Sunshine Parenting

Helping your child or adolescent build the skills to have strong friendships now will lead to the positive relationships they need to have a happy, thriving adult life.  Download the free Social Skills Checklist by entering your name and email here. "The great news is that we know our kids better than anyone else does, and most of us have a lot of experience in social situations. We have experienc...

Do you want to feel less stressed and rushed? In this episode, Sara Kuljis & I reflect on what we're seeing in the kids and families who come through our summer camps. We talk about the decisions and struggles we experienced balancing our own and our kids' schedules when raising our now-adult kids. Download the free Family Pace & Space Worksheet by entering your name and email here. In Happy Campe...

In the final episode of the  Tough Twenties series , Gretchen (age 30), Owen (age 20), and I have a conversation about building identity capital in your twenties and how various experiences, whether professional or personal, shape our stories and can influence future opportunities. Owen shares his experience as a beach lifeguard, which, although unrelated to his planned career path, provided him w...

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. Meg Jay, PhD In this episode, I chat with Meg Jay, PHD, a developmenta...

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this episode, I chat with summer camp directors Andy and Alison Moe...

In this episode, I share about some myths that can hold you back from living your best life. It's easy to get caught up in the pressure to conform and meet expectations of others. We can find ourselves striving for success based on societal standards or seeking validation from those around us. To live our best lives, it's essential to explore our unique strengths and follow our own path.  During t...

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this episode I'm chatting with my son, Owen, who has just entered i...

In the Tough Twenties series, I'm  interviewing young adults, answering questions submitted by listeners, and sharing resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this episode my daughter Charlotte, age 25, and I talk about one a...

Navigating dating and romantic relationships - and figuring out how to decide who to commit to and marry- is one of the biggest decisions of the twenties. In this episode, I'm chatting with my daughter Gretchen, age 29, about her romantic relationships in her twenties, what she's learned from her own experiences and her observations and discussion with other young adults, and from the book, The De...

The Tough Twenties series continues with a discussion of skills to work on to be ready for adulthood, a mindset shift for parents and young adults, and how to foster connection and friendships rather than competition. Resource: In this episode, I share about my "Ready for Adulthood Checklist" Listener Question: This week I give my response to this listener question, which was submitted on my surve...

It is not an easy time to be a young adult. In this new series on Sunshine Parenting , I'll  interview young adults, answer questions submitted by listeners, and share resources and tips related to thriving in young adulthood and beyond. Whether you're an adolescent or a young adult in your twenties, or you're parenting a young adult, I know you'll be encouraged by this series. In this first episo...

HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults  is now available on Audible ! Visit Sunshine Parenting for more episodes & resources. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 179, I chat with Phyllis Fagell about her amazing book, MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPERPOWERS: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times. ABOUT THE BOOK When t...

HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults  is now available on Audible ! Visit Sunshine Parenting for more episodes & resources. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 178, my daughter Gretchen and I share a few tips for connecting more deeply with friends, co-workers, family, and people we just met. Have a bold, sp...

Show Notes Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families.  This episode is a live recording of my chat with Sara Kuljis about some of our favorite year-end reflection activities. Joining Sara and me for this episode is Kate Rader, one of the participants from our Raise Thriving Kids Workshop . Kate is a stay-at-home mom to 3 adventure-seeking and fun-loving kiddos, Lauren...

Enjoy the little things because one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things.   In Episode 63, I'm chatting with my friend Sara Kuljis of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp . We talk about family gratitude practices and lessons from camp for having more grateful families. At Thanksgiving, it's easy to remember to be grateful, but the habit of gratitude -- practi...

Visit Sunshine Parenting for additional resources mentioned in this episode. Check out Audrey's book, Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults Sarah R. Moore is the founder of Dandelion Seeds Positive Parenting  and author of  Peaceful Discipline: Story Teaching, Brain Science & Better Behavior .  She's a public speaker, armchair neuroscientist, and most imp...

Sunshine Parenting host Audrey "Sunshine" Monke & pediatrician (and camp doctor) Dr. Heather Silverberg talk about how COVID is impacting kids this summer at camp. Want encouragement & simple strategies for raising thriving future adults? Check out Audrey's book, HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults. Happy Campers on Audible.

HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults  is now available on Audible ! Visit Sunshine Parenting for more episodes & resources. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 37, Sara Kuljis (of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp ), and I share tips and ideas for parents sending kids to overnight camp fo...

Join Debbie's TILT Parenting book club (Spring, 2022). In this episode, I'm talking with Debbie Reber, creator of TiLT Parenting, the host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, and the author of Differently Wired: Raising and Exceptional Child in a Conventional World . While this book was written mainly for parents that need extra support, I think it will resonate with all parents of all kids. Big Ideas...

Check out Audrey's book, HAPPY CAMPERS, for insights and ideas for raising thriving future adults. Now available in audio, digital, and print formats. Visit Maureen Healy's website, Growing Happy Kids, for more about Maureen's work and books. Visit Sunshine Parenting for more resources & episodes. In this episode, Maureen Healy, Ph. D., and I talk about her new book, The Happiness Workbook for Kid...

Visit Sunshine Parenting for Show Notes & Links. ENCORE NOTES: This incredible book came out just prior to the start of the pandemic. I was privileged to read an early copy and hear Christine speak about it in February, 2020. If you have (or will eventually have) an adolescent, I highly recommend this book. Things have changed since we were their age, and Christine offers her trademark, research-b...

Audio excerpt from Audrey Monke's book, HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults. Available at Audible.

Dr. Tina Bryson and I talk about her phenomenal book, The Power of Showing Up.

Show notes & links available here. In this episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Jess Shatkin, about preventing mental illness and promoting health in children and adolescents. As a clinician, researcher and educator, Dr. Shatkin is one of the country's foremost experts in adolescent mental health, risk and resilience. Big Ideas Extensive research about mental health has led us to a good understanding of...

In Episode 52, Sara Kuljis and I chat about ways to help our kids process experiences. The ideas work for post-summer camp debriefing but also for our kids' other adventures and experiences. Sara is a 20-year veteran camp director and parenting trainer who has great insights and ideas about parenting and counseling kids. Sara, with her husband Steve, owns and directs Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp ,...