Simple Families

In continuing my quest to find a balance in my own use of digital technology, I found the book Rewired: Protecting your brain in the digital age. The author, Dr. Carl Marci, reviews mounting evidence that overuse of smart phones and social media is rewiring our brains.

There's a lot of buzz about gut health and probiotics--but it can feel overwhelming to digest it all (no pun intended). In fact, years ago, I remember standing in the supplemental aisle at the grocery store wondering which probiotic I should buy. Do I get the refrigerated ones, the chewable...or maybe the gummies for the kids? Today, we are exploring all things gut health with Tina Anderson, the Co-Founder of Just Thrive Probiotics.

• Get 20% off the 90-day supply of Just Thrive probiotics. Go to Justthrivehealth.com and use the promo code "Simple."

I favor a positive parenting approach, so I don't use a lot of rewards and punishments in our house. However, there are times when these methods can be useful and I want to share some examples with you today.

When it comes to behavior modification, it's most effective to use reinforcement/rewards when you want to increase a desirable behavior and punishment when you need to decrease undesirable behavior. I'll talk more about this today.

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Let’s talk about kids who hit. Let’s also talk about adults who hit. This kind of behavior is taboo, especially as kids get older. I'll explore some basic reasons behind hitting and offer solutions. In next week's episode, I'll delve deeper into understanding this behavior in older kids and adults.

This is a rebroadcast of Simple Families Podcast's most downloaded episodes. Take a listen again - you can really get new insights from with each phase of parenting.

• Simple Families Episode 113: Troubleshooting "Time-out"

When Majka Burhardt, social entrepreneur and world-class female rock/ice climber, found out she was pregnant with twins, she started writing her children letters. These raw, emotional and vulnerable written pieces later became the book More: Life on the edge of adventure and motherhood. I loved talking to Majka about risk, parenthood, marriage and more!

Many of us have made great efforts to control our technology use, but is it working? I've invited Gaia Bernstein, author of Unwired: Gaining Control over Addictive Technologies to the podcast today to discuss how this is more than an individual issue. We explore digital connection along with how community efforts and national policies can help us gain control of our technology use.

You should know this by now. I’ve asked you a hundred times. How could you forget? 

Today we are going to talk about consequences, punishment, and discipline. How do we raise kids to take ownership and care for themselves and their belongings? Today I’m going to give you some things to think about and some things to do. 

This is a rebroadcast of Simple Families Podcast's most downloaded episodes. Take a listen again - you can really get new insights from with each phase of parenting.

Today, I'm bringing you a much-requested life update episode. In the past year I've moved off social media and have limited how much I share publicly on a day-to-day basis. As my kids grow and establish their own identities, this has been a change that feels right for our family. But today, I will update you on home, work, family, and also tell you about my new health routine.

Today, I am speaking with the Founder of MomWell (formerly Happy as a Mother) Erica Djossa, who you may recognize from viral her maternal mental health memes on Instagram. Erica is a psychotherapist whose work on social media focuses on strategies to cope with the emotional load of motherhood.

I don't know about you, but parent anxiety seems to surround me at every turn. In today's episode, I'm chatting with Dr. Dana Dorfman, author of the new book, When Worry Works. Dana explains that even though anxiety is an unavoidable part of parenting today, we can turn our unique parenting anxiety patterns into an advantage, instead of a liability.