Exceptional Parenting Podcast

Its no secret we parent differently than most people. Inevitably, when that happens, we set ourselves up to be seen and to be judged. 

Ugh, the thought of being judged still gets me, but it's real. Also, on the same side of that coin is those who don't necessarily judge but who aren't supportive. When it comes to teachers, caregivers, or others who might care for our kids, it's important to know how to address the situation without getting triggered or causing too much contention. 

In this podcast you'll learn how to do two things:

Shift your thinking so you don't feel the weight of judgment and disapproval of other people by doing four things...

1. Understand that we all are doing what we can with what we have
2. Accept that judgment is cheap and easy
3. Know your why
4. Let go of the need for approval

Then once we've addressed the stuff inside us, it's easier to work on the approach with other people when we have to. In the episode, you'll learn how to do all that.

As moms, we want to give our kids the world on a silver platter. We often have hopes, dreams, and wishes for them, even if we don't realize they are there. 

In this episode, Wendi Mckenna opens up about a side of parenting that's rarely talked about. She talks about how those hopes, dreams, and expectations are coming from our own selfish desires, and can actually be damaging for our kids' growth and progress. 

In this episode you'll learn:

• How parenting a child with differences can be a learning process for us as parents
• How to let go of our expectations and still support our kids to be who they can be
• How to build strong physical and emotional connections
• How to approach behaviors in a way that supports our kids, and still creates healthy boundaries
• A process for knowing how to dig up what is underneath any behavior, even if our kids can't explain it

After seeing the same behaviors over and over again, it's hard to know what to do about them. We know timeouts don't work, punishments don't work, and even lecturing (er talking) to them about it doesn't really make the behavior change. 

Today on the podcast Lauren Pace is showing us how to teach our kids the skills they are lacking that causes these behaviors. So instead of feeling like we're repeating ourselves all the time, we can get to the root of it so much quicker

Lauren is as real as a person gets and because of that, she talked candidly about what to do when we mess up as parents, how to handle it when kids are hitting, and how to deal with a meltdown after turning off the TV. If you've ever struggled with any of those, this episode is for you!

Instagram/ xolaurenpace

Website/ xolaurenpace.com/coaching

If you've ever felt like kids assume you're made of money, they beg for more stuff, and seem to have no appreciation for what they have, this episode is going to help you form a simple plan to change that. 

In this episode, John Lanza from www.themoneymammals.com/ talks about how to create money habits in your family that will help kids learn to save, spend, and give money in an intentional and easy way. 

Money isn't often talked about at home, or until kids are much older, but here John shares how to start talking about money, and helping kids manage their own money as early as 5 years old using his money mammals program. 

In this episode you'll learn:

*when and how to start doing allowance (which doesn't involve giving kids money freely or paying them to do household tasks)

*How to let kids practice money skills in a lower-stakes environment so when they become adults they've developed good money habits

*how to change this system as kids grow into teen years

In the middle of a meltdown, when your ears are about to burst, and your patience is worn thin, it's hard to know what to do. 

Sure, people can tell you to "be firm" but that just ends in a massive power struggle. 

Others can tell you to "validate their feelings" but that doesn't even get heard sometimes. So what can be done in those crazy, exhausting moments when all emotions are running high?

Lauren Tamm from https://themilitarywifeandmom.com shares with us one simple and science-backed tip that can definitely help in those stressful moments.

In this episode, you'll learn:

* why it doesn't work to talk calmly in heated moments

* how to use tantrums/meltdowns/whining for good

* why ignoring the whining won't work in the long term

I never learned how to cultivate creativity in my own kids, and most parents find themselves in the same boat as me. But, it's something I feel is so important to my kids' development and future success, so this episode is one I've found to be super helpful.

In this episode, Jean Van't Hul talks about how to foster creativity in kids...not only through art, but also through daily life.

Jean outlines 3 common but unintentional ways parents can dampen their kids creativity by doing any of these things;

• Overscheduling
• Using coloring books
• Asking kids to explain their creations

I've found myself doing so many of those and now I can see how they are working against my kids' natural sense of creativity. So, in the episode you'll learn how to shift those habits and turn them into more productive practices for you and your kids.

"How do I get my partner on board if he says I'm just being a pushover?"

"How can I get my partner to see that yelling or spanking isn't helping?"

Changing the ways we parent is a process and can be hard when we feel like we are doing it alone, or if we are being judged for it.

In this candid episode, I'm opening up about the differences between my husband and I when it comes to our parenting ideas. Spoiler alert, we don't always agree.

When this is the case in your home I have three ideas for you to try out, to see how they work for you. It all centers around the idea that we first have to change the question we ask to "what to do when my partner doesn't agree with my parenting. The answers are all based on these three ideas:

1. Agree on the outcome, not the process

2. Lead by example

3. You do you

We hear it all the time "living their best life" but what does that really mean and how do we really help kids to live their best lives?

Laura Earnshaw of MyHappyMind (https://myhappymind.org/) is on the podcast today helping us to not just say the words, but truly help our kids understand and become their best selves.

In this episode you'll learn;

• How as parents we can retrain our own brains to focus on their character rather than their achievements
• How this builds their self-esteem and resilience
• How to help a child develop a new character trait
• How to decrease sibling rivalry by helping kids understand and celebrate the character differences within a family
• How to help our kids not be defined or bothered by society's measure of "success"

You can find Laura at https://myhappymind.org/ and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/myhappymind/ 

We all want our kids to grow into well rounded and emotionally stable people, but when it comes to the daily meltdowns, tantrums, and whining we face, sometimes it's hard to know how that will happen.

Here in this episode Ty Aller, a licensed Marriage and family therapist explains the best practices for supporting healthy social-emotional growth by doing something that may seem counter-cultural, but is absolutely supported by research and practice.

In this episode you'll learn;

• How emotions are indicators to be aware of things we need to know
• How to integrate mindfulness and practice into daily routines to help us and our kids better understand our emotions
• Why it's best not to label emotions as "good or bad"
• How to sit with emotions more easily (both our own and our kids')

Knowing how to react when our kids act out and wondering if it's even possible to go a day without losing our patience is HARD! There are so many different ideas about what moms should do in those situations, but Lisa Andersen from thriving motherhood takes a countercultural approach that involves letting go.

In this episode you'll learn;

• How to really feel like a more patient mom who yells less
• How to still have expectations and boundaries without feeling like it's a struggle to get your kids to respect them
• How to teach your kids to respect you (without using punishment)
• How to teach kids to respect each other (sibling rivalry happens to everyone)
• The STEAR process Lisa developed to help any mom respond in more helpful and less reactive ways