Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids

How can you make the holiday time less stressful and more delightful? In this episode, we are chatting about the challenges of the holiday season. We will cover some easy to implement strategies that will give you AND your children opportunities to be Perfectlywhelmed & Freakishly Well Behaved even during this time of year. Join our honest informed conversation and leave the constant hustle behind and pause with us for 30minutes. I am joined by Faye Swett again (HOORAY) to get more in depth with becoming PERFECTLY-WHELMED. Faye is a full-time marketing professional with more side hustles than she can count, including her lifestyle & beauty blog, RipCurrent (@ripcurrentblog). Her perspective as a 20-something year old in a fast-paced society will serve to reinforce our conversation around what we COULD do versus what we SHOULD do. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out  Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!  

Today I am asking questions about and talking about raising gifted kids with my former student, current friend and colleague Rebecca Marazon. After 12 years as a school psychologist and play therapist working with students 3-21, in 2019 Rebecca became the coordinator of psychological services for Charlotte County Public Schools.  As an administrator, Rebecca encourages her staff to utilize all aspects of their training to support the students in their schools with a heavy emphasis on direct mental health services.  Rebecca will share tips for honoring children, by respecting the unique challenges that being gifted present at home and in the school. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out  Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

Today I am talking about the parenting principle of saying no. It is one of the 20 I address in the book Raising Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids. I will discuss the benfits for children and YOU when you directly apply this principle to the challenges of the holiday season. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out  Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

Today I am answering the questions you asked! We compiled the questions you had about children and anger and aggression and today you get the answers! Children need connection when they are angry or acting aggressively, I will share tips for being the best version of your parent-self even when your child’s anger and aggression is pushing you to your breaking point. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out  Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

Our honest informed conversation focuses on becoming perfectly-whelmed through un- overwhelming. Take a break & pause with us for 30minutes. I am joined by Faye Swett again to get more in depth with becoming PERFECTLY-WHELMED. Faye is a full-time marketing professional with more side hustles than she can count, including her lifestyle & beauty blog, RipCurrent (@ripcurrentblog). Her perspective as a 20-something year old in a fast-paced society will serve to reinforce our conversation around what we COULD do versus what we SHOULD do. Today we're talking about: setting personal and interpersonal non-negotiable policies; how to decide what your policies are, how to stick to them, and how to clear out the overwhelm you experience. We will pay special attention to setting non-negotiable policies to improve your parenting practices & overall health. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with  the insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  Fo more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out  Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) &  NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

Our honest informed conversation will focus on becoming perfectly-whelmed through un- overwhelming ourselves. We may even discuss how to apply some Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids principles to self. Leave the constant hustle behind and pause with us for 30minutes. I am joined by Faye Swett again to get more indepth with becoming PERFECTLY-WHELMED. Faye is a full-time marketing professional with more side hustles than she can count, including her lifestyle & beauty blog, RipCurrent (@ripcurrentblog). Her perspective as a 20-something year old in a fast-paced society will serve to reinforce our conversation around normalizing rather than pathologizing. We're talking about: to-do’s that can wait, removing the pressure to get everything done, prioritizing your mental health, under-committing, and Parents- that includes to your children.  Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out  Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

Becoming Perfectly-whelmed We are OVERwhelmed. The challenges of finding balance alludes so many of us and impact all the areas of our lives; including parenting! In this podcast, I’ll be joined by Faye Swett. Faye is a full-time marketing professional with more side hustles than she can count, including her lifestyle & beauty blog, RipCurrent (@ripcurrentblog). Her perspective as a 20-something year old in a fast paced society will serve to reinforce our conversation around normalizing rather than pathologizing Our honest and informed conversation will focus on becoming perfectly-whelmed through un- overwhelming ourselves. We may even discuss how to apply some Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids principles to self. Leave the constant hustle behind and pause with us for 30minutes. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

The challenges of parenting during a pandemic are for real! We have already talked about how much we love our sons even if sometimes they are really smelly, and often seem kind of weird. We are faced with new challenges during the pandemic because these boys are so- what adults would call- unmotivated. In this podcast, I’ll be joined by Penny Lupo. Penny is a Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, Adjunct Instructor and Mom of a teenage boy. Our honest and informed conversation will stress using Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids principles with special considerations that focus on the challenges of parenting teenage boys during the pandemic. We don’t hold back the authenticity.  Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

In this episode, we continue talking about the challenges of dealing with fertility issues. Penny Lupo will join Dr. Mullen, again for this episode. We will be sharing an authentic conversation about what happens when there are fertility problems and how that impacts the day to day lives. We also will discuss grief and loss and offer some ideas about support and coping. We are confident that raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids is possible even during stressful times in families.  Penny Lupo is a licensed Mental Health Counselor & Play Therapist. Penny specializes in counseling people going through the fertility process, miscarriage, pregnancy loss or infant loss. She has an informed perspective as she and her husband went through years of fertility treatments, multiple miscarriages and the adoption process. Check out her blog embracinghealing.comAuthor, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children. You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

In this episode we are talking about the challenges of parents & parenting when dealing with fertility issues. Penny Lupo will join Dr. Mullen, again for this episode. We will be sharing an authentic conversation about what happens when couples learn that there may be a fertilitiy problem and how that impacts their lives. We also will discuss grief and loss and offer some ideas about support and coping. We are confident that raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids is possible even during stressful times in families.   Penny Lupo is a licensed Mental Health Counselor & Play Therapist. Penny spreicializes in counseling people  going through the fertility process, miscarriage, pregnancy loss or infant loss. She has an informed perspective as she and her husband went through years of fertility treatments, multiple miscarriages and the adoption process. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Jodi Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

We love our sons. Now that they are taller than us, sometimes really smelly, and often seem kind of weird we are faced with new challenges. In this podcast, I’ll be joined by Penny Lupo. Penny is a Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, and Mom of a teenage boy. Our honest and informed conversation will stress using Freakishly Well-Behaved Kids principles with special considerations that focus on the challenges of parenting teenage boys. This will be fun! Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

What's is parenting like when your a stay-at-home Dad? Today we will find out from our special guest Rory. Here's what his partner says about him and their family  "...I pursue my career full-time and Rory is a stay-at-home Dad. This arrangement works well for us as we both prioritize our children and family and feel grateful that we have the resources. Rory works hard to take care of the kids and our home, acting as a wealth of support to all of us. As a working mother it is a huge relief to not have to worry about childcare. Rory facilitates much of the domestic tasks so that I can focus on my demanding career . I couldn’t do this without his generous contribution to our family. His time at home has strengthened his relationships with both of our children, a privilege that we don’t take for granted." In this episode we get Rory's inside perspective- what are the benefits, the challenges and how to handle them! Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

We're talking about the rollercoaster ride of new parenting and reving up the challenge by adding the in the experience of being a new parent who works outside of the home. We have talked to you about our experiences and knowledge about children that have come from being mental health counselors trained in play therapy and as credentialed play therapists. In this episode, we will talk about how to manage the stresses of being a new parent, work, and other interesting experiences that life throws at us from an insider’s perspective.  My special guest will be Kristen M. Melcher, LMHC, CCPT who works as a Clinical Director providing direct counseling to clients and families. With over 35 years combined clinical experience with children (not to mention 19 as working-moms) we can help you be the parent your child needs We will cover several strategies that can help you help your children to become Freakishly Well Behaved kids. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too, for more practical and thought-provoking ideas check out parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs  (for the ebook click here) Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

In this episode, we will talk about how bullies and bullying impacts all kids.  My special guest will be Lisa Cavallaro, Marriage & Family Therapist, Life Coach, author, Mom and creator of BullySpin, an online confidence-building program for kids. In this show, we'll cover several strategies that can help you help your children deal with bullies & bullying. Author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- Dr. Mullen has learned from the thousands of children she has worked with insights and actions necessary for parenting that will lead to the behavior and attitude changes you are looking for with your children.  If you are willing to learn, listen, grow, and work hard at this, your results will be nothing short of miraculous! You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too. If you want more specific and personalized help check out the parenting book Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 principles for being the parent your child needs. Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!

Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids the Parenting book inspired by this podcast Thank you Thank you for helping me develop my ideas and write a very unique parenting book! In this episode, I am the subject of the interview. My friend and colleaugue, Kyle Dzitars, mental health counselor and credentiialed play therapist will ask me all about my newest book (you can win a free copy through this link), Raising Freakishly Well Behaved Kids: 20 Principles for becoming the parent your child needs. I am so excited to talk to you about this book, parenting and children. As an author, Professor, Mental Health Counselor, Play Therapist, International Speaker, & Mom-- I have learned from the thousands of children that I worked with and have gained insights about parenting that I love to share. These insights developed into 20 simple parenting principles that will lead to the relationships you crave with you kids as well as behavior and attitude changes that seemed unachievable. If you are willing to learn, listen, grow, and work hard at this, your results will be nothing short of miraculous! You can have Freakishly Well Behaved Kids too! Remember to check out NAUGHTY NO MORE an activity book to help kids make better decisions. When kids feel good, they behave that way!