Parenting Great Kids with Dr. Meg Meeker

Mornings around the house can be a bit of chaos. As a parent, do you give instructions like, “brush your teeth” or “load your backpack” only to have your kids not listen and disobey? Do you find yourself threatening to ground your teen or count to three repeatedly to your five-year-old? If this sounds like you, then you are going to love this episode. Dr. Meeker talks you through five secrets to h...

Mother’s Day is a special day where we get to honor our mothers. It’s also a day that can evoke a wide variety of emotions. Some people are blessed to be able to call their mother and talk to her on the phone, some are experiencing their first Mother’s Day without their moms, and others desperately want to become a mother but haven’t been able to yet. In any of those situations, it can be tough to...

As a parent, does your day look something like getting up later than you should, rushing around to get ready, going from activity to activity, throw in some homework, mix a little staying up late to watch the latest TV show, and then get up the next morning to do it all over again? This can lead to burnout for you and your kids, and it happens quicker than you can imagine! Do you wish there was so...

Sometimes, as a parent, it’s tempting to throw around the letters A-D-H-D without a proper diagnosis. Just because your kid seems to be hyperactive or make impulsive decisions does not necessarily mean that he/she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. A lot of times young children have a difficult time focusing on single tasks or sitting still for long periods of time even without...

Sometimes, as a parent, it’s tempting to throw around the letters A-D-H-D without a proper diagnosis. Just because your kid seems to be hyperactive or make impulsive decisions does not necessarily mean that he/she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. A lot of times young children have a difficult time focusing on single tasks or sitting still for long periods of time even without...

Years ago, gender dysphoria (severe discomfort in one’s biological sex) was exceedingly rare. Typically less than .01% of the population identified as having gender dysphoria, and they were almost exclusively males who emerged in early childhood. Recently, whole groups of female friends in all ages of school are coming out as “transgender”. Parents of these girls are finding that their daughters a...

Sometimes your little ones throw tantrums, but wouldn’t it be nice to make them less frequent or easier to diffuse? As a parent, it’s easy to feel like you can’t ever figure out what is upsetting your child and everything you try seems to make things worse. A lot of the tantrums that happen are the result of the children’s inability to communicate with mommy or daddy. Teaching your children sign l...

Sometimes your little ones throw tantrums, but wouldn’t it be nice to make them less frequent or easier to diffuse? As a parent, it’s easy to feel like you can’t ever figure out what is upsetting your child and everything you try seems to make things worse. A lot of the tantrums that happen are the result of the children’s inability to communicate with mommy or daddy. Teaching your children sign l...

Having confidence that you can achieve your goals is an important characteristic that will take you to the places you want your life to go. But, where does this confidence start? How do you become and adult has built a foundation on character, integrity, and courage? How can you build these things in your kids? These questions and more are the kinds of things that Dr. Meg learns from her conversat...

One of Dr. Meg’s favorite things is to answer questions from you, the listener. This is a special episode of the “Parenting Great Kids” podcast as Dr. Meg devotes the entire episode to doing just that, helping you make sense of roadblocks we all encounter as parents. Listen in as “America’s Mom” helps you navigate many situations with your kids that can often be tricky. Do you have a question for...

Life is busy, very busy. In the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, you can lose sight of what’s important. Engagement in extracurricular activities is at an all-time high, and burnout seems to rise daily. There was a time when we danced through our days with childlike wonder, in awe of the experience of the moment and excited for the promise of tomorrow. In his new book IN AWE: Rediscover Your...

There’s a common philosophy among parents that says, “I just want my kids to be happy!” On the surface, that sounds well and good, but when you dig deeper, you see that happiness is temporary, and chasing it will ultimately lead to disappointment. On the other hand, joy isn’t as fickle as happiness. Joy gives you a deep sense of satisfaction that is greater than happiness. When you have joy underl...

As we enter the season traditionally centered around kids getting gifts, it can be hard to help them remember that it’s better to give than to receive . For kids, this can be a hard concept to grasp. In light of this, Dr. Meg spends most of this episode giving you practical advice on how to teach your kids to be givers. Teaching them to have giving hearts teaches them about the value of other peop...

Being a father in this day in time can be filled with distractions, stress, and seemingly impossible to overcome issues with your kids. Pair that with society using fathers as the butt of every joke on television and advertisements giving you every reason to ignore your family and invest in temporary excitement, and you have a toxic recipe for failure as a father. In comes The Good Dad Project fou...

Child sexual abuse comes in many forms and from many different directions. It can be difficult to spot and identify, but it’s critical to know the signs to look for as well as what you can do to prevent it in your children, or really any child in your life. Dr. Meeker gives you part two of two in this incredible conversation with Shelaine Maxfield and Chris Yadon. Shelaine is the founder of the Yo...

Child sexual abuse comes in many forms and from many different directions. It can be difficult to spot and identify, but it’s critical to know the signs to look for as well as what you can do to prevent it in your children, or really any child in your life. Dr. Meeker gives you part one of two in this incredible conversation with Shelaine Maxfield and Chris Yadon. Shelaine is the founder of the Yo...

As a parent, it’s easy to get distracted in the day-to-day and only half listen to what’s going on in your kids’ lives. It’s also easy to think that your job is to enforce, task master things, and correct at every turn. In Live Love Now: Relieve the Pressure and Find Real Connection with our Kids , New York Times bestselling author Rachel Macy Stafford tackles the biggest challenges facing kids to...

When things are normal, parenting is difficult. When you add in children that come into your home from difficult backgrounds and bring their own unique set of needs, there are even more challenges on top of that. Connecting with adopted children is also difficult, and that’s why Dr. Meg is speaking with Lisa Qualls, author of The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attach...

A frequent topic that Dr. Meeker talks about is the importance of a father in his children’s life. In this episode, she digs into how impactful a father’s conversations with his daughter can be. When life presents difficult choices about sexual relationships, drugs, or alcohol, a father having a close relationship with his daughter can help her have the confidence to make good decisions in those a...

Parenting great kids that are wired differently than their peers takes a lot of patience, kindness, and a support group to help you get through the tough times. Whether you are dealing with ADHD, ADD, Autism, or some other differently wired child, having access to the right resources is extremely helpful. That’s why in this episode Dr. Meeker invited Debbie Reber to join her and talk about her new...

One of Dr. Meg’s favorite things is to answer questions from you, the listener. This is a special episode of the “Parenting Great Kids” podcast as Dr. Meg devotes the entire episode to doing just that, helping you make sense of roadblocks we all encounter as parents. Listen in as “America’s Mom” helps you navigate many situations with your kids that can often be tricky. Do you have a question for...

Being a stepparent is a wonderful blessing, but it comes with its fair share of challenges. Blending families, with or without children involved, is hard because you have to get to know a new normal, but you also don’t want to overstep appropriate boundaries that involves loving and discipling any children involved. Often you’re left wondering how you can ever become the step-parent you wanted to...

Being a stepparent is a wonderful blessing, but it comes with its fair share of challenges. Blending families, with or without children involved, is hard because you have to get to know a new normal, but you also don’t want to overstep appropriate boundaries that involves loving and discipling any children involved. Often you’re left wondering how you can ever become the step-parent you wanted to...

Talking to your kids about sex seems to be one of the most difficult conversations you will have as a parent. You may be wondering when is the right time, what should you say, and how do you bring up the conversation without making things awkward? These questions are normal, but they don’t have to be something that keeps you from teaching your kids about sex the way they should learn: from someone...

Relationships are hard, but they are also a great source of personal happiness. Things get complicated dealing with differing expectations of the people involved in the relationships regardless of whether it’s a simple friendship or as close as marriage. The number one question people ask relationship experts is what is the single most important thing you can do for your relationships? That’s the...