I believe in life that you get out what you put into anything you do, including parenting. My Dad and I started this podcast because we've been having conversations about overcoming life challenges and problems for 20+ years. Now that I have a toddler, our conversations have naturally shifted to focus on parenting challenges.

What is mindful parenting? Thinking about situations ahead of time and having a plan instead of reacting in the moment. When you have had a discussion in advance and know how you'd ideally like to approach a challenge, then you're more likely to have the outcome you want. Instead of reacting to a situation, it's acting. It won't always go according to plan, which is why it's important to be flexible. We see mindful parenting as adding more tools to your tool belt.

Our behavior as parents falls into one of three foundational categories:

• Loving them
• Helping them learn
• Protecting them

Parenting is not black and white - it is all of the gray area. Having these conversations ahead of time helps to make the best decision in the moment as possible. It's also reflecting because things do not go according to plan. Being open to making changes is being mindful, too.

We call this the "Generational Wisdom Podcast" because parenting can build and improve with each generation. Not everything parents do will be successful. Each generation takes what makes sense with what their parents did, and makes improvements for their own approaches.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• If you're in a power struggle, you've already lost.
• It's not just about building your own tool belt, it's about giving your child tools so they can learn how to get what they want without throwing a fit.
• Try asking yourself, "What is her/his unmet need?" to better understand the situation and find a solution when your child is acting out.