Let's talk about the awkwardness of puberty. Things have changed since we were going through it, and most of us want to be much more open with our children than our parents are with us.  

But how do we do that without confusing them further or embarrassing them?

Today, we're joined by Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll-Bennett from the Puberty Podcast to discuss the importance of open communication, using accurate terminology, and teaching kids about consent. We also highlight the impact of social media on body image and self-perception during puberty, and the need for critical thinking and parental involvement. 

The modern puberty experience is unquestionably different, and this episode will help guide you through it.

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Dr. Cara Natterson is a pediatrician, popular speaker, consultant, and New York Times bestselling author of multiple parenting and health books, including The Care and Keeping of You, a three-book series with more than six million copies in print, and Guy Stuff, the corollary for boys. Vanessa Kroll-Bennett is a bestselling author, puberty educator, and podcaster who helps adults navigate uncertainty while supporting the kids they love. Together they host the Puberty Podcast and wrote This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained.

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Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Even though I've been through the crib to toddler bed transition three times, I'm still a little anxious about how it will go and the prospect of not sleeping for a week or maybe even more. Yikes!

Many parents wonder when is the best time to make the switch, and what's even normal when it comes to the transition process.

Let's find out what the research tells us!

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Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Today we're discussing the five core principles of parenting: relationship, reflection, regulation, rules, and repair. 

How can these principles positively impact your child's development? And how do we think about them to raise resilient children?

Dr. Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist with over fifteen years of experience working with families. She's the host of the Raising Good Humans Podcast, and author of The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans.

[00:00:02] How do we embrace mistakes, bounce back, and learn?
[00:04:27] Simplifying parenting science for easier decisions.
[00:09:23] Five principles of parenting: relationship, reflection, regulation, rules, and repair.
[00:13:58] Summarizing Aliza's new book, and the importance of boundaries, limit setting, and repair in parenting to raise resilient and good humans.
[00:18:17] What is a good human?
[00:22:51] Brain architecture and stress
[00:27:10] Perfect parenting is detrimental to children.
[00:32:51] Social media amplifies parenting pressures.
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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Today we welcome Dr. Rina Bliss to discuss the concept of intelligence and learning, and how parents can reframe their thinking to focus on children's individual strengths.  

We go over questions such as: 

• Is intelligence is fixed and inherited?  
• How much does environment factor in? 
• How can we reduce stress in the learning environment
• Should we avoid telling our children that they're smart?
• And how should we think about grades and standardized tests?

Dr. Rina Bliss is a science technology and policy analyst, social justice advocate, and author of Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential.

[00:00:02] Rethinking intelligence: Is smartness fixed?
[00:05:23] DNA and learning from environment.
[00:10:11] Connected learning through play.
[00:14:40] Brain growth through love, learning, and growth mindset.
[00:20:25] Does fixed intelligence harm kids?
[00:24:32] Promoting mindfulness and growth mindset in schools.
[00:29:43] Opting out of testing?
[00:33:57] Rejecting the fixed intelligence model in education
[00:38:56] Reducing stress to optimize learning.
[00:43:03] Celebrating neurodiverse learning
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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Is Santa Claus a fun holiday tradition or a harmful lie?

Critics of Santa argue that using a fictional character to judge behavior and the idea of a naughty and nice list is not only ineffective, but moreover teaches children to behave only to avoid being on the naughty list. And this messaging may even have a negative impact on children in the longterm.

Many parents are worried. So what does the research tell us? Does Santa encourage good behavior? Is it lying to encourage a belief in Santa? Will children be upset when they find out the truth? And can parents encourage children to believe for longer?

Let's find out!
 
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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Today, Dr. Cara Goodwin and Dr. Emily Edlynn discuss the concept of autonomy supportive parenting - a style of parenting based on the idea of three fundamental needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. It involves strategies such as taking a child's perspective, using empathy, giving choices, and involving decision making.

Can this style reduce stress in the home and help children build resilience?

Dr. Emily Edlynn is a clinical psychologist and practicing therapist, and author of Autonomy-Supportive Parenting.

[00:00:02] Mindful parenting to reduce stress.
[00:01:53] Nurture children with autonomy support.
[00:04:33] Nurture child's autonomy, competence, relatedness.
[00:06:24] Autonomy supportive parenting reduces stress.
[00:08:38] Empathize, explain, connect to values.
[00:10:45] Empowering child choice, not fear.
[00:12:54] Autonomy-supportive parenting: six words
[00:15:27] Empathetic parents struggle with controlling kids.
[00:17:48] Building resilience through trust.
[00:20:16] Unconditional love, making mistakes is okay
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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Nearly every parent has a moment when they say or do something and they wonder, "Oh my gosh, am I turning into my mother/father?" This particularly happens at times of stress or overwhelm, and it seems that we can't help but default to parenting in the same way our parents did when we are stressed out and overwhelmed.

For some parents who don't want to repeat the mistakes of their own parents, this experience is beyond frustrating and they may feel desperate for any way to break this generational cycle. 

So does research really find that you are destined to parent in the same way as your own parents?
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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Tis the season to be bombarded with toy advertisements at every turn! Every influencer on social media, and every parenting blogger seems to have a gift guide with hundreds of potential gifts for children.

It's overwhelming for us as parents to dig through all of this information and choose a reasonable number of gifts for our children.

So this episode is a different kind of gift guide - one that actually helps you to understand the research behind toy quality and determine which toys might actually be beneficial for your child.

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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

Playfulness, as we all know, is something that comes really easily and naturally to our children. It seems like they could turn any object into a toy. They can turn the most boring thing into a game, but it does not come so easily to us parents. Our lives are serious and stressful, and we often don't have the time or the capacity to be playful.

It's hard to be playful when you're thinking about all the tragic world events that are going on right now, or when you're preoccupied by a work email, or even what's for dinner.

So what can we we do to be there for our children, by being playful?

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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.

This week's episode is on tongue ties, which seems like a very niche topic, but it's actually one of my most requested topics that I have on my platform.

With a difficult parenting decision, medical professionals on this topic are likely to give parents different guidance based on their area of expertise, and they often leave the decision up to parents. So this leaves parents in a position where it's really important to understand the pros and cons of their decision and to make a really informed decision.

I also wanted to address this topic because I couldn't find this research compiled anywhere else. So I really hope that this newsletter will help parents like myself who have faced this difficult decision.

So what does the research on tongue ties tell us?

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Sign up for the Parenting Translator Substack, and follow along on Instagram.

Parenting Translator is hosted by Dr. Cara Goodwin and is produced by Earfluence.

Dr. Cara Goodwin, Ph.D., is a child psychologist and mother to three children who "translates" research on parenting and child development into information that is accurate, relevant, and useful to parents.