Parenting the Whole Child

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Book of the Month: We have 20 books to giveaway! Please fill out our feedback survey to be in raffle to get one of these books: 

The Book List: 

• How to Talk So Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk

• Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans

• Empower Yourself Against Racial and Cultural Stress: Using Skills from the REACH Program to Cope, Heal, and Thrive, by Ryan C.T. DeLapp

• Talk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Tweens and Teens Grow into Confident, Caring Young Men, by Joanna Schroeder and Christopher Pepper

• Be Unapologetically Impatient: The Mindset Required to Change the Way We Do Things, by Christina Cipriano

• Raising Awe Seekers: How the Science of Wonder Helps Our Kids Thrive, by Deborah Farmer Kris

• The Way of Play: Using Little Moments of Big Connection to Raise Calm and Confident Kids, by Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent 

• Parents Have Feelings, Too: A Guide to Navigating Your Emotions So You And Your Family Can Thrive, by Hilary Jacobs Hendel and Juli Fraga

• How to Carry What Can't be Fixed

• Its Okay That You are Not Okay

• Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World

• Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing

• Be a Triangle: How I Went from Being Lost to Getting My Life into Shape

• Parenting from the Inside Out

This episode highlights the power of parenting through connection and community. Featuring WishWell founder Verenice Hernandez-Herrera, we dive into practical ways families can build support systems, strengthen mental health, and foster meaningful connections at home and beyond. 

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson

Resource of the Month: WishWell provides free and low-cost counseling, empowerment coaching, family workshops, and school-based programs to underserved communities across San Diego County. Their services are designed to strengthen mental health, build resilience, and create connection — one family at a time. https://www.wishwellcc.com 

Free Events from Wishwell:

April 16, 2026 - Time, Energy, & Choice - A Peer Mediator Led Workshop - This interactive workshop is led by Olympian High School Advanced Peer Mediators, student leaders from a local high school trained to support teen mental health and connection. Participants will explore how they spend their time, build awareness around their priorities, and practice discernment in choosing who and what they give their energy to.

May 21, 2026 -  Olivewood Cooking Demo Workshop -A hands-on Cooking Demo, that explores the connection between cooking and mental health. Designed for kids and teens, this workshop will show how preparing and enjoying meals together can reduce stress, improve mood, and foster a sense of accomplishment.

Other resources:  The US Surgeon General's Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents 

This episode explores the emotional heartbeat of military family life—from long deployments and solo parenting to building a village far from home. Our guests open up about raising young children through repeated separations, navigating reintegration, leaning on ombudsmen and military resources, and finding support in the community. Together we unpack the unspoken realities, the resilience it takes to thrive, and the ways families stay connected, grounded, and whole through every transition.

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish

Resource of the Month: SAY San Diego offers a vast range of assistance programs in Southern California to help veterans and active military of all ages in their times of need. The Military Family Resource Center (MFRC) serves active duty, transitioning, and veteran military personnel and their families. https://www.saysandiego.org/who-we-serve/military-families/ 

This episode dives into the realities of fostering and adoption—what it takes to begin, how to navigate challenges, and how to create lasting belonging. Hear one mother’s inspiring journey and gain insights and encouragement for your own path.

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish.

Resource of the Month: This web page provides information on public and private foster and adoption agency services, a list of training resources for current foster and adoptive parents, and a link to county information about adoption and becoming a foster parent.
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/cs/child_welfare_services.html

In this episode, we explore what it means to care across generations, "The Sandwich Generation," balancing family, distance, and the emotional weight of caregiving. Maryam shares her story of supporting aging parents from afar, reflecting on guilt, resilience, and the power of collective caregiving. Together, we discuss self-compassion, community care, and how we can redefine what it means to truly support one another.

Book of the Month:  The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish

Resource of the Month: Naming Your Emotions | Practice | Greater Good in Action 

Other resources: 

• More than half of Americans in their 40s are ‘sandwiched’ between an aging parent and their own children  

• Seven Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Terminal Illness 

• • Eight Tips For Talking With Your Kids About Death 
  • Feeling Supported | Practice | Greater Good in Action

In this heartfelt episode, Jodie opens up about navigating grief, parenting through loss, and finding grace in the midst of pain. She shares how faith, community, and cultural traditions have guided her healing journey—and reminds us why compassion and understanding are essential when supporting those who grieve.

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish

Resource of the Month: The Elizabeth Hospice, a nonprofit hospice and healthcare leader, has been providing medical and emotional support to patients and families facing the challenges associated with an advanced life-limiting illness and restoring hope to grieving children and adults who are feeling lost and alone. Since 1978, they have touched the lives of more than 125,000 people in the communities we serve, offering medical and emotional support, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay: https://elizabethhospice.org .

Additional resources: https://www.dougy.org/grief-support-resources 

Today’s conversation is all about the beautifully complex, emotional, and often misunderstood journey of raising twins. We’re joined by parents who’ve navigated everything from surprise pregnancies and identity struggles to bedtime chaos and double the love. Whether you're a twin parent, a twin yourself, or just curious—this episode is packed with honesty, humor, and heart.

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish

Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is the San Diego Twins Club Facebook group affiliated with Multiples of America. It used to be a paid group but is now transitioning more to a free social group where parents can connect with other local twin parents. The club regularly hosts events including seasonal parties, playgroups, parents’ night out, and more. At these events parents are able to find camaraderie with an understanding of the unique challenges and joys of raising multiples.

In this extended bonus episode, we continue the heartfelt conversation with grandparents who courageously share their journeys of raising their grandchildren—navigating court challenges, financial hardships, and fractured family ties—while offering unwavering love, stability, and hope. Their stories shine a light on resilience, sacrifice, and the profound importance of keeping families together.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: https://thegrandparentsconnection.org/ "The Grandparents Connection" website: Support group offering support to Grandparents and relatives in raising children UNDER the age of 18.https://211sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Handbook-for-Grandparents-Raising-Grandchildren-and-Other-Relative-Caregivers-2023-ENG.pdf "Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren & Other Relative Caregivers" is intended as a general guide to help you understand and better navigate your caregiver role related to your grandchildren or other children in your care and to help you find and access services.

Today's guests are Grandparents who share their powerful journeys of raising their grandchildren —navigating courts, financial struggles, and fractured family ties —while offering love, stability, and hope. Their stories highlight resilience, sacrifice, and the importance of keeping families together.

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish

Resource of the Month: 

The Grandparents Connection : Support group offering support to Grandparents and relatives in raising children UNDER the age of 18.
Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is intended as a general guide to help you understand and better navigate your caregiver role related to your grandchildren or other children in your care and to help you find and access services

On this episode of Parenting the Whole Child, Jennie shares how parents can nurture their child’s academic and social-emotional development by asking the kinds of open-ended, curiosity-driven questions that turn everyday moments into opportunities for play, discovery, and higher-level thinking.

Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish.

Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is Project Zero’s Thinking Routines Toolbox. This toolbox highlights thinking routines developed across a number of research projects at PZ. A thinking routine is a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to scaffold and support student thinking https://pz.harvard.edu/thinking-routines. 

Additionally, Dr. Goldstone created these prompts to engage with kids about school, relationships, hobbies, and everyday life, and to practice our own curiosity - and remember, it’s about learning, growth, and connection--not getting it right--for us, too! https://www.learningunbound.org/resources/supporting-kids-thinking  

Creative, critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving are the focus of state education standards, because they’re the skills employers value the most in today’s knowledge economy. They also happen to be key to an empowered, fulfilling adulthood. Curiosity is foundational to these skills: The motivation to investigate, understand, and learn. Using intentional communication prompts like the ones in this guide, we can support kids to not only be successful in school and work, but to be rational, expansive thinkers who respect others’ ideas, seek out diverse perspectives, make informed decisions, and value learning, growth, and connection over having the right answer.

You can learn more about Dr. Jennie Goldstone practices at learningunbound.org. 
Other resources: Book to add to your library- “Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World” by Scott Shigeoka