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Inspiration from this Episode

“This can happen by the stacking up of one small fear after another, and feeling intimidated over and over again.” 

“So, help your child get this storyline right and understand that even when they don't get what they want, they still are valued, and important to you into the household.”

“You have gained understanding about your kiddo’s thoughts and worries - acknowledging that this is hard, scary, and weird.”

049 | Us & Kids: Regression & Stress with Kids

Intro 

On today’s show, we are talking all about regression and stress. These can be really scary and overwhelming words. Knowing the why, the where and the what-to-do can really help settle down the worry that comes with regressing.

Regression is usually when someone or something goes back(wards) to something that used to be. A kiddo might regress to fighting bedtime, or bathroom use, or baby talk. We usually regress...

Inspiration from this Episode

“Sometimes characters from books or shows can help a kiddo validate or explain their feelings.  And then you can watch how the character resolves his “too big emotion” situation and see what applies in your home.”

“So, helping them learn how to self-sooth, and calm down, or tone down their emotions is wise.”  

“I am important, I am valued, I am not a failure, I can help, be included, and play an important role in my family.”

045 | Us & Kids: Big Emotions and Kids

Intro 

On today’s show, we're talking about big emotions in our kids. Last week, in episode 44, we talked about the adult brain and big emotions. There we split the brain into spaces where the emotions develop and where the feelings develop. 

Today we are focusing more on the emotional space because our kiddos are still developing their brains and so, where we can impact, for better mental health,...

Inspiration from this Episode

“The boat has a structure around it to help it float, even in stormy weather. Our relationships also need some structure around it to help it float - even in stormy weather.”

“As they grow in understanding your language and grow in their own language be patient.”

“Remember to be in control of yourself. Because as you lead, they will follow.”

043 | Us & Kids: Boundaries

Intro 

On today’s show, we are talking all about boundaries. It’s hard to believe that half of 2020 is done! Do you just feel overrun? The kids do what they want, don’t want to do what you want them to do...and cooperation is at someone else’s house...certainly not yours! So, what to do?  

Do you just give up - Oh my and oh well….maybe we’ll reset next year? I am not sure it’s worth the argument and fight and tension. The easy way out is their way, even if it’s not a good...

Inspiration from this Episode

“They have less emotional knowledge, and less emotional awareness. Not necessarily less emotional experience.”

“I want them to be able to absorb pain and use pain in a healthy and okay way.“

“Because I wanted her to be empowered by talking about it out loud on her own, forming her own thoughts, gathering her own courage to say her own experience and letting me just be the listener.”

038 | Us & Kids: Grief in a Child

Intro 

On today’s show, the topic we're talking about today isn't necessarily a really happy one. But it's a rather common one. And the topic is about grief or loss for a child and how they experience it, but also how we can help them develop skills to get through it. We usually think we know what grief means to us or other adults we know, but it might look a lot different to the kids in our life. 

To children, the loss or grief happens because someone or something...

Inspiration from this Episode

 “From the minute they're born, we begin to influence their brain.”

 “Sadly, because this need to connect deeply is so significant that if it is not filled nicely with mom and dad then that need can carry over to other spaces.”

 “Demonstrate and live with intentional good behavior so that they can copy you. This is when bonding happens.”

035 | Us & Kids: How Velcro Helps Us Be Better Parents

Intro  

On today’s show, we're moving on to part two of this two part series. In the last podcast, we were talking about Velcro. We talked about how to be connected with your spouse, and about how to clean up those connections in case being velcro’d together isn't working very well. Sometimes there are too many fuzzies and other things that are blocking the good connections. 

We're going to continue that today, but today we're going to talk about bonding or Velcro...

Inspiration from this Episode

“Their brains are much like ours in terms of, always gathering information, always trying to figure things out.”

“They have ways to act it, but no ways to say it.”

“Anything that's different for you, they probably are picking up in some ways.”

028 | Us & Kids: Helping Kids Adjust to Life Changes

Intro 

On today’s show, we're going to talk about adjusting to life changes and what happens to our kids. We all know, life changes and usually not when we want it to. And, if we have littles, then life changes for them too. And, what might be a good change for mom and dad might seem like chaos and disconnections for our little ones.  

Every little milestone that our kiddos acheive or strive for often comes with a lot of hard times in their little minds. All of the things that come simply and easily to us are huge challenges that they face constantly. It takes about 3 months for a change...

 Inspiration from this Episode

“When we encourage, we help our kiddos gain courage.”

“It’s easy to be nice when somebody is being nice to you.”

“Encouragement also brings calmness because the encouragement says, I believe in you.”

024 | Us & Kids: P is for Parent (or How to Encourage our Kids to Gain Courage)

Intro 

On today’s show, we are going to talk about what it means to be a parent. We all have different things come to mind when we think about what it’s like to be a parent. Some people think exhaustion, others might think encouraging, challenging, or funny. 

There are so many different approaches to parenting because we all have different personalities. Parenting also might look different for people because of the kiddo’s they are parenting. As we work our way into through the letters in PARENT we will find some many reminders that being a good parent is mostly about us.

...

 Inspiration from this Episode

“These are the same skills we want when we're parenting our little ones.”

“Be creative. Ask for help.”

“Teach, model, show, practice, encourage. Be patient and persistent, with deep kindness and joy.”

015 | Us & Kids: Raising our Kids is Messy, Like Building Gingerbread Houses

Intro 

On today’s show, we're talking about how raising our kids is like building gingerbread houses. There are so many fun, messy and challenging parts of building a gingerbread house around the holidays. A lot can also be said about the fun, messy and challenging times that we go through when we raise our little ones.

As our kids grow and go through different phases, there are little tidbits we can take away from how to handle situations. Sometimes we might need to be still, quiet and just support, while other times we may need to overlook the messy bits and just appreciate the fun we’ve had along the...

Inspiration from this Episode

“What do we want the end of the conversation to look like?”

“We didn’t rush into things often.”

“I'm going to continue to help my children to be calm.”

010 | Us & Kids: Apologize

Intro 

On today’s show, we're discussing something that's important in any relationship—how to apologize. Sometimes things can get messy and we need to learn the right way and time to apologize to one another. When we run into difficult situations in our marriage and while parenting, there are a few things we can do to help get to a resolution. 

A lot of the time we need to evaluate what we want to get out of a conversation before we know how to approach it. When kids are brought into the mix, it can be hard to understand how to properly handle a situation while using it as a learning experience. 

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• Defining the desire for our...

Inspiration from this Episode:

“Get them outside. Let them play, let them have fun.”

“Give them the space for rest.”

004 | Us & Kids: Blueberries

Intro 

On today’s show, we are talking about the sweet and juicy topic of berries and how they can resemble our kids and families. When we think about our gardens and the variety of fruits we might be growing, we hardly ever stop to think how so many of the attributes of these berries are similar to our kids. Many of the things needed to careful grow plants and make them flourish are the same things our kids need as they also grow. 

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

•     What berries have to do with raising kids.
•     How our kids might resemble growing fruits.
•     Dealing with the differences in their personalities.
•     Growing fruit vs growing good kids.

Resources in Today’s Episode

•  ...