Exceptional Parenting Podcast

In this episode today you'll learn all about executive functioning, which sounds like a fancy term, but it if you have a child who struggles with homework, grades, resistance, overwhelm, motivation, procrastination, underachievement, organization, focus, study skills and time management, executive function could be at the core of what they are missing. 

Seth Perler, executive function coach talks about how executive function is the root of so many problems that can look like "laziness, defiance, or disorganization." As we know, behavior is always a sign to look for the deeper root, so if you have a child who struggles in any of these areas, this episode is definitely for you. 

Here you'll learn;

• The difference between "can't" and "won't" when it comes to following rules or keeping up with tasks
• How to ask better questions to get to the true root of what is holding our kids back
• How a parent can tell if executive function is the true root of their child's behaviors
• How to help your child start to work on executive function skills in a way that doesn't overwhelm them (or you)

Where to Find Seth: 

https://sethperler.com/

You can pre-register for the FREE parent summit here 

https://executivefunctionsummit.com/

Knowing how to handle things when our kids don't "comply" can be really tough. Dr. Heather Maguire, a behavior analyst, brings in the science and the reality to help us all know how to handle defiance a little better.

To help us all figure out ways to respond without yelling or taking away privileges for a year, Heather shared two super simple ways to address defiance in the moment and 5 ways to prevent it before it even happens. 

As parents, when we can be proactive and support ourselves and our kids to be and do our best, great things happen. This episode is full of very specific ways to do that. 

Resources Mentioned: 

Weighted Blanket mentioned in the episode 

Harkla.co

Use code: "Wendy" for free shipping and 10% off your purchase

Find the full show notes at www.exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode62

The journey of parenting is not easy and looks different for everyone. Knowing how to find joy and courage in the journey is something that Casey O'Roarty, author and podcaster, talks about openly in the most realistic and relatable way I've heard. 

In this episode, you'll learn tools about navigating motherhood with joyful courage, AND it is absolutely not sugar-coated. As we both talk about struggles we are both navigating at the moment, we hope you'll feel understood and not alone. 

Overall, this episode is about growing as a parent, acknowledging that life is here for us to learn, grow, and our kids are not ours to shape, but we are being shaped by them if we allow that. 

Instagram

Joyful Courage

Facebook-

Live and Love With Joyful Courage

Joyful Courage for Parents of Teens 

Book 

Joyful Courage Book

Website

http://www.joyfulcourage.com/

"No" It's such a short word but when it comes flying out of our kid's mouth, it can trigger a surge of rage, frustration, and so many other feelings. 

Which is why so many moms reach out and ask "what should I do when my kid says no?" How does that coincide with positive parenting? Should I hold my ground and make sure they learn never to tell us no? Am I being too lenient if I don't? 

I answer all those questions and more in this episode of the podcast. It's my goal to help you feel comfortable and confident in the stance you take, so be prepared to dive deep and challenge traditional parenting norms, dig into your own "why" and figure out what is best for you and your child both. 

Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: 

Harkla Weighted Blanket

Harkla.co

Use code: "Wendy" for free shipping and 10% off your purchase

We all know it's important to help kids talk about their feelings and that it's one way to prevent a lot of behaviors. But, there's one glaring problem with talking about feelings- kids don't usually have the words or the emotional intelligence to really express their feelings until they are well into their teens. 

Of course we still try, and we teach them the skills, but board-certified music therapist Jaycie Voorhees shows us another powerful way to help kids express their emotions without words.

Our brains are able to create and play music much sooner than they are able to verbally express feelings, so it's only natural that music can be a great tool for helping kids understand and express themselves freely. 

While you may or may not be thinking music therapy is for you, the underlying theme is that music can help us all in so many different ways.

Where to Find Jaycie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonymusictherapy/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/harmonymusictherapy/ 

It's not uncommon for moms to talk about how to deal with their stress. Too often, the solutions that come up are all centered around things like;  Manicures, pedicures, retail therapy, or girls nights. While those can all be great and fun things, we can actually end up MASKING our stress, rather than working through it when we do those things. 

As moms of kids with sensory differences, big emotions, or sensitive feelings, stress is all too familiar, and instead of just using bandaids to cover it up, Susan Choi shares practical ways to not just treat the effects of stress but really get to the root of it. 

In this episode you'll learn:

• How our unconscious thoughts affect our emotions
• How to uncover our unconscious thoughts
• How to change those thoughts to create a better life and better emotions for ourselves

About Susan: 

Susan Choi is a High Performance Stress Management Coach and Podcast Host of STRESSPROOF, a TOP 100 Podcast in Mental Health on iTunes. She is the founder of RISE, a program that helps high performers think smarter and feel better to rise above stress and break through to the next level of success.

In a previous life, Susan served Fortune 100 clients such as Amazon and Microsoft as a Management Consultant working on highly strategic accounts. She is no stranger to stress, and has overcome burnout and Adrenal Fatigue, and now helps others become conscious of self sabotaging behavior and negative thought patterns.

Susan's coaching style is dynamic, methodical yet intuitive in order to influence and guide the unconscious mind for multi-level change work and to uncover hidden assumptions.

Susan currently works with startup Sales Executives, Entrepreneurs, and other Industry Leaders.

Where to Find Susan:

www.stressproofpodcast.com

Instagram: @susanchoiwellness

FB: @susanchoiwellness

Free Gift: www.stressproofpodcast.com/p

So many of us start motherhood thinking we will be the perfect parent. We have an unrealistic view of what motherhood is supposed to be, so when we find ourselves getting angry, yelling, or threatening our kids, it feels horrible. We feel like a failure. We feel alone, and we feel like we are the only ones who struggle with those things. 

Desiree Fortin from "the perfect mom" on Instagram found that by opening up about her mom anger, she's been able to work through it in such powerful and purposeful ways. 

In this raw episode, you'll hear Desiree talk about her journey from wanting kids so badly, to having them and being faced with postpartum depression, and realizing there was an anger inside of her she never realized existed. She shares so openly here how any parent can work through those big emotions and how doing that for ourselves can also set a powerful example for our kids to do the same. 

If you've ever felt like mom anger is getting the best of you, this episode is definitely one you will love. 

Where you can find Desiree: 

Follow Desiree on Instagram Here 

#confessionsOfAnAngryMom

Recently I heard a friend say that kids just "need tough love" and the thought sparked something inside of me. I would've agreed with that statement a few years ago, but today after reading the research and seeing how parenting can be so different, I wanted to show her there was a different way- a better way for kids to learn than by "giving them tough love."

This episode is a way for you to see a new side of two popular parenting practices, so if anyone tells you that you need to "give tough love" or "teach your kids a lesson" you can at least have a perspective to help give you pause and consider another possible scenario. 

In this episode, you'll learn why parents think they need to "teach a lesson" or "give tough love", what kids actually learn from those, and a different way to teach kids without punishment.

"I was never a yeller until I became a mom."

I've said that so many times in my head, and for so long I wondered WHY. If you've ever felt that way or wondered why after becoming a mom, emotions are SO different than before, this episode is one you'll definitely want to dive into. 

Alice Pickering from momdocpsychology shares both her personal experience, and her professional explanations of why this happens, and why mom mental health is a topic few people talk about. 

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to view "negative emotions" in a more productive way so we don't feel like we have to hide from or fix them
• How to work through those emotions in ways internally without putting a bandaid on them
• One simple practice you can start today to change the way your brain views and the way your heart responds to the same situations
• How to create a self-care routine that actually works to help you work through tough emotions

Resources: 

Website: www.momdocpsychology.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/momdocpsychology/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momdocpsychology/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momdocpsychology/

When it comes to kids and screens, everyone has their own opinion. That's why I invited Paige Flamm to come on to talk about her own personal journey going from a mom who used screen time as a way for her to entertain her kids so she could escape and relax, to going completely cold turkey and having no screens, to where she is now which is a very intentional balance of the two. 

In this episode, you'll learn that there isn't one right way to manage screens, but by following the cues your kids (and you) are seeing, you can find what is right for you. Paige is a great and real example of how to do that. 

If you've ever been scared of taking screen time away from your kids, or how you would manage without it, or how to keep your kids from being bored without it, this episode is definitely one you'll want to listen to. 

Episodes and links mentioned in the episode:

Episode 39: Encouraging Creativity with Kids Who Don't Feel Creative https://exceptionalparentingpodcast.com/episode39/

Where to Find Paige: 

http://www.thehappyflammily.com/

Follow Paige on Instagram