Parenting Decoded

Does your child have a problem with what's in their backpack?   You know,  those papers that are wrinkled at the bottom?  Maybe a permission slip?  Or possibly a banana? 
 
Or how about the things that are NOT in their backpack?  Do they forget to put their homework in?  Or maybe their lunch or water bottle? 

In this podcast take a new approach!

We want it to be THEIR fault in their minds.  It’s ok ...

For some families having lots of Halloween candy floating around our homes causes stress and strain.  In this podcast learn some tricks for treating your whole family to a more fun and happy experience as you learn to set limits and boundaries while giving lots of choices and, occassionally, letting your kids make poor decisions.  

Email me at info@parentingdecoded.com or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com. ...

Hearing the phrase "secure attachment" makes us think of some academic thesis.  BORING!  Well,  I want to help flip that idea in our minds to "CRUCIAL".  Yes,  having our kids see us as stable, reliable and empathetic beings in their lives is ESSENTIAL.  In this podcast episode I talk to Eli Harwood, a therapist and "attachment nerd", as she calls herself on social media.  We talk about how in her book...

 How much can a 2-, 3- or 4-year-old do?  What can they do?  They’re so little, right?  A toddler?  A preschooler?  What’s reasonable?  What’s not?   Are you doing too much as a parent?  

 All good questions for sure that most of us struggle with!  In this podcast we explore what’s reasonable to encourage and train young kids to do from chores to life skills that will build self-confidence and independence. 

Here's the...

Getting teens and tweens to talk to parents is an age old battle the repeats itself over and over again with each new generation.  Times change but our teens wanting independence from us doesn't. 

In this episode learn some tips and tricks for how to get our kids to relax and just enjoy being with us so that they'll open up and want to trust us. 

There is a list of activities and how to use them to bre...

Kids of all ages need to feel connected and loved unconditionally.  How can you set up a system in your family for creating and keeping those connections?  In this podcast we go over connections for kids between 2 and 10.  The next podcast covers what you can do for teens and tweens, a much harder demographic than younger kids who still think the world of you. 

In this episode we explore ideas on how to have regular "...

Grumpy kids can really put your home into a foul mood.  What can we do to help tame these dark clouds and bring some sunshine back into our lives?

In this episode we'll cover these four steps:

Step 1 – Keep Your Cool 

Step 2 – Offer Empathy and Hugs 

Step 3 - Fix the Broken Connection 

Step 4 – Go on a Trigger Quest and Brainstorm

The transcript for this episode is HERE

Here are the resources mentioned ...

Parents struggle with how to motivate their children toward certain behaviors. Typically rewards and bribes are used. 

In this episode learn about when bribes and rewards are most likely to motivate your child.  There are pros and cons of both types of motivations.  Bribes tend to reinforce negative behaviors, while rewards are commonly thought of as something that's planned ahead and well-thought-out, used for posit...

Kids being bullied isn't new.  What's new is the extent at which they are being bullied and, with the internet, in new and harmful ways.  

In this episode, we'll cover the different types of bullying:
Verbal - teasing, name-calling, taunting, etc.,
Social - spreading rumors, leaving kids out, embarrassing them, etc.
Physical - hitting, spitting, tripping, etc. 
Cyberbullying - using digital d...

Do you have an anxious child?   Does it worry you or drive you crazy?  Either way you need to listen to this podcast!

Learn about the 4 different types of anxiety, then the 4 parenting traps that we fall into when we attempt to "help" that wind up having negative impacts.

• Being over reassuring
• Swooping in/Jumping in too soon
• Allowing avoidance
• Being too tough or critical

In this podcast, hear from Stephanie P...

Today with the launch of the Barbie movie and so much emphasis on selfies and having perfect bodies, it's worth considering how we help out the millions of kids who aren't "perfect". 

In this episode I interview Pam Luk, Founder of Ember & Ace, a clothing brand for plus-sized kids.  We talk about how to support our kids both socially and emotionally as well as how we as parents need to tamp down ou...

What do you with kids who are wired differently?   Who might be on the spectrum (ADHD, Asperger's, OCD, etc.)?  Maybe they've had a diagnosis, maybe you just can see they are off the charts brilliant and some things but a total failure at socializing with kids their age. 

If you have such challenges with your kids,  take a listen to Sam Young of Young Scholars Academy in this episode as he explains how his onlin...

Some kids seem to be born not caring where stuff is.  They rely on us to find things and if we can't find them they blame US!  Yikes! 

This episode gives you ideas about how to let go of the responsibility for items in our kids lives that should be THEIRS but seem to have become OURS.  

Learn how to keep a calm head as we turn over the job of owning "stuff" back to our kids in loving ways.  

Most parents seem to get hit with this at some point in our parenting journey.  It can start at around 6-7 months and usually goes away gradually throughout early childhood.  But… sometimes we’re just put to the test with separation issues and we wish someone would let us know what’s normal, what’s extreme and give us some ideas about what to do.

In this podcast we have Jessica O’Connor, LMFT, a licensed marriage and fami...

Listen to Heath Wilson, co-founder of Aro, talk about their innovative technology that helps families develop good screen habits in a positive and fun way. 

There's a smart tech "box" to hold your devices when families decide to have non-tech time and an app that will track how long technology has been in the box.  It's the complete opposite of our normal "get off your device" that many famil...

There are so many pressures we face as parents but one of the most challenging can be managing our own parents when it comes to gifting to their grandkids.  It's enough to drive some of us crazy!

In this episode we'll talk about the types of interference we might be dealing from our family values being over run to dealing with huge amounts of clutter that we have to organize not to how too many toys can interfere...

When you have a child who refuses to read or is delayed in their reading compared to their peers it can be a very stressful time for parents as we try to navigate the what-to-dos and the why-is this-happening-to-my-child thoughts that constantly run through our minds.  The same stress can hit us when our kids don’t want to write and then again if they start falling into the “I hate school” mode which really tears us up. 

...

In this third installment of my manners series we discuss how to train your kids to chew their food with their mouths closed.  It can be a challenge but with some consistency, love and a bit of fun and games it's possible to move your kids into the social graces. 

There are two books for younger kids that might come in handy:
“How Dinosaurs Eat Their Food” by Jane Yolen
“Dinner with Olivia” by Emily Sollinger...

When kids drain our energy by doing things that drive us crazy we need to respond in a loving and empathetic manner.  However,  when we're so tired of them doing things that drain us -- like whining, talking back, fighting with their siblings, or ignoring screen time limits -- we just don't know what to do. 

In this podcast you'll learn not only how to recognize things that drain your energy but how to let ...