During May we both honor mothers and bring awareness to mental health. During this episode of The Parenting Pot, Benita discusses ways that we, as a village, can do both.

This episode and podcast, are brought to you by the Early Childhood Home Visiting programs at The Up Center.

April was Child Abuse Prevention Month which brought up a lot of conversations about family support that we could benefit from continuing.

Instead of focusing on the stereotypical and assumed ways to prevent child abuse and neglect, Benita takes a look at some important aspects that contribute to families that experience abuse or neglect: Lack of support and connection. Protective factors are a thing, which means that the things that contribute to child maltreatment are much deeper than the idea that parents who abuse or neglect are inherently evil. The reality is that parents are human and experience overwhelm. Without adequate support, knowledge, and connection, their children are more likely to be affected.

So let's talk about some ways parents can be more intentional about building a village. Not just to "prevent child abuse" but simply because we ALL deserve to be around and loved on by OUR people.

This episode we recognize that February is American Heart Month, so we discuss ways for parents to improve their heart health.

In this episode, we're focusing on easy ways parents can incorporate self-care into their daily lives.

On the Season 2 Intro episode, we're talking a little about setting realistic expectations for our young children. We also give some app recommendations to help you focus on meeting your child's needs during a time period that's full of so much growth and MANY transitions.

Your 24-36 month old child is growing everyday! Today, we will discuss the milestones and different activities that you can do with your child to help with their development.

Every parent wants their child to sleep through the night. Sometimes your child may wake up frequently throughout the night for various reasons... let's talk about it!

Setting goals not only helps to keep us on track but it also helps us to put things into perspective. Today, we will discuss SMART Goals and how they can help us reaching our goal.

Mom and Dad, I know you are probably tired from chasing your toddler around the house or even dealing with the tantrums in the grocery store, but can I tell you that they are all part of the milestones for development! It may seem like a lot but there are many activities that can help your growing little one!