Todd & Cathy discuss why it’s the ordinary moments that make us feel connected and content, and why what we end up missing are the simple things, not the big things. They also discuss the five things that make someone a Gen Xer, have a follow-up discussion about astrology and its usefulness, and Cathy talks about her new book RESTORING OUR GIRLS, coming in early 2025.

Join Team Zen to hear Cathy & Todd’s talk about bringing genuine romance back into your relationship (3/18, 7 pm).

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Jeremy Kraft from Avid Painting and Remodeling 630-956-1800

Time Stamps

(00:01:22) ZPR Women’s March Madness Pool

(00:08:06) Moment- Astrology

(00:13:25) The warrior “bang bang” *

(00:16:28) Tournament of Bad -Frustrations with kids and doordash

(00:21:15) Workshop titled “Sephora Kids”

(00:26:42) Team Zen

(00:30:52) Restoring Our Girls Announcement

(00:36:27) The Ordinary is the Extraordinary

(01:00:05) Jeremy Kraft  Avid Co- Jeremy Kraft the bald-headed beauty from Avid Co – Painting and remodeling for the western suburbs 630-956-1800

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Todd and Cathy discuss the stories we create about our lives and process whether or not we can reconsider our stories – not to deny reality, but to focus on what’s working rather than what’s lost. They also talk about role models for men, why it’s important to acknowledge every aspect of ourselves, what’s going on with Hall&Oates, and whether or not astrology is a science-based tool.

Join Team Zen to hear Cathy & Todd’s talk about bringing genuine romance back into your relationship (3/18, 7 pm).

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Monday Night Wildcard- True Romance (all genders)

MenLiving Eastern Advance

Jeremy Kraft from Avid Painting and Remodeling 630-956-1800

Time Stamps

(00:09:45) Ghosts-

(00:15:19) Travis and Jason Kelse- healthy masculinity?

(00:26:55) Zen Parenting Moment brought to you by David Serrano Financial Advisor Services 815-370-3780

(00:30:39) Stories and meaning we create

(00:31:10) Team Zen

(00:43:32) Astrology

(01:02:10) Jeremy Kraft from Avid Co – Painting and remodeling for the western suburbs 630-956-1800

(00:09:45) Zen Parenting Moment brought to you by  815-370-3780

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Cathy and Todd discuss why we struggle to show up as fully ourselves in groups, and how we can get better at noticing this behavior. Then Todd says, “I’m just not feeling it” so they move into a pop culture conversation that seems to be about nothing, or maybe it was about a lot of little somethings including Bon Jovi, the members of New Edition, why stuffed animals are important, how Cathy got their daughter to stop stealing her brush, why Cathy’s college friends are so funny, and the importance of capybaras, cats, interrogation videos and gorillas on Reels & TikTok. Join Team Zen to hear Cathy & Todd’s talk about bringing genuine romance back into your relationship (3/18, 7 pm).

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Monday Night Wildcard- True Romance (all genders)

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Avid Painting and Remodeling

Time Stamps

(00:05:56) Bad Medicine

(00:09:45) Zen Parenting Moment brought to you by David Serrano Financial Advisor Services 815-370-3780

(00:14:54) Cool it now

(00:16:37) Kids love to correct us

(00:18:42) Kids need to conform

(00:20:49) Cathy’s meditation area

(00:24:53) Cathy’s trivia

(00:27:42) A discussion about Monkey

(00:36:25) Cathy laughs hard

(00:39:43) Favorite animals

(00:28:22) The show is about nothing

(00:50:15) Monday Night Wildcard- True Romance (all genders)

(00:51:35) Join Team Zen

(00:52:48) MenLiving Eastern Advance

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Cathy and Todd discuss how our upbringing shapes our current approach to parenting, share why some traditional parenting tricks fall short, and attempt to redefine romance—it’s not just about grand gestures, but the heartfelt intentions behind them.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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WHY TIME-OUTS DON’T WORK – WHAT TO DO INSTEAD

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Time Stamps

(00:03:43) Zen Parenting Moment brought to you by Financial Advisor David Serrano

(00:09:18) Why timeouts don’t work

(00:15:13) The should of motherhood

(00:28:00) David Serrano Financial Advisor Services 815-370-3780

(00:28:54) Join Team Zen

(00:29:58) Drinking in front of our kids

(00:39:09) Being romantic (or not)

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Cathy and Todd discuss an article from The New York Times titled, ‘Parents Are Highly Involved in Their Adult Children’s Lives, and Fine With It,‘ explaining that staying intimately connected to our older children has benefits, not just risks, and most young adults agree. They discuss the perspectives of previous generations and why things have changed, as well as why it’s easy to stay connected due to devices and the research around effective parenting. They also discuss the fascination with OOTD (outfit of the day) and GRWM (get ready with me) on social media and how we can talk to our kids about comparison culture and self-worth.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Parents Are Highly Involved in Their Adult Children’s Lives, and Fine With It

Time Stamps

(00:01:52) Zen Parenting Moment brought to you by Financial Advisor David Serrano

(00:03:11) Secret love commercial

(00:15:38) Macaroni & cheese

(00:20:54) Parents Are Highly Involved in Their Adult Children’s Lives, and Fine With It

(00:26:44) David Serrano Financial Advisor Services 815-370-3780

(00:27:38) Join Team Zen

(00:28:50) Todd’s stories generation comparison

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Todd and Cathy talk with Author Nate Klemp about his new book, Open: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World. They discuss why technology is addictive and so appealing, and how it’s not our fault that we are attracted to screens and scrolling. They also discuss how being closed leads to polarization and conspiracy theories, while staying open reconnects us and helps us see the world in a new and more optimistic way. Nate shares his experiences with screen bingeing, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and meeting people who think differently, emphasizing the importance of being willing to have a conversation.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Open: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World

Time Stamps

(00:01:45)  Defining open and closed

(00:08:05) Why devices are good at holding our attention

(00:9:50) 15 minute thinking in a room experiment

(00:11:12) Screen seduction- It’s David vs Goliath

(00:14:08) Gum surgery w/o anastesia

(00:19:40) Two different ways to open

(00:26:56) Acorn and the oak tree

(00:30:47) David Serrano Financial Advisor Services 815-370-3780

(00:31:42) Join Team Zen

(00:34:12) Psychedelics

(00:51:40) Experience with the NRA

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Todd and Cathy discuss the explosion of online sports betting and why kids and teens are more likely to develop a gambling disorder than adults. They discuss the reasons why teens use it, how AI is being used to market at them, and how, just like weed, alcohol, and porn, it necessitates an ongoing conversation to make sure our kids understand how it works (not in their favor) and the possible consequences. They also discuss why setting boundaries is essential to practice true empathy and how the 2024 Grammys were a Gen X dream.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Time Stamps

(00:03:04) Is too much empathy a bad thing?

(00:08:05) Finding the middle *

(00:17:27) On-line gambling

(00:19:54) 60 minutes clip

(00:30:00) David Serrano Financial Advisor Services 815-370-3780

(00:30:53) Join Team Zen

(00:51:09) What parents need to know *

(00:55:17 ) What the data suggests

(00:58:12) What’s next *

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Todd and Cathy discuss the two types of messy conversations and explain why it’s important to know the difference if you want to connect with your kid. They discuss the awesomeness of Zen Parenting, 2024 and share some of the most important lessons learned. They also highlight the significance of knowing less, listening more, and discovering what ‘time well spent’ means.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Attend ZPR Conference 2024

Time Stamps

(00:07:04) Messy Conversations

(00:12:52) Statements/behaviors/beliefs that happen in a “closed/messy conversation”

(00:28:26) Setbacks or failures?

(00:29:11) Join Team Zen Circle

(00:32:08) The good that comes from bad messy conversations

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In Part Three of our three-part series with Dr. John Duffy, author of ‘Rescuing Our Sons,‘ John discusses why boys are more likely to experience school refusal, what they are learning from porn, why weed is their drug of choice, and offers some solutions to the boy crisis in America. Find Parts One and Two in the show notes.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Time Stamps

(00:02:37) School refusal

(00:10:17) Porn

(00:12:39) HOCD- Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

(00:14:51) Weed

(00:18:30) ZPR Conference

(00:19:02) Join Team Zen Circle

(00:21:54) Juul

(00:24:37) School shooter

(00:28:30) Solutions

(00:32:55) Conclusion

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In Part Two of our three-part series with Dr. John Duffy, author of ‘Rescuing Our Sons,’ John shares why emotional intelligence is crucial for boys. He tells a story about one of his clients who took a gender studies class and explores the ‘Taylor Swift effect,’ emphasizing why boys need more of this kind of joy. Find Part One in the show notes and tune in tomorrow for Part Three.

For the full show notes, visit zenpopparenting.com.

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Attend ZPR Conference 2024

Time Stamps

(00:07:42) Ryan’s story

(00:14:06) ZPR Conference

(00:14:36) Join Team Zen Circle

(00:21:45) Emotional intelligence

(00:23:26) Taylor Swift Effect

(00:28:04) Growing up looking through men’s eyes

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