Mom Enough: A Parenting Podcast

Whether you are dealing with a toddler’s tantrums, an 8-year-old’s messy room or a teen’s resistance to homework, parent education and support can help you use the situation to help your child build important skills and values. Parent education also can ease your stress and build your confidence as a parent. Faith Mianulli, lead occupational therapist at St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development, brings a gentle philosophy and proven strategies to her discussion with Marti & Erin on this week’s Mom Enough show, drawing on years of teaching parents the STEP approach (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting). Tune in for tips you can use today!   Think about a parenting dilemma you have confronted with your child in the past week. How did you respond? How is that the same as or different from the STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) approach discussed in this week’s Mom Enough interview? What could you do differently the next time you face a similar challenge? Leave a comment below!   For Faith's tips on encouragement, click here. For Faith's tips on effective listening, click here. For more information on St. David's Center, click here.

As a mom, you may feel guilty when you take time for yourself. You may worry that you’re neglecting your children’s needs if you go out with friends, have a date night with your partner, take time to go to a class, take a nap, exercise or even just relax in a hot bath. But, for many reasons, taking time for yourself can help you be a better mother and help your children be healthier, happier people, now and later. In this week’s Mom Enough show, Marti & Erin talk about how “ME Time” can reduce stress for you and your children, enable you to be more responsive to your children’s needs and set an example of healthy, balanced living for your children at any age. Marti & Erin also share some of their own simple, practical tips for integrating ME Time into your life, highlighting how even just a few minutes can calm and refresh you.   In what ways do you take care of yourself in the midst of caring for your children and others? What makes it hard for you to make time for self-care? What helpful tips for how and when to take time for yourself did you hear in this Mom Enough discussion? Leave a comment below!   For our handout on Why "ME Time" Matters, click here.

So many power struggles can be avoided when children have an opportunity to choose for themselves or to have a voice in family decisions. But how do you know when it’s time to negotiate with a child and when it’s time to just lay down the law? This week’s guest, parent educator Dr. Ada Alden, has developed a Red Yellow Green Framework for respectful discipline to help you sort that out. And she offers some great tips for how family meetings can strengthen your family’s relationships and help you “work yourself out of a job” – the overall goal in parenting, right? (Erin is excited to begin family meetings in her household and you will be too!)   Thinking about the Red Yellow Green Framework for respectful discipline discussed in this Mom Enough show, name some of the things that would be in the red (not OK) category for your children. What about the green category (good to do!)? What are some yellow issues where your children could have more choices? How could family meetings add to the quality of your family life and to your children’s development of wise decision-making? Leave a comment below!   For Ada’s web site on Purposeful Parenting, click here.

For decades, Search Institute has studied assets that are most important for helping children and teens grow up well. In their latest study, they examine the importance of five key strategies in developmental relationships in the family: 1) Express care 2) Challenge to grow 3) Support 4) Share power 5) Expand possibilities   Tune into this week’s Mom Enough show to hear Gene Roehlkepartain discuss how these strategies benefit children, which are most often missing in the families Search studied, and what you can do to apply these important parent-child relationship findings for your child’s lifelong success.   What was surprising to you about the findings from this Search Institute study? Why do you think so many families have trouble sharing power? What practical ideas did you take away from this Mom Enough discussion on the parent-child relationship? Leave a comment below!   To read the report and other material from the study, click here. For Parent Further, click here. To take the quiz mentioned by Gene, click here. To read more about developmental relationships, click here.

As parents, most of us would rather not even think about the possibility that our son or daughter could develop an addiction to alcohol or other substances. But putting our head in the sand only increases the risks. Dr. Leslie Adair, Director of Mental Health & Family Services at Hazelden Betty Ford’s adolescent and young adult facility in Plymouth, MN, brings the information we need to recognize signs of possible addiction, to seek evaluation by an experienced professional and if needed, to get appropriate treatment and family support. Leslie also answers Marti & Erin’s questions about addressing the needs of siblings and helping family members know how to talk to others about the problem.   What has been your experience with substance abuse and addiction among people close to you? What did you learn in this Mom Enough discussion about signs of a possible addiction in teens and young adults? What resources are available for evaluation and treatment in your community? Leave a comment below!   For more information on Teen Intervene, click here. For tips for if you suspect teen alcohol or other drug use, click here. For additional fact sheets from Hazelden Betty Ford, click here. For other resources from Hazelden Betty Ford, click here.

According to the CDC, car crashes continue to be the leading cause of death and serious injury for children under 14 years of age. But there is much we can do to reduce the risk for our children. The first step is to know and follow not only the laws about child passenger safety, but best practices that go beyond the legal requirements. Heather Darby, child passenger safety and occupant protection coordinator for the DPS Office of Traffic Safety, joins Marti & Erin for a conversation you won’t want to miss, for your children’s safety and your own peace of mind.   Think about your own driving habits and those of other adults who drive your children. To what extent are you following best practices for your children’s safety? What could you do to improve child passenger safety in your vehicle? Leave a comment below!   To locate a Minnesota car seat check near you, click here. For a Guide for Child Passenger Safety Seats and Seat Belts, click here. For the Buckle Up Kids brochure, click here. To visit BuckleUpKids.mn.gov, click here.

As parents, many of us are uneasy about how we will see our children through adolescence – how we’ll handle the times when they push away from us or engage in risky behaviors. But UCLA professor Dr. Dan Siegel sees a great opportunity in the teen years for parents and other caring adults to capitalize on the teenage brain changes and provide the guidance and encouragement that will move teens toward a vibrant, healthy adulthood. In his conversation with Marti & Erin, Dr. Siegel debunks common myths of adolescence, illuminates exciting changes in the teenage brain and offers practical tips for parents and teens.   What are some of the myths that were challenged by Dr. Dan Siegel in this Mom Enough discussion about the teenage brain? What new ideas did you hear about what teens need during this important developmental period? Leave a comment below!   For Brainstorm, now available in paperback, click here.

As the only girl on her Little League teams, Jennifer Ring’s daughter more than held her own with her male teammates. But when she wanted to continue playing baseball instead of switching to the girls’ softball team, the adults around her put up barriers at every step. Dr. Ring, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, chronicles her daughter’s story and that of other young women in baseball in her new book, A Game of Their Own: Voices of Contemporary Women in Baseball. Jennifer’s conversation with Marti & Erin is about much more than baseball; it challenges us to think hard about gender bias and how to make sure our children have the opportunity to be themselves and fully develop their talents and interests.   In what ways have your children’s interests (or your own) run counter to gender-based expectations? How have you handled those situations? After listening to this Mom Enough show on gender bias, in what ways might you do things differently? Leave a comment below!

Jessica Mattson knew something was not right with her son’s development when he was a year old. But she wasn’t sure where to turn, especially since her pediatrician thought Ben was doing fine. Eventually, with encouragement from a cousin, Jessica sought help through her school district’s early intervention team, leading to identification of Ben’s special needs and appropriate services to help him learn and develop as fully as possible. Although every child and parent’s experience is unique, Jessica’s story highlights the concern and confusion many parents feel, the relief and hope that appropriate services bring, and the longterm success that is possible when a young child receives appropriate assessment and early intervention. Jessica represents Help Me Grow in this heartfelt discussion that will help you and other parents know where to turn when you have concerns about your child.   Have you or someone you know navigated the early intervention system for a child with special needs? How was that experience for parents and child? In Minnesota (and several other states around the U.S.), how does Help Me Grow support parents who have questions or concerns about their young child’s development? Leave a comment below!   For a visual self-regulation scale, click here. To learn more about PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), click here. For another good PECS resource for families, click here. For milestones of what children can commonly do from three months to age 5, click here. For early childhood screening information, click here.

We love our children and we hate to see them struggle, right? But are we harming them in the long run by making things too easy for them? Greg Lais, founding director of Wilderness Inquiry, thinks so and has spent the past 35 years taking people of all ages and abilities into nature to meet real challenges, build confidence through competence and discover new possibilities in themselves. You won’t want to miss Greg’s rich discussion with Marti & Erin, which may change your thinking about the real gifts you can give your children, whether they are toddlers or teens.   Why do you think it’s important for children to face challenges in order to build competence and confidence? What is the down side of making things too easy for your children? This week’s Mom Enough guest, Greg Lais, talked about nature being “neutral.” What did he mean by that and why does that make nature a good place for children to build competence? Leave a comment below!   For information on the Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures (UWCA), click here. For information on Canoemobile, click here. For a transcript of this show, provided by the Minnesota Department of Education, click here.

Do you have a will in place? Have you filed documents specifying who would care for your children if something happened to you? And what about putting money in a trust for your children with clear conditions for when and how they can access it? This week’s Mom Enough guest, attorney Gretchen Baker, answers these estate planning questions and more in this very informative discussion about a topic that is crucial to a family’s security and well-being. Marti & Erin learned a lot about estate planning and you will too!   What new things did you learn about what is included in estate planning? To what extent have you made an adequate plan for your family in case something happened to you? What further steps should you consider in your estate planning? Leave a comment below!

Very young children have a remarkable capacity to learn whatever language (or languages) they hear. But as we get older, we often struggle at learning a second language and may never “speak like a native” (as Marti learned years ago trying to order a beer in Sweden!). Why is that so? And, as parents, what should we do to support our children’s language development in both their primary language and second and third languages? You won’t want to miss this fascinating and helpful discussion with U of M Researcher Melissa Koenig of a topic of great importance in today’s diverse world.   What has been your family’s experience in learning a second language? What opportunities are there in your community for your children (and you!) to learn new languages? Based on what you heard in this week’s Mom Enough show, what can you do to make learning a second language easier for your child? Leave a comment below!

Nancy Carlson understands children’s feelings and turns that understanding into delightful picture books that help children confront some of life’s most embarrassing moments and experiences. In this lively, free-wheeling discussion with Marti & Erin, Nancy highlights her two most recent books: the self-explanatory Sometimes You Barf and It’s OK to Ask!, a wonderful story about how to help your children connect with and respond to children with visible disabilities (a collaboration with Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare). Tune in so you and your children can benefit from the insights and humor in this special Mom Enough show.   What embarrassing moments or humiliating experiences do you remember from your childhood? What could adults have done to make them less embarrassing for you? How can you make it easier for your children when they encounter something similar? Leave a comment below!   For Nancy’s daily doodles, click here. For Nancy's blog, click here. For the mother's open letter about reacting to her daughter's genetic syndrome, click here. For the Anderson Center, click here.

You’ve jiggled, you’ve rocked, you’ve walked the floor, but nothing seems to ease your baby’s distress. Your nerves are frazzled, you’re sleep-deprived, and you feel like screaming. Probably every parent has been there, but countless parents also have been helped through those exhausting moments by Dr. Harvey Karp, author of Happiest Baby on the Block. He joins Marti & Erin this week for a rich discussion of the “4th trimester,” how to activate a baby’s “calming reflex” and why “the five Ss” can make life (and sleep!) better for your baby and you!   What have you found most effective for calming your baby or other babies for whom you have cared? Have you tried “the 5 Ss” Dr. Karp recommends in this week’s Mom Enough show and, if so, how did they work? What new insights into infant crying did you gain from this discussion of Happiest Baby on the Block? Leave a comment below!

In his bestselling book, A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer told the story of the horrific abuse he experienced at the hands of his mother. After years as a popular speaker and frequent guest on national media, Dave now has written Too Close To Me, a candid and courageous story of striving to be a good parent, husband and advocate for others who struggle to rise above abuse. This Mom Enough discussion offers hope that it is possible to break the cycle of abuse and find a better way for yourself and your children.   What do you see as a core message in Dave Pelzer’s story about learning to be a good parent after the terrible abuse he experienced in his own childhood? What do you think about his emphasis on understanding the life experiences of his abusive mother? Leave a comment below!