Thoughts on Thoughts

When your children leave the nest, as they say, a natural shift in the parent-child dynamic occurs. Some parents struggle with this shift and some embrace it. The parent moves from a role of supporting financially, physically and protecting the child to one of supporting and guiding from afar. In this episode we discuss how you can navigate this shift in a way that will foster connection with your child but will also allow your child to have a newfound independence.

If you find this episode helpful please share with those you feel may benefit. Maybe you have a parent or have a child that needs some helpful hints about healthy boundaries...enjoy!

This week we are helping you become an expert in childhood anxiety. Anxiety presents differently in children than you might expect. In this episode, we are going to help you understand what anxiety can look like in a child because your child who seems to be angry all the time or struggles to focus may just have anxiety! We then go over some tips and tricks for teaching your child about anxiety and we share how to help them cope with it in a positive way. All kids have some level of anxiety, but if it feels like it is getting out of control then this episode is for you!

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders and 1 in 3 people will experience anxiety at some point in their lives. We felt it was important to discuss this so that if you or someone you love is experiencing anxiety there can be more understanding of how that may manifest and what you can do about it. In this episode we discuss the diagnostic criteria for being diagnosed with anxiety, it's causes as well as the features of panic attacks and phobias. We also talk about how to get help for anxiety. If you are currently experiencing anxiety, you are not alone! Many people will or are going through this so we hope you find this episode to be helpful!

Candice Mortensen joins us this week to discuss her family and how they came to be. Prior to adopting her five children, Candice worked as a trauma specialist for children who were adopted! As a result, Candice has had such a unique experience becoming a mother. She has been able to use the knowledge and skills she learned as a therapist to help her children heal from their trauma. Each of the Mortensen’s children came in unique and special ways, but each had their own traumatic history. This trauma effects so much in each of her children’s lives-even a family meal is impacted by this trauma. Through it all, the Mortensens have learned how to love their children more deeply and parent with better intent.  Tune in to learn about parenting adoptive children who have experienced trauma and hear how this family is healing together.

Since the dawn of time, siblings have fought. And compared. And teased. And scratched. And all sorts of other things. We are here to remind you that if your children are struggling to get along-you aren’t alone! This is a common problem and we have several ideas for decreasing the tension in the home and fostering healthy relationships between siblings. We also go over some of the signs that sibling bullying is happening and what you can do to address this problem as well. Siblings can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies but hopefully with these tips they’ll be friends a little more often!

If you are in a family, chances are you have been in a situation where you felt like you needed to set some boundaries. It's a very common thing but sometimes we can make it scary for ourselves! When it comes to setting boundaries with family members, things can sometimes start to feel a bit complicated and uncomfortable. In this episode we give you some pointers on how to navigate those situations. We talk about how to set boundaries with immediate family and in-laws, what assertive communication looks like and how to know when boundaries do need to be set. 

This week we have a special guest-JaNae Goodrich! JaNae was adopted at birth and shares her experiences growing up in a family with six adopted children and how her adoption has shaped her life. She originally had a closed adoption and has recently been on a journey to find her birth parents. This journey has been unbelievable with a few twists! We appreciate JaNae joining us and hope you learn something new about the beauty and love of adoption.

Adding new children to your family can be difficult on everyone. You lose sleep, your new child is adjusting to the world and your older children's lives change too. They lose time with you, they have to deal with the stress of a new person in their space and they need your help adjusting! In this episode we review ways to help your child adjust from being the only child to adding a sibling. These tips apply to all family changes whether it is adding a newborn or another child through adoption or whether you are going from 1-2 or 6-7! We wish you the best on this part of your parenting journey and know the things in this episode can help! 

The Columbine High School Shooting took place in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, 1999. Two of the school's seniors opened fire and killed 12 students and one teacher and left many others wounded. The two students later killed themselves in the high school library where they had taken many lives earlier. 

Sarah and Laura, sisters, were students at Columbine High School and survived the shooting. The events of that day left them traumatized. They graciously shared their story with us and in this interview you will hear what they each experienced during the shooting, their experiences with PTSD and their road to recovery. 

The sisters are sharing their story to spread awareness about trauma and its effects. They, with other Columbine alumni, have started an organization to help support those who are victims of trauma and to help educate communities on how to respond effectively to traumatic events. You can find out more information about their organization, Rebels for Change, and how you can help by following the link below. 

Website: https://rebelsforchange.org

Social Media: @rebelsforchangegroup

This is part 2 of the interview with Sarah and Laura about their experience in the Columbine High School Shooting. To find out how you can help support them in their efforts to educate communities about trauma visit the Rebels for Change website. 

https://rebelsforchange.org