Transform your back-to-school shopping from a budget-busting headache to an opportunity for teaching financial responsibility. I share how I went from spending $100 per child on school supplies to $50 while teaching my kids valuable money lessons in the process.

• Set a firm budget before looking at supply lists and commit to not exceeding it
• Give kids their budget in actual cash so they can physically see their spending limits
• Let them keep whatever they don't spend as an incentive to make smart choices
• Apply the same system to clothes shopping to extend the financial learning
• Even reluctant shoppers benefit from learning how to make purchasing decisions
• Generic supplies work just as well as fancy ones for academic success
• Teaching budgeting and financial trade-offs provides lifelong skills

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Summer break intensifies the screen time battle with teens and tweens, but shifting from screen time enforcer to screen time strategist can transform your approach and relationship with your kids.

You should head over to the Screenagers website for the full blog post "Screen Time and Parental Controls: Simple Tips for a Smoother Summer." but I'm including a brief synopsis in this podcast to help entice you to do that. 

Key Steps for a Smooth Screen Summer:
• Trust and verify instead of secretly spying on your children's digital activities
• Maintain ongoing conversations about screen time rather than relying solely on parental controls
• Show grace and compassion when technology rules are broken
• Approach parental controls as experiments to be adjusted, not perfect solutions
• Keep all technology out of bedrooms – perhaps the single most effective strategy
• Involve kids in setting up guidelines to increase their investment in the process

Screenagers has lots of amazing additional resources to help your family navigate the digital world.  Check it out!

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Parenting Decoded welcomes McCall Gordon to tackle one of parenting’s toughest questions: Why won’t my kid sleep? Her book is aimed at parents of "livewires" — kids who are more alert, intense, and emotionally reactive than average, making traditional sleep advice ineffective.

McCall explains that temperament plays a huge role in sleep struggles — some kids just have a harder time winding down. These children are perceptive, persistent, and often lack typical “sleepy cues” like yawning. Instead, they need more support and a customized sleep strategy.

She encourages parents to stop blaming themselves. These kids aren’t “bad” sleepers — they’re wired differently. The solution? A gradual, step-by-step approach to bedtime routines, not the cold-turkey methods like “cry it out,” which often backfire for sensitive kids.

McCall’s key advice:

• Understand your child’s temperament
• Taper off bedtime habits gradually
• Use consistent patterns at bedtime and during night wakings
• Think of it like teaching a child to ride a bike — slowly let go while supporting them

She also emphasizes ruling out medical issues for frequent night wakings, especially in infants or kids who snore.

The bottom line: You’re not crazy, and it’s not your fault — you just need a different roadmap.

Link to the book on Amazon:  Why Won't You Sleep?

Link to the Audible book: Why Won't You Sleep?

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Tackling the age-old parenting challenge of getting kids to do their chores requires a systematic approach rather than nagging or giving up. We explore a six-step process focused on bedroom cleanup that can transform your family's approach to household responsibilities.

• Breaking down "clean your room" into specific tasks like making the bed, putting clothes in hamper, and picking up toys
• Creating separate lists for daily versus weekly tasks to make expectations more manageable
• Letting children choose when they'll complete their chores (morning, evening, specific days for weekly tasks)
• Setting up clear consequences tied to things kids value rather than making up punishments in the moment
• Working as a team with your children to create the system rather than imposing it on them
• Taking a focused approach by solving one area at a time rather than trying to fix all chore problems simultaneously

Try this approach with bedrooms first, then apply what works to other areas of your home. Remember we're experimenting together with our kids to find what works for our unique family.

LINK to "Energy Drain Ideas" on Mary's website: ENERGY DRAIN IDEAS

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

In this episode, we tackle the important issue of childhood sexual abuse and how to help prevent it. By educating ourselves as parents, we can provide our children with the tools they need to protect themselves.

• Discuss the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse statistics 
• Explore the need for children to know proper terminology for body parts 
• Encourage open lines of communication about consent and boundaries 

Let's work together to change statistics and protect our children.

Here is the full article from AAP:

https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/aap-tips-for-teaching-children-about-body-boundaries-and-safety

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Does your child have a problem with what's in their backpack?   You know,  those papers that are wrinkled at the bottom?  Maybe a permission slip?  Or possibly a banana? 
 
Or how about the things that are NOT in their backpack?  Do they forget to put their homework in?  Or maybe their lunch or water bottle? 

In this podcast take a new approach!

We want it to be THEIR fault in their minds.  It’s ok that there’s a problem, it’s just not ok if they blame others. But, if we touch their backpacks, it IS our fault!

I have some rules for you:

 RULES FOR PARENTS
1 - Don't empty the backpack
2 - Don't pack the backpack
3 - Don't carry the backpack
 
Don't get me wrong,  you're welcome to coach a child but THEY need to do the work.  No nagging!  Just ASK if they'd like some suggestions.  Maybe make lists with them about what's supposed to go IN the backpack before school and what comes OUT after school.  Make the lists together, don't just write it all up for them.  If they can't read then use pictures or drawings.   
 
 

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

For some families having lots of Halloween candy floating around our homes causes stress and strain.  In this podcast learn some tricks for treating your whole family to a more fun and happy experience as you learn to set limits and boundaries while giving lots of choices and, occassionally, letting your kids make poor decisions.  

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Hearing the phrase "secure attachment" makes us think of some academic thesis.  BORING!  Well,  I want to help flip that idea in our minds to "CRUCIAL".  Yes,  having our kids see us as stable, reliable and empathetic beings in their lives is ESSENTIAL.  In this podcast episode I talk to Eli Harwood, a therapist and "attachment nerd", as she calls herself on social media.  We talk about how in her book, Raising Securely Attached Kids, you can learn to build a stable and trusting environment for our kids so they will thrive and grow. 

In her examples of how secure parents approach problems you can feel relief in knowing there are successful strategies in creating confident kids who know we'll always have their backs.

Eli's new book:
Raising Securely Attached Kids: Using Connection-Focused Parenting to Create Confidence, Empathy and Resilience

Eli's Good Morning American appearance 8/31/24:
How to Manage Anxiety and Stress at the Beginning of the School Year

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

 How much can a 2-, 3- or 4-year-old do?  What can they do?  They’re so little, right?  A toddler?  A preschooler?  What’s reasonable?  What’s not?   Are you doing too much as a parent?  

 All good questions for sure that most of us struggle with!  In this podcast we explore what’s reasonable to encourage and train young kids to do from chores to life skills that will build self-confidence and independence. 

Here's the list of ideas we cover: 
 Personal accomplishments:

• Feed themselves
• Pack backpack
• Make bed
• Pick out clothes
• Put clothes in hamper
• Wash their own hands by themselves

Family Contributions

• Setting the table
• Clearing dishes
• Vacuuming
• Dusting
• Fold socks
• Load laundry and start machine
• Unload/put away dishes
• Wash windows
• Take care of pets
• Simple cooking tasks

Outdoor tasks

• Pull weeds
• Rake leaves
• Water plants

Personal Growth

• Learn how to have Solo Play Time
• Have "Reading Time" on their own
• Learn to ride a Balance Bike

Be Assistant to Mom or Dad - these are done with JOY and with Mom or Dad, not alone

• Help make a meal
• Pick up dog poop or clean litter box
• Help take out the trash
• Garden - sweep, dig, plant
• Clean - bathroom, mop floor

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Getting teens and tweens to talk to parents is an age old battle the repeats itself over and over again with each new generation.  Times change but our teens wanting independence from us doesn't. 

In this episode learn some tips and tricks for how to get our kids to relax and just enjoy being with us so that they'll open up and want to trust us. 

There is a list of activities and how to use them to break down the barriers and engage your teens and tweens that should lead to building trusting relationships.

Here are links to things referenced in the episode:
YouTube video:  Communicating with Teens

Blog Post Transcript Available HERE

Email me at [email protected] or go to my website at www.parentingdecoded.com.

Have a blessed rest of your day!