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

According to Dr. Devorah Heitner, parents should assess their kids' digital and communication needs before handing over access to any digital media. Wait! Not as soon as they start bugging you for a smart phone? As Devorah puts it, "Because we supervise so much of our kids' face-to-face time with peers, they don't have a lot of practice dealing directly with other kids when there's a conflict." That's why she advocates parents' giving kids lots of practice in working through different scenarios so they can be more thoughtful and respectful when issues come up online. Annie talks to Deborah about empowering parents on mentoring kids in the digital age.

About Devorah Heitner (@DevorahHeitner)

Devorah Heitner, PhD is the founder and director of Raising Digital Natives, a resource for parents and schools seeking advice on how to help children thrive in a world of digital connectedness. An experienced speaker, workshop leader, and consultant, Dr. Heitner serves as a professional development resource for schools wishing to cultivate a culture of responsible digital citizenship. Learn more at http://RaisingDigitalNatives.com

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

When Galit Breen posted an article about the lessons of love she'd learned from the first twelve years of marriage, she was stunned by the response. The comments weren't about what she'd written. They were, she says, "... all about how fat I looked in my wedding dress." As much as Galit knew she shouldn't let poison darts from strangers bring her down, the truth is cruelty hurts. Her article about that mind-blowing experience (It Happened to Me) went viral and was featured on the Today Show. Annie talks to Galit about challenging the culture of cruelty and teaching our kids to be kind online.

About Galit Breen (@GalitBreen)

Galit Breen is a Minnesota based writer whose work has appeared in Huffington Post, Washington Post, and TIME. She is also the author of Kindness Wins, a simple, no-nonsense guide to teaching our kids how to be kind online. Learn more at http://TheseLittleWaves.com

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

When Galit Breen posted an article about the lessons of love she'd learned from the first twelve years of marriage, she was stunned by the response. The comments weren't about what she'd written. They were, she says, "... all about how fat I looked in my wedding dress." As much as Galit knew she shouldn't let poison darts from strangers bring her down, the truth is cruelty hurts. Her article about that mind-blowing experience (It Happened to Me) went viral and was featured on the Today Show. Annie talks to Galit about challenging the culture of cruelty and teaching our kids to be kind online.

About Galit Breen (@GalitBreen)

Galit Breen is a Minnesota based writer whose work has appeared in Huffington Post, Washington Post, and TIME. She is also the author of Kindness Wins, a simple, no-nonsense guide to teaching our kids how to be kind online. Learn more at http://TheseLittleWaves.com

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

People on social media give themselves license to be incredibly rude to others. And this is the playground our kids hang out in every day. While we can't control what comes out of someone else's mouth (or keyboard), we definitely can learn to monitor what comes out of our own. When we respond to insults with insults, conflicts escalate. To teach people to respond more maturely to criticism, Dr. Jeff Rubin has delineated five different response levels, from most immature to the most respected. "There is something intuitive about this (process)," he says. "Because people would prefer to be treated that way themselves." Annie talks to Dr. Jeff about teaching kids, even teens, to move from insults to respect.

About Dr. Jeff Rubin

Jeffrey Rubin grew up in Brooklyn, received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and has taught conflict resolution there as well as at a psychiatric clinic, a correctional facility, and a number of public schools. He has published articles on anger and conflict resolution. His books include the "Cool Steve Trilogy", a series of novels, as well as the free ebook "Dealing with Insults, Teasing and Criticism: A Guide Illustrated with America's Favorite Comics". Learn more at http://FromInsultsToRespect.com

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

People on social media give themselves license to be incredibly rude to others. And this is the playground our kids hang out in every day. While we can't control what comes out of someone else's mouth (or keyboard), we definitely can learn to monitor what comes out of our own. When we respond to insults with insults, conflicts escalate. To teach people to respond more maturely to criticism, Dr. Jeff Rubin has delineated five different response levels, from most immature to the most respected. "There is something intuitive about this (process)," he says. "Because people would prefer to be treated that way themselves." Annie talks to Dr. Jeff about teaching kids, even teens, to move from insults to respect.

About Dr. Jeff Rubin

Jeffrey Rubin grew up in Brooklyn, received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and has taught conflict resolution there as well as at a psychiatric clinic, a correctional facility, and a number of public schools. He has published articles on anger and conflict resolution. His books include the "Cool Steve Trilogy", a series of novels, as well as the free ebook "Dealing with Insults, Teasing and Criticism: A Guide Illustrated with America's Favorite Comics". Learn more at http://FromInsultsToRespect.com

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

Children may lie for many reasons. Today's guest, Thierry Koehrlen, says his career as a "big liar" began when he was a child with low self-esteem. "We didn't have much money so when kids bragged I bragged more about going to this place and having these toys. It's just fantasy and then you have to cover your lies. And you're trapped in hell." Annie talks with Thierry about his new book On the Road to Honesty, a unique and dynamic approach that helps kids think through their choices.

SPECIAL Free ebook version of On the Road to Honesty (offer good through November 24, 2015) for our Family Confidential audience only. Grab it at http://OnTheRoadToHonesty.com/free_ebook!

About Thierry Koehrlen (@OnTheRoadToHonesty)

Thierry Koehrlen is a seasoned, serial entrepreneur who has learned a great deal from his successes and even more from a couple of his well-placed failures. With bachelor's degrees in business and philosophy, he is the inventor and co-author of the upcoming On the Road to Honesty, an innovative guide to help explain and teach to children and parents the concepts of truth, lies, dishonesty, honesty, and trust and their impact on our lives. Learn more at http://OnTheRoadToHonesty.com

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

Children may lie for many reasons. Today's guest, Thierry Koehrlen, says his career as a "big liar" began when he was a child with low self-esteem. "We didn't have much money so when kids bragged I bragged more about going to this place and having these toys. It's just fantasy and then you have to cover your lies. And you're trapped in hell." Annie talks with Thierry about his new book On the Road to Honesty, a unique and dynamic approach that helps kids think through their choices.

SPECIAL Free ebook version of On the Road to Honesty (offer good through November 24, 2015) for our Family Confidential audience only. Grab it at http://OnTheRoadToHonesty.com/free_ebook!

About Thierry Koehrlen (@OnTheRoadToHonesty)

Thierry Koehrlen is a seasoned, serial entrepreneur who has learned a great deal from his successes and even more from a couple of his well-placed failures. With bachelor's degrees in business and philosophy, he is the inventor and co-author of the upcoming On the Road to Honesty, an innovative guide to help explain and teach to children and parents the concepts of truth, lies, dishonesty, honesty, and trust and their impact on our lives. Learn more at http://OnTheRoadToHonesty.com

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

So much of a teen's life feels like a secret, and parents don't know how to access that secret. Not knowing can cause anxiety and lead to parents' routinely snooping through teens' computers and phones. But what about respectful boundaries? "Boundaries are hard at any age," says author, Susan Morris Shaffer. "I think (parents) really need to model good boundaries and show the kind of respect you expect from your teens. It's important that parents be clear and be intentional about what those boundaries are." Annie talks to Susan about respecting a teen's boundaries, making sure they respect ours, and finding healthy ways to connect as a family in this Digital Age.

About Susan Shaffer (@TheSusanShaffer)

Susan Morris Shaffer is the director of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, an educational non-profit organization that addresses educational equity and gender-related issues. For more than four decades, Shaffer is a nationally recognized expert for her transformational work in public schools. Susan's books (co-written with Linda Perlman Gordon) include: Too Close for Comfort: Questioning the Intimacy of Today's New Mother-Daughter Relationship and Why Boys Don't Talk and Why It Matters: A Parent's Survival Guide to Connecting With Your Teen. Her latest book, How to Connect With Your iTeen: A Parenting Roadmap is the subject of this podcast. Learn more at http://ParentingRoadMaps.com

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

So much of a teen's life feels like a secret, and parents don't know how to access that secret. Not knowing can cause anxiety and lead to parents' routinely snooping through teens' computers and phones. But what about respectful boundaries? "Boundaries are hard at any age," says author, Susan Morris Shaffer. "I think (parents) really need to model good boundaries and show the kind of respect you expect from your teens. It's important that parents be clear and be intentional about what those boundaries are." Annie talks to Susan about respecting a teen's boundaries, making sure they respect ours, and finding healthy ways to connect as a family in this Digital Age.

About Susan Shaffer (@TheSusanShaffer)

Susan Morris Shaffer is the director of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, an educational non-profit organization that addresses educational equity and gender-related issues. For more than four decades, Shaffer is a nationally recognized expert for her transformational work in public schools. Susan's books (co-written with Linda Perlman Gordon) include: Too Close for Comfort: Questioning the Intimacy of Today's New Mother-Daughter Relationship and Why Boys Don't Talk and Why It Matters: A Parent's Survival Guide to Connecting With Your Teen. Her latest book, How to Connect With Your iTeen: A Parenting Roadmap is the subject of this podcast. Learn more at http://ParentingRoadMaps.com

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

Parents have obsessed over what goes into their kids' mouths since the dawn of dinner time. And for good reason. If your kid doesn't eat s/he won't thrive or even survive. Lack of food is a real problem in many underdeveloped countries. Food distribution is also a real problem in countries where some families starve while others have access to more than enough quality food for their families. It's probably safe to assume that most of us with the resources to access this podcast are fortunate enough to have the resources to provide food in abundance to our families. And yet we still obsess. According to mental healthy professional and parenting expert Iréné Celcer, all this obsessing isn't healthy for the child or the parent. She says, "A successful parent gets out of his or her child's plate and allows children to eat according to the child's hunger. The successful parent does not impinge on the child's sense of being hungry." Annie talks with Iréne about stepping back and letting your child develop their own sense of what it feels like to be hungry and how to satisfy that hunger with healthy amounts of healthy food.

About Iréné Celcer (@irenecelcer)

Iréné Celcer, MA, LCSW, is originally from Argentina. A mental health professional and parenting expert, her specialities include cultural issues that may affect individuals who need to adapt to their new country. Iréne works with parents whose children are affected by ADD, bullying, eating problems, or body image issues. A regular guest on CNN, she has extensive expertise in eating disorders, body image perceptions, and women's issues. She is the author of 99 Tips to Reset the Table: Parenting in a Society Obsessed with Food, Weight, Obesity, and Body Image. In addition to her writing and philanthropic work, she maintains a private practice. Iréné Celcer lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more at http://IreCelcer.com

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