This week, let’s sit down and do something a little different. I really wanted to share a co-parenting success story that is very near and dear to my heart. Kat was our beloved babysitter, and her parents divorced when she was young. If two parents managed to handle divorce the “right” way, it was Sandra and her husband. I have Kat and Sandra on the show this week, and together they tell the story of their family, just so we can all gain a little perspective. Sure, their family may look a little different than what they had hoped it would be, but with sacrifice and intrepid spirits, their family still had two supportive parents doing everything in their power to be present with their children. Just like it takes work to make a marriage, it takes work to make a divorce too! I think Sandra’s courage and compassion is so inspiring, so join us this week to see how. Also in this episode:  Learn from a divorce done “right.” Learn from a divorce done “right.” The importance of a support system, even from the grandparents! The importance of a support system, even from the grandparents! Family dynamics, cultural influences, and parental accountability during the divorce process. Family dynamics, cultural influences, and parental accountability during the divorce process. Being resolved to bite their tongue and make things work for the kids. Letting go of the things we can’t change. Showing compassion and kindness in co-parenting. Keep regrouping! Work through the tough spots and grow together. 

42: Successfully Co-Parenting After Divorce with Katrina and Sandra Abramek

Being a solo parent might have come to you unexpectedly or it may be what you have always planned. Even the most resourceful parent may find themselves in need of support, ideas, and resources. No matter the circumstances, this is the right place to find everything you need to be an outstanding solo parent. Dr. Robbin Rockett brings on a different guest each week to discuss all the aspects of being a single parent. You may be solo in your parenting role, but you are not alone. Listen to the show each week to find refreshing new ideas, hear stories of other solo parents, and connect with the community that is here to support you!

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Since bringing in Conscious Parenting to my coaching practice and my personal life, I have seen a powerful positive change in how I relate to my children. This is why today’s interview with Sandra Fazio is personally so wonderful for me. Sandra not only teaches parents how to begin bringing the principles of Conscious Parenting into their homes, but she also loves it out with her own daughter. Sandra, like many parents, thought she had everything planned out to perfection. As we all learn once we become parents, children rarely align with even the best-laid plans. Sandra found it difficult to relate to or discipline her daughter, and so she turned to Conscious Parenting to end some of the strife in her home. What she unlocked was a whole new way of not just thinking about her child, but about herself too. When the pressure of being a Solo Parent pushes you to a breaking point, Conscious Parenting reminds you to check in with yourself. Self-kindness is easily one of the most powerful tenants of Conscious Parenting, and it’s a step that Sandra has taken to heart. She now encourages everyone to parent through deep connection and open communication. I am thankful to include Sandra’s story and perspective into the Solo Parent Community because she has faced many of the same setbacks that we have as well.          Sandra’s story reminds us to take each day one step at a time. Your relationship with your children is ever-evolving, and it is time to trust that you know how to listen and respond to your children in a conscientious way. More in this episode:  Sandra shares her own motherhood story as an older mother. How Sandra got interested in conscious parenting. Tough times parenting her daughter influenced Sandra to stop putting so much anxiety into how her planned parenting. Letting go and living presently enabled Sandra to see how conscious parenting could change her life. What conscious parenting is all about. How Sandra incorporated conscious parenting into time with her daughter. Parenting is an ever-changing, ongoing journey. Children are operating at a much higher wavelength now. Sandra needs to pay attention to her daughter to see how her needs change. How to cope with our own triggered emotions. Parents have to wear many hats. How to say “no.”  Resources: Sandra Fazio Facebook - Sandra Fazio Parent Listening Group Solo Parent Life - Coaching

69: Using Conscious Parenting to Change Your Relationship with Your Children with Sandra Fazio

It can be difficult to find moments of peace in the middle of our crazy lives. Sometimes, we feel so overwhelmed and out of our depth, and we simply want to step away from it all. Unfortunately, if you are a solo parent, you can’t always pass the kids along to your partner for 10 minutes of quiet. How can you, as a single parent, cultivate some peace and positivity into your daily life? I have an expert guest with me today that is going to give you incredible, easy tools you can use to take care of yourself and connect with your children. Dr. Laura Markham is a Clinical Psychologist and founder of Aha! Parenting. Laura loves working with parents to help them build mindfulness and peace back into their parenting. She knows how unsupported parents feel as they try to guide and connect with their kids, so she has generated resources and written books that you can use at any time. Her most recent book, The Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook is filled to bursting with exercises that will help you rewire your thinking and build peace back into the day-to-day. Knowing that parents are always busy, and single parents even more so, Laura has crafted her resources to fit any schedule. Today, we are going to chat about how to build up your inner resilience, understand your parenting triggers, and work through difficult situations in a helpful way. Whether the kids are bickering or your child is shouting, Laura’s techniques will help you regulate your emotions and transform high-tension moments into moments of peace. Her skills are founded on coaching principles that focus on positivity, rather than simple survival. You will breathe a sigh of relief once we are done talking today! Peace is possible, and we are going to get you there. More in this episode:  Laura tells us about how she works with parents to guide and grow their children in a supportive environment. Connection is everything! We need to be coaching instead of punishing. Parents need to have support to know how to self-regulate and take care of themselves. We need to have emotional generosity. Understand your own triggers as well as your child’s. You can take care of yourself while you are with your kids. Advice for parents who are struggling with self-love. Positivity is building coaching moments. What these techniques are doing to change how your brain thinks.  Resources: Aha! Parenting Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook plus all of Laura’s books! Connect with me! soloparentlife@gmail.com

68: Building Connected Relationships with Your Kids Through Peaceful Parenting with Dr. Laura Markham

Busy Solo Parents often wonder how they are going to get food on the table, let alone make something jam-packed with nutrients that everyone will eat. Life is already chaotic enough! I am here to tell you today that making, simple, healthy, and delicious meals are absolutely within your reach! I’ve brought on a guest today who is going to walk us through the process of creating nutritious meals children will love. As an added bonus, she’s a mom herself who has seen her fair share of struggle. Welcome with me to the show today, Maria Quintana-Pilling! Maria is a functional nutrition and lifestyle practitioner, certified nutrition consultant, and the chef-founder of Urban Spice Nutrition. After struggling with her own health and digestion, Maria found the strength to make significant lifestyle changes, including her diet. She certainly knows how difficult it can be to raise kiddos while your health is failing, so now she is committed to empowering women struggling with similar hormonal and digestive issues with her incredible nutrition programs. I know you are going to find this episode just as helpful as I did. Maria emphasizes that planning your meals ahead of time gives you power over those key nutrients your kiddos need. Today, she will teach us how to be mindful of how we prepare meals, and why balanced nutrition is so important! Our nutrition affects everything from our energy levels to our hormone balance. When we are putting more of what is good for us in, we can only see positive results. Maria believes the key to a healthy future is giving our children the tools and resources they need to make healthy choices for the rest of their lives. What could be a better gift than a legacy of healthy food to power them through life’s biggest moments? More in this episode:  Maria explains how nutrition became her second career after a fibroid diagnosis. Nutrition has played an important role in Maria’s continued health through pregnancy and beyond. Good nutrition can keep your hormones in balance! Why you should not be skipping breakfast! Breakfast staples you can use to stock your kitchen. Plan dinners a week ahead of time! Your freezer is your friend. Maria chimes in on detoxing, and how to make it yours. Advice for Solo Parents tackling nutrition.  Resources: Co-Parenting Resource Solo Parent Life Urban Spice Online Maria@urbanspicenutrition.com  Squash Soup Recipe Maria’s Breakfast Challenge

67: Create Nutritious Meals Your Child Will Love with Maria Quintana-Pilling

One of the biggest fears many parents face is the fear that we are not preparing our kids for the “Real World.” Life skills are difficult to teach, but they are so important for our children to be successful. The official name for this vital skillset is “Social Emotional Intelligence,” or the ability to navigate social problems with empathy and self-respect. I am excited to begin to dive into this topic with Jennifer Miller today. Jennifer is the founder of Confident Families Confident Kids, an online compendium of resources all about parenting children with a high Social Emotional Intelligence. She is quite the expert on the topic, and today she will share practical examples as well as encouraging stories showcasing exactly why we should be prioritizing Social Emotional Intelligence in our parenting. After realizing there really was not a simple, research-based resource for parents on Social Emotional Intelligence, Jennifer set out to create one. She used her own personal struggles as well as her informed perspectives to write articles and offer up tips for parents. When her son was very young, Jennifer noticed she had quite an emotional response to his misbehaviors. Rather than being content with these feelings and challenges, Jennifer armed herself with knowledge and changed her parenting to model and reflect Social Emotional Intelligence. I think Jennifer’s approach is admirable, and I know you will be encouraged by her stories. Rather than hiding the struggle, Jennifer embraces the process of slowly developing the skills that will set her son up for an incredible future. You do not have to be ruled by the fear of failing your children. Thanks to Jennifer, you have resources at your disposal to help you develop Social Emotional Intelligence with your kiddos. Listen today to find out how to get started! More in this episode:  Jennifer shares everything about her family and why she is passionate about Social and Emotional Intelligence. Jennifer wanted to write on her blog to intentionally help parents develop social and emotional skills for everyday life. Get a good definition of Social Emotional Intelligence. We can take cues from our emotions and respond in ways that does no harm. Learn the 5 Competency areas of Social Emotional Intelligence. We work inwardly first, so then we can begin the outward work. Step back and reflect on our responses as a parent. Teaching self management is about demonstrating them ourselves. Your history as a parent will come up. Intentional practice can be a part of playtime. Tips for parents with older kids. Tools and resources for you to use right away!  Links Confident Parents Confident Kids  Family Emotional Safety Plan  NBC Parent Toolkit

66: Teaching Your Children Social Emotional Intelligence with Jennifer Miller

Parenting your pre-teens and teenagers has its own unique set of challenges. While there might not be any more diapers to change or tantrums to manage, older children still need a specific kind of love and attention. Most of the time, parents end up frustrated! This phase of life can often be isolating for Solo Parents. Without carpool lines and trips to the park, it can be difficult to find a place to commiserate with fellow teen parents. This is exactly the kind of thing that my guest, Vickie Vann, is trying to fix! Vickie is a fellow therapist in the area who loves to work with adults and families. She has a teen son and felt she was missing a safe place to express her concern, get advice, and vent a little. After finding there were no opportunities for parents of teens to connect and support each other, Vickie cofounded with Deb Blum parent support groups at her son’s high school. The groups have taken off, and many parents are finding comfort and confidence through genuine connection with one another. Vickie is going to share just how powerful communities really are. She’ll dive deep into the mind of a teenager, and come up to bat for the dreaded “helicopter parents.” She is a wealth of advice on everything from scheduling sleepovers to pushing through homework blocks. If you are a teen parent, you are definitely going to want to give this show a listen! Parents of little ones, this episode is a glimpse into what’s coming for you in just a few short years. Pre-teens and teenagers require parenting in a different way. Don’t be afraid of these challenges! Instead, Vickie encourages us all to seek out opportunities to shape your children into the adults they will become. Deny it all they want, these teens still need mom and dad. We promise! More in this episode:  Vickie loves working with parents by creating discussion groups and support networks. Understanding the teenage brain. Our kids are exposed to so much so early, they seem more mature than they are. Parenting gets more intensive when your children get older. We can help our children develop and grow by “lending them” our frontal lobes. Letting our kids fail is not always the best method to teach them. Move out of negative thinking and into positive change. Stay in the game! Find your common ground and get into their world. 

42: Successfully Co-Parenting After Divorce with Katrina and Sandra Abramek

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