Just Ask Your Mom

On this episode, we talk with firearms instructor and incident responder, David Sproles, about best practices for keeping your family safe. How do we teach our kids about situational awareness, fire safety, weather preparedness? Some great tips for all the "just in case" situations that could come up! "Be prepared" isn't just a Scout motto: it's a great principle for life!

Fun! Spontanaeity! Competition! Action! These are some of the things people with the "orange" temperament value and exhibit. What does parenting an orange child look like? How can you best motivate, correct, and teach an orange child and what are some things to keep an eye on? This episode explores the temperament that keeps us on our toes and brings color to our lives!

One of the earliest temperaments to discern, the child with the gold temperament can be the most challenging to raise. Leaders, organized, and doing best on a routine or schedule, golds keep things running smoothly, but they need to learn flexibility and loosening control. Self-confessed golds, Renee & Bonnie talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of this temperament!

On those hot days of summer, many of us head to the lake or the pool to beat the heat. What do parents need to know about kids & water? How can we keep our kids safe and still have fun? When should you start swim lessons? Top ten safety rules for kids and water every family should know!

Knowing your child's temperament is a giant tool in understanding how best to motivate, correct, and teach them in the ways they can best receive instruction. This episode looks at the green temperament: the analyzer, procrastinator, deep-thinker, and loyal friend. Is this your child? Is this you? What does it look like to raise a child with this temperament?

How do you know your child's temperament and why does it matter? The better we know our kids, the better we can relate to them, motivate them, correct them, and train them. The more we can love them the way they most need to be loved. It makes all the difference, AND bonus: it teaches US to be more empathetic and appreciative of others, too.

More and more families are opting for summer camps for their kids, and there are so many types to choose from! How do you know when it's time to send your kids? What if they're hesitant? How do you pick and what are the pros and cons?

Pets can teach kids empathy, responsibility, and life lessons about loss and caring for others. How do you know when (or if) your family is ready to adopt a pet? Should it be a goldfish or a puppy? We talk with long-time veterinarian (& Bonnie's husband), Robert Blaylock, recount our own experiences with family pets, and look what getting a family pet could mean for a family.

Almost everything we do as parents teaches our kids something. There's so much they need to learn! Is there a difference in how to teach life skills versus moral behaviors? How do we motivate our kids to reach a goal?

At 18, Matthew Houser wrote a blog from a teen perspective that offered insight into a teen's point of view. In our candid conversation with Matthew, he reveals some of the struggles he faced as a teen, and gives parents a glimpse of what helped and what didn't, how he processed things and how he made decisions. A helpful (& hopeful!) episode!