This week, we are joined by The Birds & Bees! We dive into getting rid of the awkward talk at the awkward age. Building a vocabulary so that when more complicated conversations come up, it's not all new information, but you've been building information from the beginning. If you can talk about THIS with your kids, you can talk about ANYTHING with them!

Follow Megan Michelson and Mary Flo Ridley @birds__bees and visit www.Birds-Bees.com for more content and information!

We are joined by Dr. Jane Nelson. Jane is a licensed marriage, family, and child therapist. In this weeks episode learn about the three R's of punishment and the long term results it can have on your children. Jane is the author and/or coauthor of four books including Positive Discipline Parenting Tools with two of her children and her latest book Positive Discipline for the Montessori Classroom.

Find more about Jane Nelson at her website, www.janenelsen.com.

In this episode, we are joined by Phyllis Fagell. Phyllis is a licensed mental health therapist and a nationally board certified school counselor. She's currently a counselor at Landon School and a therapist in private practice at Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Maryland. Phyllis is the author of the bestselling books "MIDDLE SCHOOL MATTERS, The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond – and How Parents Can Help," and the recently released "MIDDLE SCHOOL SUPERPOWERS, Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times." Through her work, she brings us the 12 superpowers you want your kids to have and the vulnerability and work it takes to get there. This conversation is honest, humble, and hugely helpful for those of us parenting or about to parent this precious phase of life.

Find out more about Phyllis Fagell at her website, phyllisfagell.com

In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of social intelligence and emotional regulation with renowned expert Michelle Garcia Winner, creator of Social Thinking. Michelle shares her personal journey of how a difficult relationship and volunteer work at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism ignited her passion for understanding and helping individuals with social communication challenges. Through her decades of work and research, she has concluded that building social competencies is a lifelong journey that requires curiosity, compassion, and patience. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or just curious about human interaction, this episode will deepen your understanding of the dynamic interplay between social communication and emotional intelligence.

As we try to live into new routines with our kids over the summer, it's all too easy to fall into unhealthy patterns. We're juggling things the best we can, but often find ourselves in survival mode instead of proactively parenting our children. Our hosts thought it was a good time to take a step back to examine where we might find these pitfalls and discuss ways to avoid them.

Fairness - from about age 3 onward, we as a species seem enamored with it. We know instinctively when something doesn't feel fair, and we don't like it one bit. We see battles rage and opinions fly on the playground, in the lunchroom, in the boardroom, and on the political stage. But how do we navigate the concept of fairness with our kids? Is fairness… justice? Is it… equality? Equity? Is it fair to want everything to be fair all the time? It's complicated. So today, our three hosts dive into a discussion about all of this and more; their conversation takes interesting and inspiring turns that you won't want to miss.

Today we lean into the spiritual side of our mind, body and spirit approach, asking the question - how do we help foster and nourish our children's spiritual lives? Our guests today had the same question in their families; their solution was to write a children's book. Victoria Robb Powers and Cameron Mason Vickrey are the authors of the soon-to-be-published My Love, God Is Everywhere. In this conversation, the tell the story of how the book came about and the message they hope it conveys to children (and their parents) asking questions about God.

Today, our cohosts welcome another set of cohosts - specifically, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers of the Pantsuit Politics podcast. The show has been featured in the New York Times, the Atlantic, and was named by Apple Podcasts as one of the Best Shows of 2021. Sarah and Beth are also the authors of I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening): A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversation and, more recently, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided (About Basically Everything).

They also happen to both be mothers, and have lived what it means to examine the realities of division and strife in our world today and dialouge with children in a way that lends grace and hope. Sarah and Beth share stories and wisdom from their personal and professional lives in a conversation you won't want to miss.

Connection is the lifeblood of the human experience. True connection is built on trust and offers an authentic sense of belonging. If we all deeply seek these things, why are they so elusive? Listen in as our three hosts have an honest and challenging conversation about these basic needs and how we satisfy them for ourselves and foster them for our children in a world that increasingly pushes back.