What do you do when the people helping raise your kids don’t share your vision for what matters most? Lisa Valentine Clark and the Council of Moms—Josephine, Wendy Mar, and Hilary Craner—tackle the challenge of parenting with different priorities. They share tips on how to stay unified without losing what matters most to you, the importance of pausing before responding, and how to build a family culture rooted in love even when you disagree. If you’ve ever felt torn between standing your ground and keeping the peace, this conversation offers wisdom and real life perspective.

Do you dread bedtime? The Council of Moms--Ruth Aguirre, Whitney Call, and Lindsay Clark--tackle one of parenting’s most exhausting challenges: getting everyone to sleep. From toddlers who won’t stay in bed to teens who won’t go to bed, they share what’s helped them shift from dread to (occasional) peace. The moms talk about setting clear ground rules, being honest about their own needs, adjusting routines around the trickiest sleepers, and offering choices without giving up boundaries. If bedtime feels like a nightly battle in your home, this episode is for you.

How do you teach kids to sincerely apologize when it's appropriate— and mean it? Lisa and the Council of Moms-- Erika Price, Amy Hackworth, and Geraldine “G” Fitisemanu break down teaching kids real manners, starting with sincere apologies. They share how to model respectful behavior, practice with role play, and help kids connect to feelings so they can lay the groundwork for genuine connection. Plus a few tips for raising kids not just to be polite, but truly sensitive to the needs and feelings of others.

Not every kid has a clear passion and that’s okay. But how do you help them discover what lights them up? This week on The Council of Moms, Lisa is joined by Shima Baughman, Cimony Mahoney, and La Beene to talk about helping kids find their “thing.” They share how they’ve explored new hobbies alongside their children, why being bored is actually a gift, and how to reframe hobbies as a source of joy and not pressure. From team sports to quiet crafts, they discuss trying lots of new things, embracing the journey, and finding connection along the way.

Watching your partner parent can be one of the most unexpectedly tricky parts of blending a family, especially when their discipline style doesn’t seem to stick. This weeks Council of Moms, Lisa, Brittney Phillips, Liz Palmer-Bastian, and Tammy Hall talk about how to keep your relationship strong even when parenting differences threaten to wear you down. They share how to move from criticism to collaboration, why it helps to focus on shared values rather than identical rules, and how conversations are what really shape a blended family. From letting go of perfection to choosing your battles, this episode is all about the art of parenting as partners.

How do you stay connected and playful with your older kids, especially when you’re worried about their behavior? Lisa Valentine Clark and her Council of Moms—Josephine, Wendy Mar, and Hilary Craner—talk about balancing discipline and delight. They share ideas for connecting through your kids’ hobbies, being intentional about when to bring things up (and when to let them go), making room for silliness, sharing laughter, and rolling with the occasional embarrassing moment.

Arguments in front of kids: Should you shield them from discord or let them see real life? This week on the Council of Moms, Ruth Aguirre, Whitney Call, and Lindsay Clark share what’s worked for them. They talk about letting kids see healthy disagreements and honest feelings while making sure the setting and the age of the child are taken into account. They share how to model respectful conflict, how answer tough questions, and how to keep the focus on love, respect, and growing together as families.

You catch a whiff during the car ride home. Apparently your tween’s refusal to shower has reached new heights. What’s a parent to do? From the early days of bathtime battles to the awkward puberty talks and buying that first stick of deodorant, teaching kids to care for their bodies can be surprisingly complicated. This week, Lisa and the Council of Moms—Erika Price, Amy Hackworth, and Geraldine “G” Fitisemanu—tackle the question: How do you teach proper hygiene to your kids? They open up about how they started hygiene routines young, why they normalize conversations about body changes, and how the lessons they’ve learned balance consistency with compassion.

College isn’t the only path after high school, but it’s still the one a lot of kids (and their parents) expect to take. So how do you prepare them for that step, or for any step into adulthood? What really matters before they leave the house? Lisa and the Council of Moms—Shima Baughman, Cimony Mahoney, and La Beene—talk through the big picture of post-high school readiness. They discuss helping kids explore all their options from trade school to military service to entrepreneurship. They share how to guide kids toward careers that can actually support them, teach essential life skills like laundry and budgeting, and, most importantly, communicate that your love isn’t tied to what they choose next.

#CollegePrep #LifeSkills #ParentingTeens #CouncilOfMoms #MomWisdom #AfterHighSchool

When it comes to parenting stepkids, it can feel like every decision is a test. Say no, and you risk seeming cold or unloving. Say yes, and you might feel like you're being a pushover. How do you stay consistent without becoming the ‘mean parent’? And what about the ‘fair police’, those kids who keep score and expect everything to be exactly equal? In this episode, Lisa and the Council of Moms—Brittney Phillips, Liz Palmer, and Tammy Hall—tackle the tricky balance of parenting in blended families. They open up about the pressure to prove loyalty, how to handle different expectations, and why real love includes setting boundaries and saying no when needed.

#StepParenting #BlendedFamilies #ParentingTips #CouncilOfMoms

#MomLife