out on the life-changing work that Eddie Coker is doing to improve social-emotional intelligence in young people. Eddie's journey has led him from the theater stage to a much different stage - one on which he stands...

If we were to boil down our hopes and dreams for our children into one word, it would be hard to think of a better one than 'thrive'. No matter the specifics, we want to see our kids be happy, healthy, and successful. But, due to social pressures and outdated cultural norms, it can be easy to put our parental energy in the wrong places on our quest to help thrive. So how do we help them become the...

For some, music is nothing more than whatever happens to be on the radio when they start the car. For others, it's a way of life - inextricable from their highest highs and lowest lows. It's safe to say Lucy Wrubel falls squarely in the latter category. She has been a professional DJ for the last 20 years, a career spanning both musical genres and countries around the world. But her love of music...

If you're a listener to this podcast, it's safe to say you are invested in becoming the best parent to your child or children that you possibly can. But "best" is often subjective and almost always situational. So what are the parenting cornerstones on which we can rely? What's been proven to work best, both anecdotally and scientifically? Dr. Tina Payne Bryson has made a career of seeking the ans...

After the year we've all had, it's no surprise that sometimes it's hard to keep a positive outlook. Feelings of fear, loneliness, and hopelessness can easily spring up and start to grow - in our children, and in ourselves. So how do we help our kids stay positive? What tools can we offer them? And what role does our own mental health play in our ability to help our kids through this? Katie Hurley...

As we begin a new year, we bring you this episode about moving from the fragility we experienced in 2020 to optimism and hope for 2021. Where do we find strength for our family? How do we recognize the continued separateness while longing to be with one another? What are some strategies we can employ to connect and be present with our families? Our hosts, along with special guest Jane Hensley, dis...

Discipline can be one of the most challenging aspects of parenting. We long for our children to grow into healthy adults, forming good habits and understanding the consequences of their actions. But how do we know if we're helping them learn those lessons well? While there's no one-size-fits-all strategy, there are some philosophies we can internalize and follow. Our three hosts are here to discus...

As parents, we desire the absolute best for our children. We strive to help them realize their full potential. But where's the line? What happens when we push them too fast, or too hard? Often, we don't let our kids lead us to their passion. As parents, we are so busy making sure they will "become somebody" that we forget the someone our child really is on the inside. Donavan Davis internalized th...

Raising healthy, well-adjusted, thoughtful children takes an unmatched level of consistency and intention. While there will be watershed moments in parenting, much of our children's character can be traced back to the small, every day practices we emphasize as a family. Our kids leading mindful, compassionate lives starts with us.  Amy Lewis Hofland has long recognized the importance of these prin...

Parents often point out that their child did not come with a handbook. Well, there's a reason for that; every child is different. Different in the way they grow, the way the learn, and the way they develop. It's our job as parents to learn our children - to know them and to offer the best we can to help them reach their full potential.  This mandate has been taken up, in a different way, by Clare...

Empathy - some would say we need it now more than ever. To step into someone else's shoes and fully appreciate their lived experience is the quickest way to open our hearts and minds to those around us. Our guest today, Hollis Owens, founded a nonprofit on this very principle, called To Be Like Me. This innovative organization organizes disability awareness programs intended to break down barriers...

The best parents are the ones that never stop learning. So this week, we present to you... Daducation! This episode digs deep into all things "Dad". To help guide us, we've invited our friend Andy Love to the conversation. Andy is the founder and managing partner of Aspect Investors, which works with aspiring entrepreneurs to acquire smaller companies and help them to grow. He also is an advisor a...

Though children are a wonderful gift, they inarguably put high demands on our time and attention. This can make it challenging to find needed moments of peace or reflection, much less continually inhabit a state of mindfulness in the way we parent. But at the same time, it is known meditation and mindfulness can be immensely helpful physically, mentally, and spiritually. So how do we begin to crea...

As parents, a lot of anxiety can come from concerns around the social skills of our children. Whether it's the child showing signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, social anxiety, or simply delayed social skill development - not to mention the added complexity of the global pandemic and how it has changed our social interactions - it's easy to feel lost and frustrated. Fortunately for us, Mary Reilly...

To Almas Muscatwalla, a service mindset goes far beyond writing a check or packing a meal. As an Ismaili Muslim, she has been instilled with the conviction that service is a way of life. She has since passed this onto her children, and to her community through her position on the board of directors for The Thanks-Giving Foundation as chair of the Interfaith Council. This conversation is enlighteni...

As racial tensions in our country continue, many are looking for hope. Searching for a way forward. Longing for the day when the inherent biases in our systems and our upbringings are a thing of the past and all people are treated with dignity and respect. But with a challenge so daunting, where do we start? Thankfully, Dr. Pam Fields has begun this work and is simply asking us to join her. She is...

The back to school season isn't just bring change for students; it's a big change for parents as well. Schedules and priorities shift as we're asked to live into a new rhythm - this year more than most. So this episode is dedicated to all the parents out there, trying to find their new normal. It's a reminder to make plans, but hold them loosely. To give your kids the care they need, but not at th...

Not much looks the same as it did at this time last year, and sports are no exception. Leagues, teams, and athletes at every level are making sweeping changes to be able to safely compete in the midst of this global pandemic. While many professional sports have restarted their seasons, college, high school, and little league sports are just now trying to navigate this new reality. Our guest today,...

"These unprecedented times." How many times have you heard this phrase uttered in the past few months? Although it's become something of a cliché, there is still truth to it. We are all experiencing new levels of uncertainty - in our jobs, schooling, parenting, and every day interactions. So how do we approach these situations in a positive way?   Rabbi Andrew Paley has been pondering this questio...

Summer is coming to a close, and school is right around the corner. While this is a normally a familiar rhythm for families, nothing about starting this school year feels familiar. No matter what school district you are in, you're likely facing major adjustments to how school attendance will function. As parents try to figure out how to best care for their children in this time of uncertainty, sch...

For better or worse, conflict is an inescapable part of the human experience. There are tensions and disagreements in even the healthiest of relationships. So if it's impossible to avoid conflict altogether, how do we best navigate it? Answering this question is central to the work of Jennifer Hargrave, our guest for this episode. Ms. Hargrave is an experienced attorney who focuses her practice ex...

When we start to list skills we hope our children master, executive functions might not be the first thing that rolls off our collective tongues. But, understanding what they are and what they help us achieve can be crucial to our kids' development. Leda Owens knows the importance of this work. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has extensive knowledge in diagnosing and treating ADHD and...

Our bodies need energy to function properly, no matter our age. What we choose to eat and drink has a direct effect on how well we can focus, learn, and perform. And as parents, we aren't only making those choices for ourselves... we're helping facilitate those choices for our children too. So how do we do that well? Enter Nina Salhab. Nina is a a Registered and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist at...

You have questions, we have… more questions? And maybe a few answers along the way! Jane Hensley, a therapist in the Dallas area, joins us to work through some listener questions about relationships, communication, and parenting.

When it comes to interpersonal relationships, communication is key. We are all unique people that must learn to hear, anticipate, and care for others in our lives. No matter where you find yourself on the spectrum of healthy relationships, there is always room to grow. And unsurprisingly, healthy relationships between parents help foster healthy children. Dr. Terry Parsons, an author and psychothe...