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.

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!

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

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

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.

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