Summary: Kelli McCarty is a Marriage and Family Therapist and has worked as a School Counselor in both the San Francisco/Bay area and in Houston. Her experience includes working in a Waldorf school, Charter Schools, public schools and a top private college prep school. In addition to schools, Kelli also has experience in play therapy, individual and family therapy, and teaching social emotional curriculum.<br> <br> Kelli has worked in schools and the mental health field for over ten years and has recently launched her new business, Toys with Intent; a site dedicated to providing social and emotional toys, products, and resources to children and teens. Her mission is to help parents raise children to be emotionally intelligent and to also help parents be intentional regarding the toys and products they bring in to their homes.<br> <br> Kelli lives in Southern California with her husband and two children and you can find her on Facebook and Instagram.<br> <br> This Post Contains Affiliate Links<br> From This Episode:<br> <br> In December, I created a page for finding non-toy gift ideas, to reduce clutter, and also create a more intentional list of ideas for gifts. I love what Kelli is doing with Toys With Intent to help families find resources that are actually useful for our children's play time! The gifts we give, the toys we bring into our home are more than just stuff or clutter. If they aren't explicitly for the purpose of helping our kids develop, they could actually be harmful to their development. Kelli and I talk about some things that may be harmful, and some things that are better for encouraging soft skills, like empathy and emotional intelligence for our kids. Her site has lists of toys, books, and games that teach specific skills.<br> <br> Family culture is about our norms and default behaviors. It can be so easy to just fall into patterns that leave us coasting without realizing what we are bringing into our homes. Before we get anything, it's important to pause and mindfully evaluate whether the things we consume actually serve our family and the values that we hold. Seek trusted advice to make sure that what you are getting is appropriate and useful. Keep in mind that, like being intentional about our family culture, being intentional about our gifts and toys may seem somewhat counter-cultural and sometimes hard to understand. Kelli's site is a great resource to help our families and friends understand what we want to accomplish when we tell them that we don't want gifts, and activities in our home that do not serve our family.<br> <br> <br> <br> Connect with Kelli:<br> <br> www.toyswithintent.com<br> <br> Facebook<br> <br> Instagram<br> <br> Recommended Books:<br> <br> Listen to your favorite books on Audible, click on the banner below to sign up!<br> <br> <br> <br> #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */<br> <br> <br> Subscribe to our mailing list<br> * indicates required<br> First Name <br> <br> Email Address *<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);<br> <br> Book your next cruise now! Great for couple and family retreats!<br> 7 Night Caribbean Cruises from $403 on Royal Caribbean, only at cruisedirect.com! Kids Sail Free, Plus Exclusive- Up to $1,000 to Spend Onboard! <br> <br> <br> <br> Start your own blog. Sign up for web hosting at Sitground. <br> <br> <br> <br>
