Mom Enough: A Parenting Podcast

Admit it, moms and dads. Sometimes the exhaustion and stress of parenthood really zap the romance out of your relationship. But a strong, zesty marriage is good for you and good for your kids. And there are steps you can take to revitalize your relationship at any stage. Dr. Bill Doherty is a University of...

Dr. Jim Moore has been a pediatrician for many years, usually treating children with developmental delays or serious illness. In fact, he was Erin’s pediatrician when she was a child, working with her and her mom to manage her severe asthma. In this quiet, thoughtful discussion with Marti & Erin, Dr. Moore reflects on his...

Experiences in the early months and years of life shape a child’s health, learning and development forever. In order to thrive, children don’t need anything fancy – just basic experiences of predictable love and care, parents who talk, sing and read to them, opportunities to explore in a safe, supportive environment. But for too many...

Too often people think of “education” as something that begins when children enter kindergarten. Yet a wealth of research shows that a child’s success in school and life (in fact, the very architecture of a child’s brain) is shaped in powerful ways by experiences in the earliest months of life. Furthermore, economic research demonstrates that...

Many adults bemoan the extent to which electronic communication has replaced face-to-face interactions for kids today. But what would children say about the impact of technology on their relationships, including their relationships with parents? Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist and instructor at Harvard Medical School, interviewed 1000 children (ages 4 – 18), 500 parents...

Many children of all ages experience school-related anxiety, whether stressing out about academic performance, fearing bullies on the bus or feeling overwhelmed by separation anxiety when it’s time to leave home. This week’s Mom Enough guest, clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan Hart, has worked with many children and families who are struggling with these problems. And...

Something about turning the calendar to a new year prompts many of us to save more money, lose weight or break some nasty habit. But studies show that we often set ourselves up for failure with our New Year’s resolutions. So how can we set attainable goals? How can we engage our children in the...

As parents, we all have had those moments of thinking, “I can’t believe I just did that!” The parenting we experienced in childhood has a way of sneaking up on us, for better or worse, in interactions with our children. But there is power in remembering and becoming more aware of how our bodies and...

Becoming a step family is a huge transition for everyone involved. What are the common emotional issues for children when a parent marries and how can all the adults pull together to help children adapt in a healthy way? What is the appropriate role for a step parent when it comes to discipline? How do...

It’s hard to imagine a three-year-old, let alone a baby, having mental health problems. But this week’s guest, Catherine Wright, knows it happens. She also knows how to recognize such problems in very young children, where families can get help and what kinds of help are most effective. Tune into this important and informative Mom...

Many of us have been there — a sleepy child stumbling into our bedroom saying, “Mommy, I wet my bed,” loading wet sheets into the washer and wondering if this will ever end! This week’s Mom Enough guest, Renee Mercer, knows the situation well, both as a nurse practitioner specializing in the treatment of bedwetting...

We’ve all heard “mean girl” stories and many of us probably have lived them. But the social rejection and humiliation kids inflict on each other is not unique to girls; in fact, this week’s Mom Enough guest cites evidence that relational aggression is equally common among boys and girls. Whatever the gender of the children...

Modern science has led to the development of vaccines that have eliminated many of the diseases that used to cut children’s lives short or leave them with lifelong disabilities. Mom Enough host Marti remembers well the friends and neighbors who were stricken in the polio epidemic in the early 1950s and the enormous relief when...

No doubt you have heard a lot about why the attachment between you and your child is so important to your child’s lifelong development. But you also may have received mixed messages about what you need to do to build the kind of attachment that will put your child on the path to lifelong healthy...

At times we all find ourselves parenting in a way that is easiest in the moment – doing things our kids should do themselves, letting bad behavior slide or falling for the “everybody’s doing it” line. But if expedience becomes the pattern, we will undermine our own best intentions and our children’s optimal development. This...