See Me Hear Me Love Me

Here are Karen's 10 tips for back-to-school stress and anxiety. Change, even positive change change - new beginnings, new teachers, new classrooms, or a new school, are giant opportunities for social-emotional skill building. They are also opportunities for children to learn they are supported and comforted through challenging emotions - fear, anxiety, uncertainty, confusion. Accept all those emotions, yours and your child's. You got this!

Listen as these parents define and redefine choices about God and spirituality for their families and for their young children in very personal ways. Children and parents are changed by the WOW....by being present to the moment and to each other, through mindfulness and connections to community. Listen as Rabbi David Steinhardt reminds us of the holiness of everyday routines. Finding that peace might just be the antidote to all the stress and busyness of a commercial world that creates far too much guilt, doubt and not-enoughness. At the table with Rachel, Emily, Sandy and Rabbi David Steinhardt

Smart and sensitive kids are the ones who think deeply and feel deeply. They knock you off your game and create lots of doubts and questions in the thoughtful parents who are trying to support and teach them. Celebrate their intelligence while grabbing opportunities to be an "emotion coach" for them. You are their safety net as they try to manage all the complexity of their thoughts, questions and feelings. Watch out though - chances are they have a smart and deep feeling parent too! At the table with Jolie and Ricky, Erin and Peter....

Potty training is always individual and customized to your child's developmental needs and to your parenting style. Here are my Do's & Don'ts that can help avoid the struggles and some of the frustrations. Start with readiness. Understand the missing pieces of the potty-puzzle so you can support your child's learning. And then give your child the respect and freedom to do this her way, his way. You Got This! it's a Karen solo podcast but listen to Episode #14 for great stories with easy-to-potty and resistant-to-potty kids

Episode #40 Potty Training with Karen by Karen Deerwester

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) gives educators and parents a new way of teaching young learners, as does it's newer cousin STEAM which adds Art to the learning model). Raising children in a rapidly changing world means finding new ways to prepare children for a future different from today, and different from the one in which we grew up. Raising children to be successful, resourceful, resilient and happy in the year 2040 means raising deep critical thinkers who are collaborators and innovators. Listen to this podcast for a refreshing and exciting conversation with parent/educators who celebrate the essential tools and process underlying STEM curriculum, STEM activities, STEM toys and devices. Plugged and unplugged, the best early childhood learning is STEAM! at the table with Lori, Alexis and Linda

Here are three experienced and enthusiastic vacation-planning parents. They capture the true reality of family vacations from "am I crazy?" to "let's make this road trip longer". Listen to the some of the challenges and to the great organizing tips that will help you get to your final destination with most of your sanity intact. At the table with Dalia, Cat and Lane

Should children be held back an extra year before starting Kindergarten? In a world where Kindergarten is the new 2nd Grade, will the "gift of time" help children to grow physically, emotionally and cognitively to meet increased demands and stress? Listen in on a conversation with parents of Summer-birthday boys and teachers who have a perspective on both sides of this issue. At the table with Lindsey, Janie and Martina

Body Image Part 1, Episode #29, spoke mostly about boys and body image. This episode is a conversation with three moms of girls talking about the unspoken messages and the sometimes less-than-thoughtful comments about bodies, physical ideals, health, self-esteem and individuality. The goal is to raise children who will be resilient in the face of cultural judgments and misguided ideals. At the table with Nicole, Jody and Bea.

Grandparenting is an entirely new relationship. In some ways, you are different people than you were as parents - different expectations, different commitments, different perspectives. And, in some ways, you are still very much the same person - finding all the best ways to be supportive without being intrusive, respectful without overstepping boundaries, wanting the best for your grown children. These grandparents redefine agelessness. They are as wise as ever and yet younger than ever. Listen as they share "what life is all about"! At the table with Maddie, Nancy and Fred

Here's a short few minutes just with Karen as Karen reflects on how to be a See Me Hear Me Love Me parent. Three suggestions to hit the pause button and see-hear-feel your child's reality in the moment. And, create the space to honor and create what works specifically for you and for your child. Be on the same side with your child. Connect the dots - teaching and waiting for learning to catch up. Believe that what you know is enough for today. You GOT this and you are not alone!

Early Childhood Teachers are magical people! They create a new world in their classrooms - a place of joy and wonder, shared living, friendships and trust, deep feelings, growing together and individually throughout a year filled with thousands of experiences and meaningful moments. All parents will feel enormous gratitude and respect to know...the hearts of teachers! At the table with Layne, Jami and Randi

The "new" dads are the diaper changers and co-decision makers. They are defining for themselves how dads look, act, speak, and sometimes struggle with being a parent. New research confirms that "dads and moms now share the emotional and the financial burden of raising children, the physical protection and the social encouragement." And PEW Research reports dads' guilt levels can be higher than working moms. If dads begin to measure themselves against the impossible standards that moms feel, if the "new dad" is a be-it-all ideal of perfection and day-to-day reality is not-enough, everyone loses. Let's get this right while we still can support dads in this newly defined role! At the table with Bryan, Richard and Lynn

Kid-sized philanthropy can start long before children understand the meaning of their actions - first birthday party projects, joining parents in community projects, immersion in a diverse world. Becoming helpers begins by noticing where there are needs and problems to solve. Start with what matters to your child or your family. Listen to 5 year old Lila in this episode who wants everyone to know that helping others to feel better, makes her happy too! at the table with Amy, Joanna and Lila

Hello parents of one and only one child. Do you have to defend not wanting another? Do you feel guilty at not giving your child a sibling? Do you worry about your child feeling lonely or, dare I ask, spoiled because they only have YOU? The myth of the spoiled child is only true if parents and child believe that's the only way. Parents have a choice, the choice to be aware and intentional. And, as you will hear in this episode, parents who communicate openly are there to support one another and help a child grow in all kinds of situations. At the table with Jana, Nicole and Marc