Links from Dr Begeny are at www.children-of-the-forest.com/dr-begeny-podcast

In this rich and reflective second part of our conversation with Dr. Chris Begeny, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Exeter, we dive deeper into the gendered tensions of parenting, education, and outdoor settings. Chris joins Lewis and Gemma to unpack how perceptions of fatherhood, safeguarding, praise, and gender bias affect Forest School and beyond. Together they navigate uncomfortable truths and laugh at social absurdities, all while examining how privilege, social roles, and neuroscience intersect in children's lives.

This far-reaching discussion touches on how praise can reinforce fixed mindsets, how exclusion mirrors physical pain, and how diversity must be lived—not just spoken. With insights into contingent self-worth, epigenetics, and the awkward dance of talking to young children about race or gender, this episode offers real talk for practitioners striving to create safer, more aware environments.

💬 Thought-provoking and grounded in research, this is one for anyone exploring how to walk the walk—not just talk the talk—in holistic education.

⏱ Chapter Timings:
00:00 – Why we split the episode: a wide, rich conversation continues
01:09 – Fear of male involvement in childcare: safeguarding stigma
04:22 – Social judgement, privilege gaps, and parenting in public
06:22 – Valuing parenting as a skilled, underpaid job
08:32 – The loss of communal parenting and over-professionalisation
11:09 – Teacher anxiety, math performance, and gender divergence
14:21 – Praise, demand avoidance, and contingent self-worth
16:43 – The neuroscience of praise, rejection, and social pain
20:22 – Diversity: walking the walk vs. talking the talk in education
33:27 – Media representation, same-sex couples, and normalisation

🌲 Keywords: gender bias in parenting, Forest School safeguarding, praise and demand avoidance, fixed vs growth mindset, social rejection neuroscience, diversity in education, male practitioners, epigenetics, race and early years, single-sex schools, contingent self-worth, holistic teaching

🔖 Hashtags:
#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #GenderBias #ParentingRoles #PraiseMatters #Neurodiversity #ContingentSelfWorth #ReflectivePractice #DiversityInEducation #ForestSchoolPodcast #HolisticLearning #PlayBasedLearning #WalkingTheTalk

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