How do you raise a child who wants to read? Award-winning educator Alvin Irby has a simple answer, and he found it in a barbershop.  In this episode, Carol talks with the founder of Barbershop Books, the national nonprofit that places books in barbershops and inspires Black boys to read for fun.

Alvin's approach: ask Black boys what they like to read, then give them those books. He explains why the titles children actually love, like Captain Underpants and No, David! rarely appear on book lists created for Black boys, and how well-meaning curation can trap kids rather than free them. You’ll hear why he advises parents to replace the word "or" with the word "and," affirming what a child already loves while introducing something new.

Carol and Alvin also explore how children can build their reading identities and find literacy assets hiding in plain sight, on cereal boxes and in the bathroom. They talk about the reading trauma many adults carry, and why giving children agency over how and where they read can help us raise the next generation of readers.


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What can sisterhood teach us about raising children? In the first episode of Ground Control Parenting Book Talk, Carol explores this question with award-winning journalist Deborah Roberts, author of Sisters, Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds.

One of six sisters, Deborah draws on both her own family and the many women she interviewed to share the honest, sometimes complicated truth about sibling relationships. She and Carol dig into the patterns every parent will recognize: comparison, labels, and favoritism. They each candidly reflect on the labels that stuck in their own families, and on how being seen as "the favorite" can be both special and burdensome. Deborah also opens up about the close bond between her daughter Leila and stepdaughter Courtney and the journey to it. You can't force closeness between siblings, but as she and Carol discuss, you can nurture and protect the conditions for it.

Stay tuned for more episodes of GCP Book Talk, a new recurring feature in Season 8, where we look at great books through a parenting lens.

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💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com 
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis

Boomer, Gen X, Millennial. Three moms, three generations, one question that divides mom group chats: how do you discipline in the age of gentle parenting?

In this episode of GCP: On The Ground, Carol sits down with Keisha and Jen to wrestle with the parenting issue so many of us are living through right now. They move from the research linking spanking to worse outcomes, onto the harder question underneath it: does gentle parenting reject the way Black families raised us, or does it evolve it?

This conversation ranges from spanking to its alternatives, from talking back to respect, from societal expectations to the realities Black parents carry as they prepare their children for a world that too often judges them differently. The moms also take on a listener's question about second-guessing your own values when family weighs in on how you discipline, and they get honest about the role grandparents, aunties, and uncles play, including why kids seem to respect a whole different set of boundaries depending on who's in the room.

GCP: On The Ground is a recurring segment, new this season, where Carol and two other moms dig into the issues we're all talking about around the kitchen table.

Follow Ground Control Parenting:
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💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com 
📫Substack: @carolsuttonlewis

What does it mean to raise children when your family's life is a matter of public record? Maryland's First Lady Dawn Moore knows that tension intimately,  and she's navigating it with clarity, humor, and grace.

First Lady Dawn Moore was one of the architects of the historic 2022 campaign that elected her husband, Wes Moore, as Maryland's 63rd governor and the first African American governor in the state's history. As First Lady, she champions children's mental health, military families, and women's economic empowerment. But in this conversation, she's a mom, figuring out the same things we all are, under a much bigger spotlight.

Carol and The First Lady talk about protecting kids' privacy in the age of social media, keeping children grounded when misinformation is about their own parents, and the values Dawn is passing down from her Queens upbringing to her kids. The importance of being kind. And why belonging in every room has nothing to do with your last name.

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🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
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How much screen time is too much? Are some types better than others? And how should our approach change as kids grow from toddlers to teens? This week, Carol sits down with Jasmine Hood Miller, Director of Family Resources and Content Strategy at Common Sense Media and a mom of three boys, to reset the entire screen time conversation.

Jasmine's research-backed message: the timer is the wrong measuring stick. What matters is the type of screen time — and whether it's supporting the four essential skills every kid should be building: human connection, curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Carol and Jasmine walk through screens at every stage, covering co-viewing with little ones, short-form video and developing attention spans, the "first phone" conversation, monitoring vs. trust with teens, location tracking etiquette, gaming chat features parents often miss, and the freeing truth that you're allowed to reset — no matter how far things have gone.

Resources: Common Sense Media  — also available as a free app with media ratings, reviews, and parent advice. Follow Common Sense Media on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. 

We’re trying something new this season —  and we couldn't have picked a more important topic to start with. Welcome to the debut episode of GCP: On The Ground, a new recurring segment where Carol gathers three generations of moms to dig into the issues we're all talking about (or should be) at the kitchen table.

These days your kids' phones may know more about them than you do.  So for this first conversation, On the Ground moms Jen Hayes Lee and Keisha Sutton-James join Carol to talk about parenting in a world where algorithms direct what our children see, shape how they see themselves, and influence what they value. These moms dig into the hard questions: What does consent mean when our kids’ lives live online forever? How permanent is permanent on the internet? And how do we stay connected to our children without pushing them away?

Three mothers, no scripts, no easy answers. Just a candid, thoughtful conversation about the realities of raising kids in the digital age.

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🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com

Misty Copeland returns to Ground Control Parenting, and a lot has changed since her last visit.
She's taken her final bow with American Ballet Theatre. She's come through a hip replacement. And she's parenting her young son Jackson (who “stole the show” when he joined her on stage at her final performance) while figuring out her next chapter now that ballet is no longer the center of the frame.

In this conversation, Carol and Misty cover a lot of ground: how you care for a body that used to be your livelihood, how you raise a resilient child without passing on the pressure you grew up with, and what it actually looks like to let go of perfection — on stage, at home, and in the mirror. They also talk about the work Misty is building beyond ballet, including the Misty Copeland Foundation, her latest books for young readers, Letters to Misty and Bunheads, Act 2, and her future writing plans. And there's plenty of laughter along the way, especially when the conversation turns to her son.

A returning guest, a new chapter, and the kind of conversation — funny, honest, real — that only happens the second time around.  Season 8 starts here! 


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Season 8 of Ground Control Parenting starts May 13th—and this is our biggest, boldest season yet.

This season, we’re bringing you conversations from every angle. You’ll hear from experts, thought leaders, and parents who are tackling big questions: how to help our kids navigate their digital lives, how to support children through divorce, what it means to parent with a futurist mindset in a rapidly changing world, and much more.

We’re also introducing new ways to have these conversations.  Our new roundtable series, On the Ground, brings moms across three generations together for honest, unscripted conversations.  In our Book Talk minisodes I talk with authors about the parenting insights behind their books.   And here's some BIG NEWS: Season 8 is now available on YouTube—so you can watch the conversations unfold.

Whether you’re listening or watching, this season is about helping you parent with greater clarity, intention, and confidence. Listen to the Season 8 promo now—and get ready. We’re just getting started!

As Season 7 of Ground Control Parenting comes to a close, join Carol as she hits rewind to reflect on the powerful insights shared by parenting experts and thought leaders across a range of fields.

This season, the conversations went beyond what we can do to help and support our children and focused on the how. Carol spoke with leading experts about what it really means to parent with purpose and intention—offering actionable tools, real-life strategies, and much-needed reassurance along the way.

Whether you’ve been listening from the start or are just joining the journey, this recap is your go-to guide for the season’s most impactful moments.  Tune in to hear about the Season 7 offerings of expert advice that helps you parent with intention, practical tips you can use right now, and inspiring stories to support you on your parenting journey.

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💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com

💻And don’t forget to subscribe to the Substack newsletter for behind-the-scenes info, bonus parenting tips, and more!.

Grace Bastidas knows what families need—because she’s spent her career listening to them. As the founding editor of Parents Latina and the (recently stepped-down) editor-in-chief of Parents—the first woman of color to hold that role in the brand’s 100-year history—Grace has spent years talking to experts, amplifying parent voices, and shaping how we think about raising kids today.

Grace joins Carol to talk not just about what she’s learned from covering parenting for many years, but also about her own experience raising two daughters in a bilingual, bicultural home. Grace shares how she draws on her Colombian roots and her NYC upbringing to create a home where identity, language, and cultural connection thrive. She explains how she’s raising her daughters to stay rooted in who they are, even as they grow up in a global, fast-moving world.

Grace’s professional experience gives her a broad view of what works for families, but it’s her personal stories that bring those insights to life. She speaks candidly about parenting through imperfect moments, the importance of slowing down, and how reconnecting with your values can help both you and your children feel more grounded.

If you're looking for trusted, real-world parenting wisdom from someone who truly understands what families need—this conversation is for you.

Follow Ground Control Parenting:
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💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com