Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast

Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast

By John Sommers-Flanagan, Sara PolanchekScienceSocial SciencesKids & Family
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Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast episodes

  • Parenting in the Age of Trump... and Dealing with Other Challenging Role Models
    Parenting in the Age of Trump . . . and Dealing with Other Challenging Role Models Here's a quick parenting quiz. Question: "How do you spell opportunity?" Answer: "T-R-U-M-P" Regardless of your politics, most of us American parents agree, there's more profane and disgusting information leaking out of the media and into our children's brains than ever before in the history of time. This information comes from Twitter, late night comedy, football, and the weather; it's everywhere and it presents a direct challenge to American family values. What's a parent to do? In this episode, Dr. Sara and Dr. John take on the Trump phenomenon and although neither of them speak Latin, the bottom-line message is "Carpe Diem!" or "Seize the day!" On their way to seizing the day, Sara and John share their own parental shortcomings. They also brainstorm how to respond when teenage boys come home and say things like, "I just learned that oral sex isn't really sexL!" They discuss how to take outrageous contemporary media content and use it to facilitate children's moral development. If you want to face the challenge of parenting in the Trump era and turn it into a moral development opportunity, listen to this episode of the Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation and NPEN.org
    26 min
  • Why Parents Spank Their Children and Why They Should Stop
    Why Parents Spank Their Children and Why They Should Stop What do you feel when your lovely child misbehaves and then the misbehavior continues or repeats? What happens when you feel terribly angry and just want to make your child's behavior stop? What happens if you spank your child . . . and then . . . much to your relief, your child's annoying behavior stops! In this episode, not only do Dr. Sara and Dr. John discuss the negative outcomes linked to spanking, John also annoys Sara so much that she takes the impressive step of turning off his microphone. Will John ever get to speak again? How long does his microphone time-out last? This episode includes a clip of what Cris Carter, former Minnesota Viking and Hall of Fame wide receiver, thinks about physical discipline. You also get to hear what Dr. Elizabeth Gershoff discovered in her meta-analysis of corporal punishment research. When talking about B.F. Skinner and the science of negative reinforcement, for the first time in history, John says something that's technically incorrect. If you're the first person to correctly identify what John says that's wrong, you will receive a copy of his book, "How to Listen so Parents will Talk and Talk so Parents will Listen." You can enter by posting your idea on the Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast Facebook page or on John's blog, at johnsommersflanagan.com.
    21 min
  • How to Listen so Parents will Talk, and Talk so Parents will Listen

    It would be nice to know everything. And if you have children, it would be nice to know about all the wild parenting adventures awaiting you. But you don't know. You don't know because there's no special instruction manual that comes along with the birth of your first child. In this Practically Perfect Parenting episode, we talk about all things parenting education, because parenting education is the best substitute for the absence of an instruction manual; it might even be better, because parenting education is experiential, responsive to your needs, and way more supportive than a book. Why should you listen to this episode? Well, one good reason is that John tells the famous bathtub story, and although Sara doesn't manage to hum the "Jaws" music, unless you've watched Caddyshack, you probably won't guess how the story ends.

    28 min
  • Technology as a Barrier and Bridge to Healthy Family Relationships

    This OPENING episode of Season 2 of the Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast is positively packed with information and tantalizing tips. TECHNOLOGY and SCREEN TIME is a huge issue for many parents. In this captivating episode, Dr. Sara and Dr. John are talking back to technology; they're saying, "Hey technology, we're taking you down! Well, not really. But the episode does include a range of AMAZING insights and tips to help parents understand and deal with the dangers and opportunities of technology and screen time. When you tune in, be sure to listen for:

    • Dr. Sara's obsession with using contracts to manage her children's screen-time.
    • A clip from Dr. Dimitri Christakis's TEDx Ranier talk where he provides a fun critique, partially narrated by Dr. Sara, on Baby Einstein (to watch Dr. Christakis's full talk, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoT7qH_uVNo
    • How much a baby's brain grows from birth to age 2 (can you guess?)
    • Dr. John's four tips for raising children with healthy brains
    • Dr. Christakis's three stage theory about how constantly changing screens contribute to children having attention problems.
    • Dr. Sara's and Dr. John's thoughts on the appropriate use of technology and screens for families.

    Don't wait. Use your favorite personal device to listen to your favorite podcasters launch themselves into SEASON 2!

    26 min
  • Why Youth Sports Makes Parents Crazy

    Why Youth Sports Makes Parents Crazy

    In this—the final episode of Season One—Dr. Sara and Dr. John talk about how youth sports can be the royal road to emotional problems for parents. Highlights include: (a) a discussion of how easy and natural it is for parents to get overemotional about their child's athletic performance; (b) ideas for emotional preparation; (c) the sorts of bad advice parents can yell from the sideline (but shouldn't!); and (d) insights from Coach Collin Fehr, who, with his newly minted doctorate, shares the "best thing" for parents to remember. Other highlights (in this episode the highlights just keep on coming): Dr. Sara asks: "Are we a couple of liberal pansies?" and John shares his all-time favorite sports dream. Being the good sport that she is, the show ends with Dr. Sara claiming victory and referring to herself as the "winner" and to John as "the loser." To learn more about John's response to this trash talk, you'll have to tune back in for Season Two, which starts in September, 2017.

    This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the National Parenting Education Network.

    Resources in this Episode:

    EducatedSportsParent.com

    Matheny Manifesto

    By: Mike Matheny

    24 min
  • Youth Sports: Opportunities, Benefits, & Advice for Parents

    Youth Sports: Benefits, Opportunities, & Advice for Parents

    In this action-packed episode, Dr. Sara gathers important insights about youth sports from a parent and two young athletes. Then, she treats Dr. John with contempt (not really) because he doesn't understand the term "Capitalization" (that's true), and later she has to put John in time-out because he gets all agitated and uses the words "pissed off" while just talking about soccer referees. More importantly, Sara and John share a variety of concrete tips for parents. . . and, if you listen to this episode, you'll be able to answer the question: What do researchers say is the source of THE WORST memories for young athletes? Ready, set, LISTEN!

    This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the National Parenting Education Network.

    Resources in this Podcast: Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports By: Brooke de Lench Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids By: John O'Sullivan

    24 min
  • How Parents Can Help Children Deal with Grief

    How Parents Can Help Children Deal with Grief

    In our last podcast Dr. Sara and Dr. John, teamed up with Dr. Tina Barrett from Tamarack Grief Resource Center as we answered some questions about how to talk about death. This week, we go from talking to doing, as we invite Dr. Tina back, this time to discuss how parents can help children deal with grief. After Dr. Sara and Dr. John check in on each other's grief memories, Dr. Tina shares more of her infinite wisdom on how we, as practically perfect parents, can help support our kids through grief. From emotional regulation to behavior, Dr. Tina describes what's normal for grieving families, and how to cope with complex and difficult grief experiences.

    This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the National Parenting Education Network.

    If you would like to be a sponsor please let us know!

    Resources mentioned in this podcast:

    Why Do People Die? Helping Your Child Understand-With Love and Illustrations

    By: Cynthia MacGregor

    The Dougy Center in Portland Oregon.

    30 min
  • Talking with Children about Life & Death

    Talking with Children about Life & Death

    In keeping with our "Big Talks" theme, this episode focuses on how parents can face and manage conversations about death with their children. Beginning with memories from their childhoods and concluding with money tips and resources, Dr. Sara and Dr. John ramble from practical tips to philosophical truths. Best of all, sandwiched in the middle is an interview with Dr. Tina Barrett, executive director of the Tamarack Grief Resource Center in Missoula, MT. Dr. Tina opens with a quote from Mr. Rogers, encouraging parents to provide their children with honest and simple responses to questions about death. She describes how parents can face distress together with their children in ways that builds strengths. Dr. Tina also provides ideas for how parents can talk about grief in ways that combine spirituality with biological realities. If you're not sure how to talk with children about death, a dose of Dr. Tina's wisdom may be just what you need.

    This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the National Parenting Education Network.

    Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

    The Fall of Freddy the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages

    By: Leo Buscaglia

    Death is Stupid

    by Anastasia Higginbotham

    24 min
  • Teens & Depression
    Teens & Depression In this episode, Dr. Sara and Dr. John take on the serious topic of teenage depression. There are no laughs or giggles, but you'll get to hear Sara ask John a rapid-fire series of many questions about teen depression, which is sort of funny. Her questions include: (a) how parents can distinguish between depression and normal sadness, (b) whether anti-depressant medications are effective, (c) what sorts of therapies might be helpful, and many more. John dazzles with trivia (what percent of children "recovered" from their depressive symptoms in the first-ever double-blind, placebo-controlled study of antidepressant medications?) and yes, once again, Sara will find a way to mention sex This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation and the National Parenting Education Network. Resources Mentioned in this Podcast: The Anti-Depressant Book: A Practical Guide for Teens and Young Adults to Overcome Depression and Stay Healthy By: Jacob Towery MD Beyond the Blues: A Workbook to Help Teens Overcome Depression By: Lisa M. Schab LCSW
    27 min
  • When Teens Talk Back
    When Teens Talk Back In this episode, Dr. Sara decides to consult with Dr. John about her hypothetical "friend's" teenage and pre-teen boys, who coincidently, happen to be the same ages as Sara's own children. Other than being a disastrously bad consultant, John ends up complaining about how disrespectful our culture is toward teens. This leads Sara and John to affirm that, instead of lowering the expectation bar for teens, we should re-focus on what's great about teenage brains. Overall, this turns out to be a celebration of all the great things about teenagers . . . along with a set of guidelines to help parents be positive and firm. Specific techniques discussed include limit-setting, do-overs, methods for helping teenagers calm down, role modeling, and natural, but small consequences. This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the National Parenting Education Network. Resources mentioned in the Podcast: Positive Discipline for Teenagers By Jane Nelsen & Lynn Lott
    31 min

About Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Renowned professor, researcher, and author John Sommers-Flanagan, Ph.D., teams up with parenting, child, and intimate relationship expert Sara Polanchek, Ed.D., to bring you the Practically Perfect…