Zen Pop

The battle you have all been waiting for- ZPR vs Parenting Unplugged.  This is a “no holds barred” cage match to decide who is the better show… and the better parents for that matter.  This is one that you won’t want to miss.

Cathy and Todd had the honor of talking with Rev Ed Bacon , author of the 8 Habits of Love and host of Oprah’s Soul Series on XM Radio.  They discuss everything from forgiveness, to self awareness, and why choosing love over fear is an essential decision when it comes to your partner, your kids, or even yourself.  In true ZP style, they even talk about the best movie, the best candy bar, and...

Cathy has been emailing Todd articles about being “too busy” and today they talk about it.  Why is this the social norm and why are we so comfortable with busyness? (Best two articles Article- Are you as busy as you think by Dr. Laura Vanderkam and  Simple Yet Astounding Ways to Calm Down by Norman Fisher).  They also discuss Ed Bacon’s  8 Habits of Love  (Ed will be a guest on Z...

Do you talk about politics in front of your kids? Of course you share your perspective, but do you also say the other side is bad, evil, or whatever negative word you can find?  We discuss Dr. Peggy Drexler’s blog titled “ Talking to Kids about Politics” – Talking to our kids about our viewpoint is great, but showing compassion for the other side is even better.  Cathy and...

Do you want one child, two, three, four?  Everybody has an opinion, but what’s right for you? Cathy and Todd share their decision making process and discuss why it’s important to  respect other people’s choices when it comes to family size.  Ann Coulter made news when she decided to tweet the r-word, and John Franklin Stephens made bigger news when he wrote an open letter explain...

We talk about the brave and beautiful Malala and her strength and determination to speak up for education. We discuss how teach our children how lucky they are to have access to education and other human rights. We also share thoughts on how to deal when you kids make friends with difficult kids (and start mimicking their behavior…). Join us!

Did you read Allison Tate’s blog titled, The Mom Stays in the Picture ?  Cathy and Todd discuss why moms step out of photographs and therefore aren’t captured in the memories.  Yes, there’s the vanity issue, but Cathy thinks there are deeper issues, too (shocking!).  Todd also shares a lot of hangover stories – once upon a time he was the life of the party, but having kids...

Would you make your kids wear a sign that says, “I’m a thief?”  Or would you shoot your child’s computer and then post it on Facebook?  Maybe not, but have you ever humiliated your child in front of their friends or family?  Cathy and Todd discuss the shame involved in humiliation and why we need to “wake up” before making a choice that could negatively effect o...

Are you the only parent who has to stay at the party or the sports practice?  Do you feel like your kid needs your support all the time, but other kids don’t seem to need their parents?  Cathy and Todd discuss “needy” kids and why listening to their needs is important today, and in the long run (and they discuss Cathy’s recent blog about this very experience).  They also di...

Did you know that our first impulse is to be generous?  But if we sit and think about it too long, we often change our mind.  Cathy and Todd discuss this research  and also Ed Bacon’s new book called The Eight Habits of Love (#1 being generosity!).  They also discuss attachment parenting and what some call detachment parenting (taken from a Huffington Post article ), birthday parties, and wh...

Judging is normal.  All humans judge situations so they can better assess what to do next.  BUT, we have to notice when we are judging and realize that our assessments aren’t always correct.  Cathy and Todd discuss how to assess whether something is true by using Byron Katie’s method titled The Work .  Todd also decides that you can’t say you love your children unless you are pra...

When it comes to sports, do you encourage or push? Cathy and Todd discuss why supportive encouragement is great, but pushing can be harmful.  Do you want your kids to play your sport and live your dream, or do you want them to figure out what they enjoy?  They also discuss the obsession with sports and Todd’s three fantasy football teams – you read that right, THREE.  

Are girls “meaner” than boys? A lot of parents say this, but is it really true?  Cathy and Todd discuss this and refer to Cathy’s latest blog about why calling girls mean can be harmful.  They also discuss three things that every man should know about women – ladies, make sure your husband listens to this podcast!   It can open up great conversations about what you need and...

What do you do when your toddlers (or older kids) come into your bed in the middle of the night?  Are you used to it? Does it drive you crazy? Todd and Cathy discuss night-time options and their own personal experiences.  They also discuss why making casual negative remarks about your kids in front of your kids (i.e. “I can’t wait until this guy goes back to school…”) may b...

Are your kids interrupting you all the time?  Is it causing you to feel annoyed or resentful?  Cathy and Todd discuss setting boundaries on interruptions while simultaneously treating your children with respect.  If you want them to respect you, you need to role model what this means.  This is an EXTENDED show (about 15 minutes longer than usual) thanks to listeners saying they wanted MORE.  So we...

Are you always volunteering for things you don’t want to do?  Cathy and Todd discuss “people pleasing” and follow up their discussion from last week about trying to “change” your partner (or anyone else for that matter).  They also discuss Cathy’s migraine headache, the differences between principles and laws, and why the OWN TV Network is so ridiculously great.

You want to grow, you want to learn, you want to more enlightened….that’s great, but don’t push it on the rest of the family!  Cathy and Todd discuss loving  your loved ones for who they are, not who you want them to be in the future.  Enjoy your journey and allow others to follow your lead!  And if “self help” or “new age” sounds to “out there&#8221...

We are so uncomfortable with anger, but the truth is that it’s there to HELP us.  It reminds us when our boundaries have been crossed or when we aren’t being true to ourselves.  Cathy and Todd share personal stories of anger and how it transformed their way of thinking.  Once we embrace how anger can be helpful, it won’t scare us as much when our children get angry.  They also di...

How do you support and understand a child who has experienced trauma?  Cathy and Todd discuss the importance of listening and supporting as a child grieves and processes through a challenging experience.  Remember that pain is pain – it could be the tragedy in Colorado, a divorce in the family, or the loss of a goldfish – children need to time to share their feelings and express their...

You may say this, but do you really do this?  When someone doesn’t agree with you, do you make them bad, wrong, or mean, or do you accept their differences and love them anyway?  Cathy and Todd discuss the importance of loving your neighbor (friend, opposing political party, etc) even when you don’t see eye to eye.  They also discuss how they handled the tree in their backyard being cu...

Cathy and Todd discuss “The Busy Trap” from the NY Times – do you create your own busyness or do you believe busyness “happens” to you? They also discuss mammogram anxiety and share tips to relieve doctor anxiety or everyday anxiety.

Cathy and Todd discuss why it’s important to role model contentment for our children.  Instead of believing that situations or people should “make us” content, can we find contentment in our own skin?  Is contentment the same thing as happiness?  Listen and find out!  They also discuss Cathy’s girl weekend, the hot weather, and whether or not Aquaman was a true superhero &#...

Why the truth will set you free! Cathy and Todd break down the differences between men and women. Plus Todd offers some tips to eliminate having to ask your wife, “What’s wrong?”  10 time before she’s ready to answer.  You only have to ask once if you listen to this podcast. Don’t miss the spat between Cathy and Todd regarding air conditioning usage and one really funny line, also the danger...

Todd doesn’t understand why women need to be asked -“What’s wrong?” 10 times before women will answer, and Cathy doesn’t understand why everybody tells Todd he looks like Tom Cruise (but he kind of does).  Todd and Cathy also discuss getting in the “now”, being mindful, and teaching our kids to do the same. Cathy’s workshop – Mind, Body, Spirit...

Did you view the commencement speech  about the kids not being special?  Do you think the speaker is right?  Do you believe that “trophies for everyone” is a bad idea? Cathy and Todd discuss what makes someone “special” and why making everything about “being the best” isn’t good for our kids.  Can we help our kids understand that they are special without m...