Family Confidential: Secrets of Successful Parenting with Annie Fox, M.Ed.

Once, mentioning a typical "mother-daughter relationship" was code for "contentious struggle." Not so today, says Linda Perlman Gordon, c0-author (with Susan Schaffer) of "Too Close for Comfort: Questioning the Intimacy of Today's New Mother-Daughter Relationship", "This is totally new because this is the first generation where mothers are living longer and daughters are marrying later. That gives you all of your twenties experiencing life as a single woman and your mother is often still working." Annie talks with Linda about the effect of these profound social changes on our changing relationships with our daughters.

About Linda Perlman Gordon

Linda Perlman Gordon, LCSW-C, M.Ed., is a clinical social worker with a private psychotherapy practice in the Washington, DC area working with individuals and families with a special expertise in family communication and divorce. She is the co-author of several books including: "Too Close for Comfort: Questioning the New Intimacy of today's New Mother-Daughter Relationship", "Mom, Can I Move Back in with You? A Survival Guide for Parents of Twentysomethings", and "Why Girls Talk and What They Are Really Saying: A Parent's Survival Guide to Connecting with Your Teen". Learn more at http://Linda-Gordon.net

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

"When kids witness the adults in their midst being passive by-standers to injustice, they learn to do the same," says Rick Phillips. He adds that the mean-spirited tone of many reality shows, music, and video games only adds to our children's "de-sentization to the pain and suffering of other people." Annie talks with Rick about his Safe Schools Ambassors Program and how it has made significant positive differences in schools around the country.

About Rick Phillips (@WakingUpCourage)

Rick Phillips is the Executive Director and founder of Community Matters, an innovative and thought-leading organization committed to improving the social-emotional climate of our nation's schools and communities. Founded in 1996, Community Matters (CM) has evolved from its earliest focus on youth development and bullying prevention to become a widely respected consulting, training and presenting organization. Rick is also the lead author of Safe School Ambassadors: Harnessing Student Power to Stop Bullying and Violence, Learn more at http://Community-Matters.org

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

"When kids witness the adults in their midst being passive by-standers to injustice, they learn to do the same," says Rick Phillips. He adds that the mean-spirited tone of many reality shows, music, and video games only adds to our children's "de-sentization to the pain and suffering of other people." Annie talks with Rick about his Safe Schools Ambassors Program and how it has made significant positive differences in schools around the country.

About Rick Phillips (@WakingUpCourage)

Rick Phillips is the Executive Director and founder of Community Matters, an innovative and thought-leading organization committed to improving the social-emotional climate of our nation's schools and communities. Founded in 1996, Community Matters (CM) has evolved from its earliest focus on youth development and bullying prevention to become a widely respected consulting, training and presenting organization. Rick is also the lead author of Safe School Ambassadors: Harnessing Student Power to Stop Bullying and Violence, Learn more at http://Community-Matters.org

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

Family mealtimes should be fun. But many parents find sitting at the table to be totally stressful as they try to get all the right nutrients into their kids' mouths. Like so many babies, Dina Rose's little bundle of joy delighted in eating all kinds of food—for a while. Then, she learned how to say "no" and "I don't like it" and "I don't want that." Sound familiar? What had been a simple and joyful task—providing her daughter with healthful foods—became a struggle. So Dina put on her sociologist's hat to find the solutions. But, as she emphatically says, "It was my role as Mom that taught me how to implement what I was researching and learning." Annie talks to Dina about how teaching kids life-long healthy eating habits is not about the broccoli.

About Dina Rose

Dina Rose has a PhD in sociology from Duke University and more than fifteen years' experience in teaching and research. She is also the author It's Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating. For parents who want to feed their kids right, Dina leverages a unique combination of expertise as a sociologist and a mother to help parents solve their kids' eating problems by focusing on the root of the problem—eating habits, not nutrition. Learn more at http://ItsNotAboutNutrition.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

Family mealtimes should be fun. But many parents find sitting at the table to be totally stressful as they try to get all the right nutrients into their kids' mouths. Like so many babies, Dina Rose's little bundle of joy delighted in eating all kinds of food—for a while. Then, she learned how to say "no" and "I don't like it" and "I don't want that." Sound familiar? What had been a simple and joyful task—providing her daughter with healthful foods—became a struggle. So Dina put on her sociologist's hat to find the solutions. But, as she emphatically says, "It was my role as Mom that taught me how to implement what I was researching and learning." Annie talks to Dina about how teaching kids life-long healthy eating habits is not about the broccoli.

About Dina Rose

Dina Rose has a PhD in sociology from Duke University and more than fifteen years' experience in teaching and research. She is also the author It's Not About the Broccoli: Three Habits to Teach your Kids for a Lifetime of Healthy Eating. For parents who want to feed their kids right, Dina leverages a unique combination of expertise as a sociologist and a mother to help parents solve their kids' eating problems by focusing on the root of the problem—eating habits, not nutrition. Learn more at http://ItsNotAboutNutrition.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

When Dara Chadwick's book, You'd Be So Pretty If, was first published she had her doubts about her qualifications as a so-called body image expert. "There are days when I look in the mirror and I don't feel so great about what I see," she confessed. "What qualifies me to tell other women how to help their daughters feel better about their bodies? But then I realized that fundamentally this is a communications issue and that is something I know a lot about." Annie talks with Dara about how moms (and dads) influence their daughters' body image, often in a negative direction, and what parents can do to create natural conversations with our growing girls, without a lecture.

About Dara Chadwick

Dara Chadwick is the head of Dara Chadwick Communications, as well as an independent journalist who has written for national publications including Shape, Parenting, and Woman's Day. She is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction book, "You'd Be So Pretty If: Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies – Even If We Don't Love Our Own." Learn more at http://DaraChadwick.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

When Dara Chadwick's book, You'd Be So Pretty If, was first published she had her doubts about her qualifications as a so-called body image expert. "There are days when I look in the mirror and I don't feel so great about what I see," she confessed. "What qualifies me to tell other women how to help their daughters feel better about their bodies? But then I realized that fundamentally this is a communications issue and that is something I know a lot about." Annie talks with Dara about how moms (and dads) influence their daughters' body image, often in a negative direction, and what parents can do to create natural conversations with our growing girls, without a lecture.

About Dara Chadwick

Dara Chadwick is the head of Dara Chadwick Communications, as well as an independent journalist who has written for national publications including Shape, Parenting, and Woman's Day. She is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction book, "You'd Be So Pretty If: Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies – Even If We Don't Love Our Own." Learn more at http://DaraChadwick.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

The tween years offers girls exciting opportunities for learning and developing good judgment due to having less parental supervision than they received when they were younger. Learning to navigate school and after school schedules as well as peer relationships is part of growing up. As therapist Debi Smith-Racanelli says, "We need to support girls in being able to learn the skills necessary to make good choices independently." But where do they get those needed interpersonal skills? Annie talks to Debi about ways parents can help girls manage the emotional challenges of growing up in the Digital Age, stay grounded, and become the kind of girl they want to be.

About Debi Smith-Racanelli (@DebiJSR)

Debi Smith-Racanelli is a therapist and a parent educator. She is also an avid blogger at BetweenBabyDollsAndBoyfriends.com where she shares her passion for raising daughters. She's the author of Between Baby Dolls and Boyfriends: How to Successfully Navigate Your Daughter's Tween Years, which she wrote with her very own tween daughter, Kendall, who gives her opinion on the topics in the book in "Kendall's Corner" at the end of each chapter. Learn more at http://BetweenBabyDollsAndBoyfriends.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

The tween years offers girls exciting opportunities for learning and developing good judgment due to having less parental supervision than they received when they were younger. Learning to navigate school and after school schedules as well as peer relationships is part of growing up. As therapist Debi Smith-Racanelli says, "We need to support girls in being able to learn the skills necessary to make good choices independently." But where do they get those needed interpersonal skills? Annie talks to Debi about ways parents can help girls manage the emotional challenges of growing up in the Digital Age, stay grounded, and become the kind of girl they want to be.

About Debi Smith-Racanelli (@DebiJSR)

Debi Smith-Racanelli is a therapist and a parent educator. She is also an avid blogger at BetweenBabyDollsAndBoyfriends.com where she shares her passion for raising daughters. She's the author of Between Baby Dolls and Boyfriends: How to Successfully Navigate Your Daughter's Tween Years, which she wrote with her very own tween daughter, Kendall, who gives her opinion on the topics in the book in "Kendall's Corner" at the end of each chapter. Learn more at http://BetweenBabyDollsAndBoyfriends.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.

We all say we want more family-time, but how do we actually get it? Especially when all the entertainment options kids have at their fingertips are so darn... entertaining! How can parents raising kids in the Digital Age compete? Stephanie Rach, author and founder of Let's Go Chipper, a nature-inspired play-based learning program, tells parents, "It's so easy to let your child go off on their own and play on their phone, but the time you give to playing with your child, with an old puzzle or game from the closet, comes back to you so much more, later." Annie talks with Stephanie about what parents and kids gain when they unplug and play together.

About Stephanie Rach (@LetsGoChipper)

Stephanie Rach, writer and founder of Let's Go Chipper, the nature-inspired, play-based learning company, grew up in a 4-H household with a "get out and play" philosophy. Commitment to community was instilled at a young age as 4-H teaches children to pledge their head, heart, hands, and health to enrich themselves, family, and community. The experience in her local 4-H club impressed upon Stephanie the opportunity to combine relevant academic and life lessons with a love for nature.

Stephanie got her writing chops while working for the community paper her mother co-founded. Creating Chipper is an extension of herself, and the stories unfold along with her life raising two children on the trails in Marin, California. Stephanie is also the Founder and Creative Director of It's All Good Media. Learn more at http://LetsGoChipper.com

Copyright © 2009-2018 Annie Fox and Electric Eggplant. All Rights Reserved.