Every Parent Podcast: Recent Episodes
Niels Teunis
This podcast explains the brain science of connection, what it tells us about parenting, why connection helps your child thrive. We give practical advice you can use in the most difficult moments of parenting, and help you find ways to make the day to day with your children more delightful. Topics include, the dance of connection, play, connection based parenting, gestures of connection, hard feelings, and parent leadership.
(http://www.everyparent.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Gray-Free_To_rev1-204x300-204x300.jpg)In this episode I review the Book Free to Learn, by Peter Gray. I highlight three elements of play:
- Play is trivial. It has no goal.
- Play improves children’s mental health, makes them happier, makes the smarter, more creative and stimulated tremendous problem solving capacity.
- Play is all about freedom. If you cannot bow out at any given time, you are not playing. The ability to say “no” is the ultimate measure of freedom. Without freedom, no play.
Summer Camps? Parent Connect East Bay (http://parentconnecteastbay.com).
The book is entitled: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Your Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. New York, Basic Books. 2013.
Music
Bensound (http://www.bensound.com)
Johnny_ripper (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper/soundtrack_for_a_film_that_doesnt_exist/johnny_ripper_-_soundtrack_for_a_film_that_doesnt_exist_-_13_Lille_1970)
I interviewed Natalia Bernal. She and I had a great time talking about her profession, teaching, about her parenting and about the charter school she is creating with a team of moms. This school will make relationships the central feature of everything they do. The school should open in 2016 and I can't wait to see what's going to happen. Links
- Parent Connect East Bay (http://parentconnecteastbay.com)
- Yogando (http://parentconnecteastbay.com/yogando)
Music
- Bensound (http://bensound.com)
- Podington Bear (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/)
- Johnny Ripper (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper/)
I turned 50 last week. Always a great time for reflection. In this podcast I celebrate my birthday and talk about love, living by your values as a parent, step-parenting, my father and the love of my life, Angela. I wanted to create this as a document for being in a remarkable space. I am happy and wanted to share that. Music
- Bensound (http://www.bensound.com)
- Podington Bear (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/)
Healthy limit setting, consequences and threats
In this episode, we address a question that was asked at An Honest Mom's blog (https://anhonestmom.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/giveaway-parenting-advice-you-actually-want/). We address healthy limit setting, why children want to be cooperative, what the difference is between healthy limits and consequences or threats, and why parents can do with a lot more compassion for themselves.
Angela also answered another question in writing on the blog: How to survive mornings with your kids! (https://anhonestmom.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/giveaway-winner-how-to-survive-mornings-with-your-kids/)
You can read about our signature class The Art & Science of Connection on our website (http://parentconnecteastbay.com).
Music:
- Bensound (http://www.bensound.com)
- Johnny_ripper (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/johnny_ripper/soundtrack_for_a_film_that_doesnt_exist/johnny_ripper_-_soundtrack_for_a_film_that_doesnt_exist_-_13_Lille_1970)
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk
From the Treehouse Studio in Berkeley California, this is the Every Parent Podcast, where we believe that every parent deserves to be fully and deeply...
Robin uses wrestling to connect with his son.
That lecture where I first met Stephanie? Robin was there as well. He too came to the class and tried out the connection based approached that he learned. He had heard about Angela before and came this time, because he was facing challenges with his son. From the Treehouse studio in Berkeley, California, This is the Every Parent Podcast and I am Niels Teunis. Let’s join Robin as he explains what brought him to the class. Music:
- Bensound
- Johnny Ripper • Audrey
- Podington Bear • Wren
- Lee Rosevere>Lee Rosevere • Alleluia
Why are we giving our course content away.
From the Treehouse Studio in Berkeley California, this is the Every Parent Podcast, where we believe that every parent deserves to be fully and deeply supported. This podcast will provide you with information, ideas, tools and tips to help you connect more deeply to your child so that your child can thrive. Today Angela and I are talking about our parenting course The Art and Science of Connection and why we are going to provide all the content of that course on this podcast for free. Topics to come in this podcast:
- Why focus on connection
- What happens when kids get disconnected
- The dance of connection: the move from connection to disconnection to reconnection
- Big feelings
- Parents' big feelings in response to their kids' feelings
- Leadership
- Gestures of connection: The little ways of being with our children in the every day that keep their sense of connection full.
- Playing with children
- The value of play for children
- Why playing with our own kids is hard
- How to make this information practical in the reality of your life as a parent
- Why you don't need to get it perfect all the time
Music: Bensound.
I was able to see my son as a good person again.
It is one of the great benefits to coming to our classes. You not only get the wisdom from Angela, but you also hear direct examples from other parents. In these classes, parents share with each other the specific ways in which they apply what they learn in their families. Besides the direct listening support you receive, it is one of the great benefits of attending the class in person. In this story you can hear one of our former students, Stephanie, explain why she came to our parenting class, what she learned and then, how her parenting changed. Stephanie is the author of the very successful blog An Honest Mom: From the hip on mindfulness, parenting, feminism and homesteading. It is a must read blog for us. I remember the first time I met Stephanie. She attended an introduction about connection based parenting that Angela gave at a pre-school and she listened, with about 8 others in the room. At one point she exclaimed that what Angela was proposing was not going to work for her, because her son would hit her hard. Angela had just suggested that parents can come in close to their children and listen to them when their kids throw a tantrum. It was a novel idea for some in the room. Angela suggested that Stephanie could still listen to her son even from the other side of a closed door, if that is what she needed to keep herself safe. Stephanie took that in. I think she was surprised that Angela even had an answer for her and decided in that moment to give this new connection based approach a try. From the Treehouse studio in Berkeley, California, This is the Every Parent Podcast and I am Niels Teunis. Let’s continue as Stephanie tells the story about seeing her son as a good kid again. ===== Music by: Bensound http://bensound.com Channel 7 Preservation Sweet and Clean Halflight Lazy River Wren
Why do toddlers bite and what can you do about it
Biting is a sign of stress It doesn’t mean anything about your child’s character Ask yourself:
- What kind of things have happened when the child bites?
- What time of the day is this typically happening?
- Are there certain days of the week when it tends to happen
- Are there certain activities when it tends to happen
- These give clues about what is feeling stressful to the child
- The afternoon is a stressful time for a toddler who has been away from her parents for six or seven hours
- Sometimes having another child in the child’s space creates stress
Boost the amount of attention and connection your child receives by
- Special Time
- Floortime
When you give your child wonderful, fun, playful attention, they will start to show the difficult feelings. A slight little bump, usually nothing to be concerned about, can become a pre-text for a big hearty cry. Or you set a limit, and the feelings will come up. You will stay close in, trusting that your child will know exactly what to do. And your job is to keep your warm attention shining on your child. Use your body to keep your child safe and yourself safe. Resources:
- Hand in Hand Parenting
- Stanley Greenspan and Floortime
- The Art & Science of Connection
Music by Bensound.