Life Lessons for the Modern Mom

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Ever wondered what true intelligence in parenting looks like? It’s not just about acing exams or mastering textbook knowledge; it's about learning from life, experiences, and good old common sense. Join me on the Single Moms United podcast as I open up about the proactive journey of teaching our children essential life skills—like money management—beyond what schools can offer. I share my own story of embracing new learning curves, like mastering podcasting, illustrating the power of taking control of our education. Let’s rethink the role of intelligence in parenting and how we, as single moms, can equip our kids for the future.

On another note, let’s talk about unity and empowerment for single moms. This episode underscores the heart of "Single Moms United," a community where we uplift and inspire each other through shared experiences. It's a podcast with a mission to create a supportive network, ensuring that single moms never feel isolated. Let’s redefine community—encouraging feedback, interaction, and engagement through our YouTube and website. Together, let’s build a positive, empowered collective where every single mom feels seen, heard, and supported, one episode at a time.

https://singlemomsunitedpodcast.com/

It's not how you arrived at the title, but what you do with it.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey ladies, welcome to the Single Moms United
podcast, where it's not abouthow you arrived at the single
mom title, but what you do withit.
Hey, if this is your first timejoining, welcome If you are a
repeat listener.
Thank you for your loyalty.

(00:23):
All right, so I'm not going tospend a lot of time on what our
topic is today, so I'm justgoing to jump right in, okay,
and extracting words from theletter I and applying it to your
parenting skills, and so, ifyou've been following me these
past few weeks, you'll notice Ipull several different words

(00:47):
from the letter I in hopes thatit will help you or at least
give you something to thinkabout, because that's what this
podcast is all about.
It's about critical thinking.
It's not a one size fits all,because everybody has different
or unique perspectives on lifeand how they navigate through

(01:08):
life, but this is something tothink about that can apply to
your parenting skills, and I'mgoing to say it in my out loud
voice yes, I wish I had somebodylike me Well, and I kind of did
, I kind of did, so let me notdo that but someone that can

(01:29):
provide guidance or at leastmake me think I did have my mom
and my kid's grandmother andsome other folks that helped me
along the way as it relates tomy parenting.
So I'm so ever grateful forthose folks that poured into my
life to help me out, because Iwas young, I didn't know any

(01:51):
better and so I was doing a lotof feeling around in the dark as
it relates to parenting.
Again, that's what this podcastis designed to do.
If you are kind of feelingaround in the dark when it comes
to some things, hopefully bythis episode or listening to
other episodes, you feelencouraged and say, yeah, that's

(02:16):
something to think about, right, because at the end of this
podcast, that's what you shouldbe saying.
Or you should be left withthinking that, oh, I didn't even
think of it that way.
Let me take another look, orlet me reassess that.
Let me see if that can't beapplied to my own parenting

(02:37):
skills.
All right, ladies, so here wego.
So here we go.
Today's word is intelligence orintelligent, whichever form you
prefer to use.
Unfortunately, I'm not alwaysgrammatically correct and as I
present something, so hopefullyyou won't hold that against me.

(03:00):
Thank you, appreciate you, butI'm talking about intelligence
and you know me personally.
I was always somewhatintimidated when I hear the word
intelligent, right, becausethat means you're super smart,
right, you know more than theaverage person.

(03:22):
So I was often intimidated bythat because I just felt like I
didn't know a lot and, as aresult of me not knowing a lot,
I couldn't teach my children ormy kids about some of the basics
of life.
Here's the good news when wetalk about intelligence, or
intelligence, it's justknowledge.

(03:43):
How do you get knowledge?
It's from learning.
How do you learn?
Either book smart or streetsmart, I think, is the term, or
common sense, whatever term youchoose, it's all about knowledge
.
And again, how do we getknowledge?

(04:04):
We get knowledge throughlearning.
So, guess what, ladies, you'reintelligent, because if you
learn some things along life'sjourney, like I have, guess what
?
We have moved over into theintelligent world.
Yeah, and I don't know if Iwould say super smart, but I

(04:25):
just experienced a lotthroughout my life that now I
feel comfortable in sharing,like through this podcast, when
we think about knowledge andlearning as a single mom or as a
mom period.
So if there's moms justlistening to this podcast, or

(04:47):
irregardless of your status, wehave to be in position to teach
our children.
I was talking to a friend ofmine earlier today.
One of the things I expressedto her as I was raising my kids
that I regret is not reallyeducating them.

(05:10):
I was relying on other schools,my church and other
organizations to teach my kids.
If you've heard any of my priorepisodes, I break down what a
good mom is and what a bad momis, or a parent.
Either way, right, if a fellowis listening, a good mom teaches

(05:32):
and a bad mom doesn't.
It's just that simple.
There is no perfect mom.
We're not going to get it rightall the time, we are not going
to make the right decision everytime, but as a parent a good
parent we should be teaching ourchildren.

(05:55):
We shouldn't rely on theschools and other organizations
to do this for us.
We birthed these kids, wecarried them for nine months and
sometimes a little longer onour hip right, but we did that.
We did that.
So why would we put the onus ofteaching our children with

(06:21):
someone else that don't evenknow them?
Think about that, mom.
And one of my episodes I talkedabout.
You know where I saw on socialmedia where they said things the
school should be teaching.
I said in my out loud voice no,that is not the school's
responsibility.
It's the responsibility toteach our kids about money and

(06:43):
how to manage money.
That's our responsibility.
Now, if you say, well, you knowwhat and I'm just going to
speak for myself in my out loudvoice I'm not good at managing
money.
At least I wasn't when I wasraising my kids.
I was horrible.
Number one, I wasn't taught.
And then, number two, I didn'ttry to learn.

(07:04):
Absorb that, ladies.
Just because we aren't taughtsomething doesn't mean that we
don't take that ownership and golearn it.
You know, I use this podcast asan example.
I didn't know anything aboutpodcasting, I had no idea.
But I went and learned how todo it, what systems I need, what

(07:28):
microphones and all of thatthat I need to produce a podcast
.
And here we are today, twoyears later, I'm doing a podcast
with over 7,000 downloads andI'm like whoa wait, what just
happened?
But if I would have waited forsomeone to come and teach me, I

(07:51):
would have never learned.
So, ladies, today's takeaway isjust because you weren't taught
doesn't mean you don't go outand try to learn, because now
it's your responsibility toeducate your children, because
now you know if they get it orthey don't get it when in a

(08:11):
school, you know they'd say thisis the curriculum that was
taught, but you don't know ifthey really get it or not,
unless you look at the grades.
But then you still don't knowwhat they're struggling with.
When you're the teacher, youget that opportunity to uncover
what they're not getting, andthat's the important piece to

(08:35):
this process.
Ladies, now, as a mom, as agood mom, as you're paying it
forward to your child or yourchildren, you can start out with
basic stuff, with teaching them, okay.
So here's today's takeaway.
As far as something basic youcan teach your child, I always

(08:56):
like to give you a little pushin the right direction.
If you say you know what, Idon't know, I'm not sure where
to go with this.
Well, here's a hint and Ichallenge you.
Okay, if your child isn'talready doing this.
But here's today's challengeTeach your kids how to say thank

(09:19):
you.
That's very basic.
Well, when should they saythank you?
That's very basic.
Well, when should they saythank you?
When they're given something?
Okay, and it's two words thankyou.
If your child isn't doing that,and if they are kudos, mom, you
eight steps ahead.
But if they are not moms, Ichallenge you.

(09:39):
Teach your child to say thankyou when someone gives them
something and guess what andit's just not somebody outside
of your circle Teach them how tothank you.
It goes a long way and I saidit before in one of my prior
episodes.
My stepfather, when I wasraising my kids, he taught my

(10:03):
kids how to tell me thank youand I'm so appreciative of that
because it was survival mode forme.
As I mentioned before, financeswere just.
It was a huge struggle.
I didn't know how I was goingto make it from day to day.
My check was already spentbefore I got it.

(10:25):
Again, when my kids come backand I got a little something
extra for them, or they ask forsomething from the store this
and that and I get it for themand they say thank you, wow, wow
is all I can say, cause youdon't know that feeling when

(10:47):
you're struggling and you're outtrying to survive, trying to do
the best that you can, knowingthat they're not taking it for
granted.
So that's one thing Idefinitely cherish with my
stepfather and may he rest inpeace, because he did try to
teach my kids some of thosefundamental things in life that

(11:10):
they should do, and guess what,when they started thanking me,
guess what?
They automatically startedthanking others.
It became a natural responsewhen someone gave them something
.
So, moms, again, that's verybasic.
You can take it up a notchbecause, again, this is all

(11:31):
about critical thinking.
You can take it up a notch.
What are you teaching yourchild?
What are you going to takeownership of?
Now, I just gave you a simpletask to teach your child.
But if your child is alreadythere, so they're set up for
something greater as it relatesto knowledge and intelligence,

(11:53):
and it starts with you.
Mom, yep, I'm pointing at you,you see my finger, I'm pointing
at you.
Love you, ladies.
All right, if you enjoyed thisepisode, tell another single mom
this podcast.

(12:15):
It states single moms united.
But what it means is we areencouraging one another.
So when you see that united,that's how you translate that
word encouraging one another.
So I'm encouraging you throughthis podcast, but if you know
another single mom, then talk onit, encourage them.

(12:37):
Girl, you're going to getthrough this Because a lot of
people look at my podcast or thetitle of it as being, you know,
setting up some kind of coup orsomething like that.
But no, it's all aboutencouragement.
Again, tell another single mom.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did, let me know.

(13:00):
Let me know.
You can visit my YouTube pageor you can go to
singlemomsunitedpodcastcom andleave me some feedback there.
I would love to hear from you.
Take care, ladies.