Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw: Recent Episodes

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Lifetime educator, Dr. Mindy Shaw, maintained a philosophy in her classroom of 4 to 8 year olds to "teach humanity daily" in addition to the more traditional skill sets of reading, writing and math. Now, in an era of remote and hybrid learning, the notion of teaching humanity is somewhat threatened. She has created a series of e-books and paperbacks so that parents can have the tools they need for also teaching social and emotional skills, and in this series, Dr. Shaw discusses what it means to teach humanity both in general and in an era of learning via computer.

In this brief but valuable episode, Dr. Shaw makes reference to one of the four principles explored in one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements, and that principle is to not take things personally. Here, Dr. Shaw tells a tale that came from her own recent real life experience, and she shares the revelations that came to her from that experience. The life lessons and learning lessons that were built into that experience gave her some new perspective that she shares in this podcast.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw's commentary relates to a recent hospital stay that her disabled son went through. She perceptively discusses how the quality of workers and service personnel is divided into three groups... the small percentage who are terrible at what they do, the vast majority who are great, and a tiny minority who are extremely special. That handful of special people are the North Stars of the experience, and what makes them special is that they truly partner with the patient and their families. They have no arrogance or condescension about what they do; they do what they do out of service. In the hospital specifically, those who work from a place of ego won't be good partners, and those who don't will appreciate and nurture the partnership that exists between someone needing to heal and their skill set.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses what it means to be "in right action." She begins with the premise that right action leads to right results and that wrong action cannot possibly lead to right results. She then takes the conversation into illustrative examples from her career as an educator. She acknowledges and promotes the understanding that some actions are a match with others and some are not, and she emphasizes that if something is not a match, it's not a big issue. She concludes by saying that she is always working at being her best, and if she's not a some point, she simply forgives herself and moves on.

In this brief episode Dr. Shaw shares a phrase that came to her and it's the title of this podcast, "Care Before Crisis" Intervention. It's word intervention that's the key to that phrase... we are accustomed to crisis intervention, but care intervention would be a whole new novel approach. To treat someone or yourself with care BEFORE a situation reaches crisis is a good samaritan way to show up to yourself and others. Yes, there are hard times, but we can de-escalate things before there's a crisis by caring.

In this super-brief installment of the series, Dr. Shaw puts forth one of her favorite recommendations for success in life... she says, "don't give up, show up." She rounds out that advice with some additional detail and some added perspective on what that means, but in essence this podcast has a simple and direct message.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw puts forth the notion that how you treat yourself is mirrored in how we treat others AND how the world treats us as well. She shares some real life examples and some of her personal experiences, and she points out that sometimes it's counterintuitive to behave in the manner that serves us best. She also reminds us that observing yourself is incredibly valuable in helping to establish how you want to be and how you want your life to unfold.

In this brief but very thoughtful episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of having or being given grace and how that may differ from being enabled. This concept began with a question posed by a fellow faculty member who works with Dr. Shaw, and the examination and discussion goes from there. For Dr. Shaw, the notion of grace is a more divine and helpful energy while being an enabler isn't usually good for anyone involved. She also points to the difference between enabling and being supportive.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw re-visits a favorite theme of hers which is that we should all learn to not take things personally, particularly when someone is wishing you ill will. That can be a challenging for any adult, but it is especially difficult when presented as a situation to a child. Dr. Shaw shares a recent personal experience in which she faced someone generating ill will, but she felt that her own maturity and experience kept her from confronting and exacerbating the situation. She then shares strategies for aiding a child who is facing ill will through jealously or really any other emotional scenario that a child might be dealing with. Help your child understand that sometimes we can't control it when someone else has a negative feeling about us, but you should simply take responsibility for your own actions and change what you CAN change which is how you show up to face the situation.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw shares one of her key philosophies for parenting, and that is that we need to model our own life lessons and life experiences for our children. As we go through life, many of the same issues and challenges come up for us no matter what our age or station in life, and if a child can see that their parent and role model might be suffering or struggling with an issue it will help them to understand, relate and then get through their own similar issues.

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Shaw relates a very recent experience of a form of prejudice that she encountered when she returned to working as a teacher after several years of retirement. She was greeted in a relatively unfriendly way by some of her fellow teachers, but as you listen to the study unfold, you can understand why her philosophy of not taking things personally is so important, and in fact it was in this situation. Others may have belief systems and those belief systems are deeply entrenched and very difficult to alter. In fact it may not be our task in life to alter the beliefs of others, but what we do have to learn, and we should share with our children, is that some beliefs and apparent prejudices are not personal affronts.... they are based on a circumstance, and as a result, they are not to be taken personally. Yes, it would be nice if others had their eyes or their hearts open wider and made room for variations of belief, but if that's not the case, just observe and move on.

In this brief but inspiring episode, Dr. Shaw reminds us to avoid negativity in our lives and let the good stuff in. She points out that we have the choice to decide the direction and feeling of our daily life, and she even uses a simple example to show how something that could be perceived as not-so-great can be just wonderful IF we allow that perception to happen. And she also reminds us that this is not just a lesson for adults, but that children will benefit from having a positive outlook on things as well, and that could be an important and powerful tool for them as they grow and go through life.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw addresses what to do when you are stuck in an emotional loop, especially a negative one. This discussion was in part inspired by her 10-year-old granddaughter who, when reflecting on being in a state of agitation and exhibiting a bit of a tantrum, said that she felt like when she was in that state she wanted to stay there for a little while. Dr. Shaw theorizes that that state of being in that loop can be comfortable and comforting. She also says there are choices to be made when stuck in that state... one can re-calibrate, or one can feel the feelings as they make their way through it. She reminds us that the first phase of any transition is seeing and observing what is going on. Then be gentle with yourself and try to use your energy in a more productive way. We may think it's helpful to be in that state, but ultimately it may be harming us.

In this brief but impactful episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the subject of what to do when someone disappoints you. She is not referring to someone who falls short results-wise perhaps at work or while playing a sport... she's talking about when you are in close contact with someone who may not be the kind of person you want to have in your life. These are people who might be unkind or manipulative or gossipy, and they can be challenging when you choose to life your own with integrity. She discusses how to treat that person with respect, but to also be observant and to keep your distance. The fact is that a person who challenges us in this way also provides learning lessons for us. You must remember to know your own aim, to avoid negative behavior and to have someone you trust to be your buddy when you might be in a hostile environment. Be engaged without lowering yourself, and of course, be present.

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In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw presents one of her most common themes in her own study of human behavior, and that premise is that behavior equals need. When you see certain behaviors from people, and in her educational experience that means children, those behaviors stem from a need that is unfulfilled. She discuss how a child that is throwing a tantrum is learning the exact wrong lesson if that tantrum is silenced or satisfied by giving the child what they want in that moment. At the same time, no two people or two children are the same or come from the same experience, so there can be differentiation between how you respond to a child expressing a need via misbehaving. If behavior equals need ... Dr. Shaw says "let's own it and get our needs fulfilled so we can behave appropriately."

In this brief but powerful episode, Dr. Shaw begins (and ends) by urging the listener to take responsibility for the choices that we make in our lives. Sometimes it will take someone else to open our eyes to a bad situation... sometimes, and hopefully more often, we can see the road map that we've laid out for ourselves and take control of where we are in life. When it's someone else guiding us, it might be because we have a blind spot about a certain person or situation. Her advice is to pay attention to that other pair of eyes. The other option is to observe ourselves over and over and over because our awareness and the learning gained from observation can steer us to the best possible choice. Your choices are up to you... your children's choices are up to them... sometimes it may not feel that way, but that's the reality. Be motived to make the right choices.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the concept of how we label ourselves and how it impacts our life. A "label" could be that you say you have anxiety or that you're phobic about something or any number of things. When we label ourselves we can often limit our options and limit our growth in life. Dr. Shaw talks here using illustrative examples and she discusses how to move past the limits that our own self-labels might create for ourselves.

In this brief but fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw connects the dots between the way we all suffer as human beings and the way that we all have preferences. Some of our preferences get satisfied and others don't, and when we suffer disappointment we suffer in life. Her suggestion here, using some illustrative examples, is to be more neutral about our preferences... not to the point of living a boring life, but in a way that neutralizes our suffering. It's a lesson for adults and for our children, and it will take some practice, but it's an approach that can truly eliminate much of our emotional pain.

In this meaningful episode, Dr. Shaw walks us through the importance of not just showing up, but HOW we show up... and more importantly, it's important we we remain open and not be reactionary to what's said to us. We all have the tendency to defend our actions or defend our position in interpersonal relationships. But perception is reality, and what someone feels is all that matters. We must respond to circumstances in a way that correctly matches the understanding of others, and checking for understanding is an important principle in getting that done. It's all about knowing your audience, noting and marking the common reality of the situation and paying attention to that which allows us to learn and evolve.

In this very personal episode, Dr. Shaw shares one of the topics that is very important to her in manifesting her own personal growth, and that topic is the process involved in breaking away from old habits and developing a new "muscle" in order to evolve. She describes the process as it works for her, and that process begins with self-observation. In observing ourselves, we see how we are and we can in turn compare that to how we want to be. That re-set in our mind is so valuable in creating the path to betterment. Then, in the course of this podcast, Dr. Shaw outlines the road map for personal transformation.... it begins with intention, focuses on attention, and then we can recalibrate if our old patterns that we observe and that we hold onto don't serve us any longer.

In this brief but very powerful episode, Dr. Shaw coaches us on how to have confidence and also that by being confident, we can manifest our best life. She begins by acknowledging that confidence is not about having swagger, nor is it about one-upmanship... it's about having a strong belief in oneself. By valuing yourself, the world will meet you as someone of value. She shares some of her own goals, and by doing so Dr. Shaw illustrates how meeting your goals gives you self-worth which in turn improves your station in life. We all have an old belief system in which we don't believe in ourselves, but when we see that, we simply need to recalibrate and move ahead. And again, having confidence does not mean that you need to outshine others.... in fact by shining light on others even more light reflects back on us.

In this fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw put forth the notion that SINCERITY leads to greater fulfillment. On the surface that may seem like a leap, but as she discusses and illustrates how it works, and it comes together as a smart, interesting and very true theory. She begins by talking about the power of the word, and specifically, she talks about words of affirmation. For example, if words of affirmation are offered without sincerity, they won't have the power. The same thing goes for actions in addition to words... actions that should be sincere but are not will not be as fulfilling as actions offered and received with sincerity. As with all of Dr. Shaw's teaching and podcasts, listen and ponder, and watch the puzzle pieces of life fit together.

This episode in this series presents a highly personal point of view while at the same time is completely a "must-listen" for teachers and educators. Here, Dr. Shaw discusses her recent return to classroom teaching, and in doing so she dissects her motivations, her own insecurities and her strategies for success. She talks about her self-examination and her implementation of intention. She points out that we need to recalibrate when we see ourselves going in the wrong direction and that we should demonstrate to our children what those actions look like. She discusses her own challenges, perspectives and resiliency in a way that can provide a roadmap for all of us on how to live a better professional life.

Once again, Dr. Shaw takes us on a journey through the power of positive thinking. Early in the this episode she states that "We are what we think about," and she follows that up with the philosophy that she is trying to treat people as they ought to be and not as they are. That attitude allows us to see everyone we encounter in the most positive light, and by doing that, we also create self-respect. It's a philosophy that can extend easily to our children but it is also applicable in any adult's life. One key habit to break is focusing on the negative... by marking and noting and celebration the good things that come along, no matter how small they may seem, that attention paid to the good stuff will only bring more good stuff.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw explores her philosophy that we should all live the life that we love, and that we should teach our children to do the same. It starts by identifying what you love. Dr. Shaw is a contributor right now at a Montessori School and she shares some of the wonderful experiences she is having there. She also mentions her children's book called "Time Out is Time In" which postulates that when a child is getting a time out they are really give the opportunity to reflect and to check in on themselves. Learning how to navigate the world is an important ingredient to learning what you love. Dr. Shaw talks about having quality relationships, and the bottom line for this topic is that the first quality relationship we need to have is with ourselves.

In this ultra helpful episode, Dr. Shaw shares the eight (8) key principles that guide her life, and she shares these in order to provide help and guidance to anyone who hears these. So many of us are looking for answers and trying to figure out what we are doing incorrectly in our lives. As Dr. Shaw says, in some ways her list of principles are obvious and common sense, but by listing them out and offering a bit of explanation for each, she really does provide a remarkable roadmap for a fulfilling life.

In this brief but timely episode, Dr. Shaw takes advantage of the turning of the page of the calendar year in order to put forth a key tenet of her philosophy.... and that is that we should treat others as they ought to be, not as they are. That practice of treating others as they ought to be puts the focus on helping and improving, and there is no better quality to a relationship than to be capable of lifting each other up. Also, the gift is remembering in the moment what that intention looks like. Wishing a Happy and Healthy and Fulfilled New Year (2026) to you and yours!

In this fascinating and reflective episode, Dr. Shaw dives into the aspect of human nature by which we DON'T learn from our own mistakes. We are often presented with an answer or an opportunity or a gift of sorts, and we reject it because we either don't recognize it or because we are so caught up in our own baggage. Here, she relays an example via a story from the life of a friend of hers, and with that situation as a launching point, Dr. Shaw dives into an examination of how we need to do our own self-examination and how if our eyes and ears and spirits are open, we should be better at recognizing our own invitations. Then, when we as adults know how to do that, we can set examples for our children and teach them how to do it as well.

In this very brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw offers advice on how to disarm a situation in which your child, or even an adult, is suddenly facing anxiety. It's quite common, and her guidance is spot on. Essentially she says to validate the person's feelings who is experiencing anxiety, and then support them. There is also a quick discussion on strategies to implement in this situation, but truly, the "validate and support" model is the answer offered here.

In this brief but very helpful episode, Dr. Shaw gives us some solid guidance on dealing with the ups and downs of our emotions and feelings. She begins by acknowledging that we all have ever-changing feelings based on the news that we receive or the experiences that we have. That conversation then leads into her discussion about responding to children who are not in a good state of mind based on either simple disappointment or worse, when they are having a tantrum. She offers great perspective and guidance regarding setting boundaries for our children based on their behavior and their personalities and she also incorporates and shares strategies for parents and teachers who need to handle those kinds of emotional fluctuations and possibly exercise some discipline.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw shares an illustrative example of how she and a friend separately and for different reasons changed their personal stories about certain situations and that change of story change the outcome of the situation. She begins by relating some perspective on her podcast series and what each week's audio is about, and then the discussion evolves into some real world examples of how adult behavior can be altered by altering our perception about a situation. She also shares how some of these seemingly adult topics can have a bearing on how and what we teach our children. In simple terms, Dr. Shaw believes that if you hold a vision that you are not deserving of the best that life has to offer, you will manifest that result... so change your story and change your life!

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues her look at the way in which we teach and use certain words with our children, but this time around the focus is primarily on the difference between "trying" and "doing." Dr. Shaw explains her misgivings about the use of the word "trying" and she provides a number of illustrative examples of why that word can be not just confusing but damaging to a child's own expectations.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to examine the ways in which we trap ourselves into a layer of negativity because the feeling we may be having is labeled as negative. She examines words like "disappointment" or "melancholy" and explains that while we all have feelings that come from negatively stimuli, we need to transform ourselves out of that negativity through self-examination and the motivation to do better. She also points out that this kind of training begins between parents and their children. The way we react to a child who is sad can either keep them in their negative space or move them forward with a healthy attitude about whatever had made them sad. Just like with making a mistake, the negative moment is an invitation to learn as it presents the opportunity to see and transform your feelings.

In this week's episode, Dr. Shaw picks up where she left off in the last episode by continuing to discuss how to release the negativity in many of our interactions. Specifically, she looks at how we use certain words and hold their definitions as inherently negative... words like punishment or mistake or disappointment. She also discusses how when we praise someone, particularly our children, and our praise is insincere, what are we teaching our children and ourselves? She uses some concrete examples of how this works and what better strategies might be, including being sincere and going one step further by being specific. And regarding the negative words, Dr. Shaw questions why we have such trouble agreeing to disagree and not putting blame on anyone since "blame" carries its own negative thread as a word. Then, with the word "disappointment" in the forefront, she explains how to turn a situation where your child is disappointed. She recommends honoring the disappointment and then putting your energy into positive movement away from the negative.

In this brief but direct episode, Dr. Shaw reiterates one of her favorite themes and that is to not be the cause of your own suffering. Often when we are disappointed, we accept the outcome. Instead, she recommends that when you encounter a response to something that runs counter to the result you want, look at the situation as an invitation to let go of your attachments and explore another avenue. That exploration can be exciting and inspiring, and is far better than the negativity of disappointment.

In this episode Dr. Shaw takes a look at our lives that are filled with excuses, and those excuses are born out of our preferences. She admits that she is always assigning meaning to things, and she wonders aloud what life would be like without our preferences. She uses a friend and her daughter as an illustrative example... the friend's daughter says she has a condition that makes her behave in a certain way, and that may very well be, but having a condition doesn't (or shouldn't) permit someone to be disrespectful or act in another anti-social way. Yes, people might have a disability or labeled conditions... Dr. Shaw likes to call that being "differently abled"... but that different ability doesn't prevent someone from being successful in the world. There is a different between learned behavior and behavior guided by a condition. To have our children grow up to be respectful, that has to be taught, and if we have a condition, we have to learn how to navigate the world and have the self worth to do so. Don't allow your "label" dictate how you are in the world, especially if that label is not in your best interest.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw begins by describing a scenario in which a teen or an adolescent is being provocative and looking to bait you into a fight. When you are baited in this manner, the way you stop yourself from over-reacting or reacting too quickly, she recommends that you pause and ask yourself, "Does this serve me?" The answer is probably not because you don't want to answer confrontation with more confrontation. At the same time, never responding doesn't provide anyone with closure or a learning lesson. Dr. Shaw's recommendation is that, later, when there is a peaceful moment, you reflect and discuss what happened earlier. If you change the way you respond to someone in a situation like this, there needs to be a time when it's discussed, and NOT in the moment of provocation. We need to stop our habitual responses when they don't serve us anymore.

In this personal episode, Dr. Shaw shares the tale of a recent family vacation that taught here a lesson or two. One of the key things learned from this experience was that a family dynamic is infinitely better when everyone is on board so to speak. If someone doesn't want to be there or doesn't pull their weight whatever that happens to be, it upsets the entire dynamic and forces others to do an unfair share. During Dr. Shaw's family vacation, she witnessed a perfect sharing of responsibilities and a shared desire to make the most of the experience. While it was a winning personal moment for her, the story and the lessons can be useful to all.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw explores what it really means to ask for what we want in life. She begins with some clear and simple examples of what it's like to ask for what we need, and more importantly, she points out that we need to be prepared for the consequence of not getting what we ask for. She shares that personally, she didn't ask her family for anything growing up because she was too concerned that it would be hurtful to be rejected. We also manifest what we expect... if we don't have a high expectation for ourselves, we won't reach the heights that we might truly want. Also, with our children, we need to not only teach them to strive for what they want, but it's also important for them to know that even when you ask for something, you may not get it, and there is learning in that process. Asking, however, is the place the process must begin.

In this brief but fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw examines what happens when we experience fear in a social situation. She begins by sharing that when she personally feels the most amount of fear, that's when she needs to have the most control... and when she's not afraid she needs the least control. She feels that it's a natural tendency for all of us, and she shares some real life examples of how and why that occurs. She also discusses how we can monitor ourselves and stop and note our behavior and stop acting habitually.

In this somewhat pointed podcast, Dr. Shaw addresses the questions she's been receiving lately about allowing children an abundance or an over-abundance of "screen time." Our kids are on iPads and cell phones and computers and other gadgets, and precisely because they are provided these devices, they are taught by us rely on them... we must teach our children what we want them to learn.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a quick look at how it plays out when a relationship is perhaps coming to an end. She begins by sharing some advice that she had shared with friends of hers who were struggling in their relationship. She leans of personal experience in order to lay the ground work for recognizing that sometimes relationships simply have an expiration date, and when we force a relationship to last longer than it should, it does more damage than good. If we can assign and honor the best possible point of view of the relationship's history and de-tangle the relationship by taking the high road, that's a great way to transform the relationship into the future.

Dr. Shaw begins by outlining her motivation for creating this particular podcast, and that rationale is to examine how we are when we feel our feelings. It begins with the fact that we are taught from a very early age that we should have only happy feelings and that life is filled with happy endings. Dr. Shaw feels that it's wrong action to think that way, and that what we need to strive for is the realization that feelings come and go. She encourages a type of neutrality or objectivity about feelings. Yes, it can feel better to be happy, but we should also not feel sad or shameful or vulnerable when we have a so-called negative feeling.... those are real feelings. The goal she encourages for herself and for others is to have contentment in life. Sometimes we have bad or ordinary moments... sometimes we have wonderful peak experiences... it's ALL ok... it's just the human condition.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw examines the emotional rollercoaster that can occur when we respond negatively to a situation. Her world view incorporates the notion that nothing is simply one way... there are (at least) two sides to everything... and that it's important that we teach that approach to our children. Our children can often face disappointments, but they need to understand, even at a young age, that the negative situation shall pass. This is not to negate feeling a negative emotion, but the fact is that when, for example we get bad news, the immediate feeling of negativity actually discharges the energy of that negativity and that discharge allows us to move on with a more positive point of view.

In this very brief but energized episode, Dr. Shaw uses a personal story and experience to once again illustrate that our children are listening to us, even when we think they are not. Her story is a cute one revealing her passion for saving 5-dollar bills. As it happens, a youngster around age 7 heard her talk about her strong belief in saving 5's, and he is now doing the same thing. Why? Because our children do listen and respond to what they hear. If you are impatient and swearing in traffic and your children are in the car, they are hearing you. If you are gossiping or speaking negatively about someone and they are with you, they are picking up your bad habit of gossip and negativity. As Dr. Shaw ALWAYS says, be present and be aware.

In this very personal episode, Dr. Shaw examines what happens when we have a negative reaction. She shares a situation when she experienced a moment of internal panic. She points out that the moment passed quickly, and that occurred because she let the emotions flow. The negativity was discharged by simply letting it go. A major strategy that allowed the moment to pass was that she allowed herself to fully react without suppressing the feelings. Because the emotions were turned loose, they didn't linger and fester. When parenting, it's important to have our children's feelings be allowed to come out for the same reason. There are ways to have "the crazies" come out in a productive and not a destructive way. Another important strategy to get through a negative situation is self-observation because watching ourselves gives us the power to overcome the negativity.

In this important episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the feeling of FEAR and how it can impact our reactions and take us down a road that's not in our best interest. She begins with her own personal point of view by saying, "Everything that limits me comes from fear." People have all sorts of fears, and those fears only promote negativity. Dr. Shaw goes on to describe a fear-filled reaction and then suggests putting a strategy in place in order to get past it. She also uses a personal story as an illustrative example. She also explains how to demonstrate and pass this philosophy along to our children including lessons of how to be resilient and not give up too easily. It's all about observing ourselves and understanding our reactions, and also understanding when life presents a simple learning lesson and when it's something bigger than that.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw passionately examines the concept and the saying that TIMING IS EVERYTHING. She begins by pointing that this is a concept that might be difficult for children to wrap their heads around. She then continues by sharing examples of how sometimes adults express regret or a sense of missed opportunity when reviewing certain incidents in their lives. Meanwhile, the reality is that we all have to go through everything that we go through in order to arrive at where we are now. If you've reached the point where you are living your best life, you should have gratitude and not regret. Appreciate your learning lessons, and with our children, when they feel disappointment, explain to them that these moments serve a purpose.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw examines the ways in which we can create more stress than necessary with those who are the closest to us, especially when we live with someone. What happens is that rather than take a deep breath and let it pass when something stressful happens, we can often have a tendency to bring our own baggage to the relationship and elevate the stress of the situation in a way that really could have been avoided. The most important strategy is to simply not take any one moment too seriously. Yes, there are some people in our lives who are such quality people that time spent with them is automatically fulfilling... but the work is in exercising the muscle of restraint and not to over-react.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw re-visits one of her favorite topics and that is how to avoid being the cause of your own suffering. At first, one might think "how am I the cause of my own suffering?" but Dr. Shaw walks us through some clear and simple examples of how our own quick over-reactions can lead us down a path where we meet failure instead of success. It's really another sign that how we show up is what matters. The facts and events of our lives are what they are, but it's how we address what happens that makes all the difference. Later in the podcast, Dr. Shaw points to a parenting application for this same topic.

In this brief but insightful podcast, Dr. Shaw examines some simple ways to improve communication with others, especially others that have a different point of view. She offers clear advice to ways to communicate that avoid bullying or accusations. When we make each other wrong, that doesn't create peace, it creates a battle. When we have respect for other opinions than our own, that makes peace. We need to know when to speak, when to listen and when to agree to disagree.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw discusses how to be energy efficient when it comes to speaking with others. We are not going to speak the same with long-time close friends as we would with casual acquaintances. If you're observing a situation and knowing your audience, you will end up behaving and reacting the way the situation dictates... and that's not being insincere... it's just reality. Knowing when to stay silent, even when you have a lot to say, it's a practice of discernment. When teaching, Dr. Shaw always discouraged tattling as when a child tattles, they are focused on the negative and not the positive. If you are communicating with someone, you need to notice how receptive the other person is. If you are both open and receptive you will have an honest exchange. If you can't say what you want to say, it may just be not the right time to share it. You can agree to disagree... or you can remain open to learning from the other person. In turn, teaching your children how to navigate difficult moments in conversation would be very helpful in their growth and learning. If we can economize our words, we will be better communicators.

In this brief but fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw shares a checklist of things you can do to feel good about yourself on a daily basis. Her list includes:

Volunteer your time for a cause
Connect with nature
Compliment somebody
Express your creativity

.....and more.

Show yourself that you matter, and the rest shall follow.

Dr. Shaw often uses the expression, "We are what we pay attention to," and in this brief episode, Dr. Shaw cites examples of how that actually works. Whether you are trying to sell your home or keep calm in a challenging situation or whatever it is, the power of thought can truly sway or influence the outcome. As a result, it is important that we model for our children that it can be helpful to understand that our attention and our focus can help us to manifest the results we want. We should discuss and point out for our children that it's best to pay attention to the experiences that fulfill them rather than what defeats them

In this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw addresses the notion of teaching our children good citizenship. She notes that it is similar to good sportsmanship wherein knowing how to lose and to win graciously may be the most important part of playing a game. Teaching good citizenship can start with simple tasks like cleaning the environment, but it can also be demonstrated in so many ways... kindness being an example or showing honesty or respect. Especially now when bullying and (politically) authoritarianism seems to be on the rise, it's important to teach positive behavior socially. Additionally, teaching humanity should not be tied to a material reward. Rewards should be intrinsic, and that needs to be modeled for our children by parents and educators. Also, learning should be about the process and not a product.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the concept of self-doubt. She begins with a reference to one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements, and she talks about a featured notion of that book which is to be impeccable with your words. Her interpretation of that is to not go against yourself, because if you do, with your perception pf self-doubt you may have a self-fulfilling prophecy on your hands. She puts forth that the way to rectify self-doubt is to have self-compassion when having doubt and then practice not having doubt. You can practice not having low self-esteem by marking and noting those moments when you succeed in something. Doubt in and of itself isn't always negative... it can give you caution and help you avoid a dangerous situation. With our children, we are sharing our life lessons and being their mentors, and if we can put them on the best path by having them avoid self-doubt, their journey might just be smoother.

In this highly personal episode, Dr. Shaw reacts to a message that came to her from an acquaintance... the message was supposed to positive, but because the message was rooted in bad sportsmanship and over-zealous pride it triggered a reaction in Dr. Shaw that made her want to remind everyone of the inclusiveness that America was built upon. There are lessons for us all in what she shares here, including for parents raising children in today's divisive culture.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a quick look at the notion of SELF-LOVE. For starters, the development and maintenance of self-love begins with not being down on oneself. With our children, it's important to model our ability to navigate difficult waters. Self-love also promotes self-trust. Giving your child a good amount of responsibility demonstrates to them that you feel that they understand their natural boundaries and abilities. Real friendships also support our sense of well-being, and when we find ourselves with unfulfilling relations it undermines our feeling of self worth.

Inspired by the spring holiday season, particularly by the story told during the Passover holiday, Dr. Shaw lead us through her observations on the concept of freedom.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw succinctly sums up her three key ingredients for having a relationship that's based on emotional well-being. Her list is a simple one... (1) fill your emotional tank, even if you fill it yourself, (2) hold the space for your partner to be okay with having a bad day, and (3) table the conversation if it's clearly not a good time for it. That list sounds simple, and it is, but during this podcast Dr. Shaw illustrates and illuminates each of those three building blocks of a relationship with emotional well-being.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw explores that moment for all of us when we grasp a concept that we are learning, and the experience of learning kicks into gear. She refers to that as the moment the light bulb goes on over our heads, but she also points out that the crucial moment is what we do in the learning process before that moment of understanding kicks in. When we are trying to teach something new, we need to hold onto two concepts... what is the aim of the new skill we are teaching and are we creating confusion. As you are teaching a concept, you should check for understanding with you child. A child will often say they understand something when they don't, so check in with them and offer to explain whatever it is. It doesn't matter how old we are, 6 or 66, when we learn, that light bulb turns on.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw takes a close look at what it means to share your feelings honestly with your friends and with your associates. In any instance where we feel that telling the truth will create a negative consequence, we may have our rationale, but in reality, honesty is the best policy. The old saying that "the truth will set you free" is correct, but it is all based on your belief system. We must all learn to let go of any belief that doesn't serve us.

On this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw takes a moment to express her gratitude and share her desire to help people and continue to contribute to society. As she hits the 4 1/2 year mark in the life of her weekly podcasts, Dr. Shaw wanted to simply reflect on her desire to share her expertise each week and to thank those who have been so supportive of her podcast efforts. Her reflection here reminds us that having a positive impact on someone or opening their eyes to a new way of thinking, no matter what the size or scope of that impact, is always worthwhile.

In this brief but very valuable episode, Dr. Shaw shares some timeless wisdom regarding maintaining friendships as quality relationships. For a long time she has promoted the concept that friendships, relationships and partnerships are only truly succeeding if all parties involved are lifted up. No one needs nor should anyone tolerate a relationship where you are made to feel worse or smaller or less than someone else. She points to the trusting environment that she created year after year in her classroom as a successful learning environment BECAUSE there was trust and a feeling of safety. She also reminds us that exposing our children appropriately to the ups and downs of our own relationships will serve to teach them the right path in developing and maintaining their own friendships of worth and meaning.

It this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses when and how to designate responsibility to our children. She draws an important comparison between responsibility and respect because they both need to earned and they both need to be mutual. She also illustrates how responsibility must be a product of responsiveness, and what that really means. Here, Dr. Shaw also re-introduces the concept of modeling the kind of result(s) you want for your children, and you can sometimes accomplish that aspect by sharing a very personal story. She also encourages all parents and educators to share the tasks with young children, and she illustrates clearly in this podcast what that looks like.

This podcast was recorded on March 1, 2025, the day after the surreal meeting of the U.S. President and the President of Ukraine at the White House. Dr. Shaw has been a proponent of ethics and humanity for a long time... she has written 22 children's nonfiction books on social and emotional behavior... and she cannot digest the embarrassing bullying that took place at the White House on Feb. 28, 2025. Her comments on this podcast episode might be construed as political, but they are simply a visceral reaction by an educator who fought bullying and other bad behavior for her entire long career.

In this very valuable episode, Dr. Shaw dives into not only the importance of having quality relationships, but she also provides a road map for how to have and maintain them. She breaks it down into what she calls the "6 C's"... Communication, Conflict management, Caring for yourself and those around you, Connecting openly and deeply, Commitment and Courage. These essential ingredients to quality relationships are listed and discussed in no particular order, but Dr. Shaw does a great job of examining each of those items and offering illustrative examples of how they work in practice. This is all important because we want our children to have quality relationships at school and with their peers, and by maintaining quality relationships as parents, educators or mentors, we model the best behavior for them.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a close look at what it means to either live with self-doubt OR to cast doubt aside and live with an attitude of possibility. Dr. Shaw acknowledges that there are many things that we may not be able to master or ever to do well, but understanding our reasonable limitations is not the same as living in doubt. She puts forth that doubt (along with regret and guilt) is a creator of obstacles and that when we live in a space of doubt, we are causing our own suffering and not allowing ourselves to be open to success. Naturally, while this is a philosophy for adults to live by, it's also a pattern that we should model for our children so that they, too, are open to saying "I think I can."

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw examines the question that many of us ask ourselves which is... how do we get to the point where we feel that we are "enough"? Over-achievers clearly are motivated by being better all the time, and Dr. Shaw, who admits to being an over-achiever, points out that for her, her biggest competition is with herself. Often, doing your best is simply enough, and we need to learn how to celebrate doing our best. It is also okay to have down time, even when the need to contribute for a feeling of self-worth is pushing you forward. Self-love means working towards unconditional self-love. An important tenet to remember is to simply lead a balanced life.

In this advice-filled episode, Dr. Shaw veers into a territory that she usually does not address which is interacting with adolescents. This topic came in by request, and Dr. Shaw dove right in with a balanced and intelligent approach. She begins by acknowledging that adolescence is a challenging time, and she then runs through a number of key points in how to best address issues with that age group. She says to encourage open communication, and ideally, that's something you start earlier in life. She also says to promote healthy habits, to be a source of encouragement, to be honest, to encourage quality relationships outside of the immediate family, to teach problem-solving, to set goals that are attainable, to be patient and to model self-care. Of course she gives more detail and examples of what each of those supportive behaviors might look like making this an incredibly valuable podcast.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues responding to the feedback she received from parents regarding what they would like to see included in their children's education.... and today she addresses COMMITMENT and FOLLOW-THROUGH. Dr. Shaw describes what a commitment consists of and how to not avoid the task. The importance of commitment is that it keeps an individual on track. If you begin a commitment, you need to recognize the goal and the intention of that commitment and that it is important that children feel the accomplish of the commitment. Also, if there is an agreement to make a commitment it needs to be followed through. If not, there must be natural consequences.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues here mini-series focused on best practices for educating children per what parents want most for their children. Here she concentrates on the concept of grit and hard work, and she begins with a reminder that parents and educators must model exactly what we want our children to learn. Dr. Shaw also points out that confusion is important to avoid, and checking for understanding when we communicate with our children is very important. She interlaces the notion of commitment or follow-through while discussing hard work, and she gives great guidance on how to handle things when faced with a difficult challenge.

With this episode, Dr. Shaw continues her series within a series. During this edition, she is addressing the areas of education in which most parents have indicated to her that they are most interested in regard to their child's learning. This week her focus is on teaching kindness and compassion. One key to teaching kindness and compassion is by example. Parents often unconsciously display behavior that runs completely counter to what they want their children to be taught.... the lesson there for parents is to be careful. For teachers, the key is being intentional. We are always socializing our children to pay attention to things, so reinforce that their attention should be paid to the positive.

With this podcast, Dr. Shaw begins a brief series within her series during which she will present key components of what parents are telling her they want out of their children's education. The areas of interest for most parents of young children do vary, but Dr. Shaw has distilled the most common goals and topics into a handful of categories, and what she focuses on in this podcast is teaching children honesty and integrity. Parents want their children to be aware of their humanity, and she explains how in her classrooms the stage was always set for children to learn how to be honest and how deceit is a double-edged sword. One must note and mark moments when honesty is exhibited, must continue to model honesty and must reinforce in both the home and the learning environment that we pay attention to only the positive and not reward the negative with our attention.

Happy New Year! In this episode, Dr. Shaw starts the new year of 2025 off with a conversation about New Year's Resolutions and about making your life experience as productive and successful as it can be. It's a refreshing look at starting the new year out properly without pie-in-the-sky goals that may lead to disappointment. She offers solid advice and information on how to set reasonable expectations for yourself, on the power of having confidence, on the importance of self-love and on generally remaining positive.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a moment to focus on how the human condition and the desire for connection can sometimes be guided simply by the group that we are part of rather than our pure humanity. It is true that being a member of a group does offer valuable support, but it is too narrow of a definition for ourselves. Dr. Shaw observes that she never wanted one chapter of her life to be the dominant chapter of her personal story. She illustrates this analysis by relaying a recent experience she had with a new friend, and she noticed that she and this friend shared an experience and perhaps that commonality led the two of them to their connect. In the end, it almost doesn't matter what creates the connection... the connection itself is the gift. Humanity should be the source of connection and with that knowledge, we don't need subgroups to define us.

This brief episode is another one inspired by the recent election in the U.S., and it is a personal and non-political commentary. Dr. Shaw is an educator who believes in "walking your walk" and it would not be honest for her to not share her wishes and hopes for the world going forward, and that's what she does here. She references the words and theories of other writers, yet at the same time she presents her singular point of view. Her hope is for everyone to end up winning as a result of the recent political contest

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw re-examines the topic of surrender versus seeing things through. She feels that it is an important attribute of child-rearing that conversations take place and that many of life's tasks and events are prepared for in advance or "front-loaded" as much as possible. One of the conversations that is important to have is when it comes to commitments that are made by children. It could be commitment to a sports team or other after school activity, it could be a commitment to a hobby... whatever it is there are learning lessons inherent in knowing when it is time to persevere or when it might be time to change course. There are consequences to not setting the stage properly up front and also to making the wrong choice at decision-making time.

In this brief episode, which follows two very personal episodes, Dr. Shaw returns to her specialty as a parenting expert. Here she discussed the simple scenario of having a child acting out because something didn't go their way. What actually happened isn't as important as Dr. Shaw's tenet that it's okay to veer away from your usual parenting rules and boundaries AS LONG AS bad behavior is not seen as being rewarded. Also, if bad behavior is temporarily not addressed for whatever social or environmental reasons, it must be addressed and reviewed at a later time. Your child must know what they did incorrectly, why it was not appropriate behavior, and what the normal natural consequence for such behavior should be. Children know and appreciate boundaries as well as needing them.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw once again takes the opportunity to share how positivity can be found as the silver lining of difficult situations. Her home in Florida was affected by a recent hurricane and she discusses the fallout from that challenging event and how resilience remains an important trait.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw presents a personal point of view regarding the feelings that some folks are having following the recent US Presidential election. As an educator, Dr. Shaw focused on teaching humanity (just like with the title of this podcast), and for someone with her history it could be easy to be frustrated or scared or shocked by the recent political outcomes across the U.S. because teaching humanity involves teaching about kindness, inclusion, tolerance, respect and so much more... and those things seemed to be clearly missing from the winning team in this election cycle. Her point of view here, however, is positive. She offers advice on how we should all remain patient and positive because what happened had an element of inevitability. She encourages everyone to stay strong and positive and keep focused on the best possible outcomes in the future.

In this episode Dr. Shaw addresses the notion of having confidence. She begins by noting that, often in life, individuals who have confidence will go further than those who possess actual talent but lack confidence. Dr. Shaw shares that this is hot topic for her personally, and that in fact while she is working on a new book, she tends to ask the question, "Am I really qualified to create this book?" It really comes down to being an internal battle with self-doubt, and that can often be the re-appearance of an old "muscle," one that lacks confidence. The idea is to exercise a new muscle that exudes confidence. She points out that we all need to recognize those habits that don't serve us and to transform those negative thoughts into the feeling that "yes, I can." Additionally, if you are going to allow anyone to be a coach for you in life, make sure that they are the kind of coach that lifts you up and doesn't keep you down.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses how we overcome grief and how we allow ourselves to have the feelings that we have. We cannot suppress certain feelings.. we have to feel them. For her personally, self-observation followed by reflection on her own behavior leads her to her own transformation or adjustment from one mood to another. She questions whether there is sometimes a need to be sad. Sometimes there may be an unconscious addiction to feeling a certain way. Sometimes depression feeds us. Sometimes there are external forces that steer us to negativity. Sometimes we are the cause of our own suffering. Regardless of the causes, it's important to observe ourselves and recognize the state of our being in order to adjust and have the most fulfilling lives.

In this very brief episode, Dr. Shaw introduces us to a new concept that she is developing as a program to assist families. In schools, many students will be given an IEP or Individual Education Plan which is a document that identifies a given student's needs and outlines how those needs will be met. Dr. Shaw believes that given the stresses and strains of life right now, many FAMILIES need a similar structure in order to have the best practices of family life come into play. To that end, Dr. Shaw is beginning to offer her services in developing FEP's or Family Education Plans. She briefly describes her new project on this podcast with more details to follow. You can always learn more online about Dr. Shaw's history and her work and you can also contact her, all via her website at www.LearnWithMeRemotely.com.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a look at the need to balance the essence of a child with the developing personality of a child during a child's growth and emergence into being a person. Their essence is that innocence and spirit that a young child has, the purity that enables them to be friendly and approachable and joyful about living and learning. Their personality is that socialized side of a youngster where learned behaviors can inspire caution or the holding back of true expression. Both are important ingredients for a child... you want your child to have an exuberance, yet they also need guardrails and boundaries in life for their own safety and protection and simply in order to fit in. As with so many aspects of life and child-rearing, it's all about balance.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw puts forth the notion that it is important to see yourself as you are in order to effectuate change in your life. While working on oneself, we need to be reflective and intentional and monitor our attention. By doing so we build stamina and increase the muscle of patience and of having objectivity. We all have blind spots, but when build up our attention we can eliminate those blind spots. Also, much of the time that it seems as though change isn't happening, it actually slowly is. The exercise of seeing oneself is actually the mechanism for change.

This week Dr. Shaw follows up on her last podcast where she had discussed those moments when young children are experiencing anxiety. She begins her parenting advice this week by suggesting that we tell our children that those feelings of anxiety are natural and part of life and that can be done by sharing one's own experiences of feeling anxious, but only if that sharing is developmentally appropriate. It's also helpful to remind our children that all moments pass, both the happy ones and the negative ones. The key is maintaining an inner sense of well-being. Challenges are just an invitation to overcome them and learn from that experience and one can't live in the negative space of an anxious moment. Additionally, letting young children know that you once went through difficult times successfully will help them not get bogged down by anxiety.

In this episode you'll find a valuable conversation about something that has become more common among children, the experience of having anxiety. Dr. Shaw begins by questioning whether not not there is a true and thriving and growing trend for children to experience nervousness. She tables that discussion and then uses illustrative examples to lay out a real strategy for your children when it comes to dealing with anxiety... among the strategies are to be open and honest, to model or discuss your own anxieties with your child, and to consider counseling. Anxiety among children is on the rise, and understanding the best possible approaches in parenting can be extremely helpful.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses how, while parenting, one must trust the process. She begins by sharing an example of a parent who was in communication with their family's small private school about classroom assignments and how this one family didn't end up getting the path that they wanted for their child. Dr. Shaw looks at that situation, evaluates the plusses and minuses of what happened and offers a perfect strategy for that parent, and it's a solution that gives the disappointed family full control of their destiny. Her philosophy is that there are any number of situations in family life where trust in one's own gut instinct can be the most beneficial tool,

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses how your perception, particularly about yourself, can impact the way in which you show up in life and manifest your place in the world. Here she focuses on that notion by recounting a recent interaction she had with a young man with physical challenges. As a long-time teacher, she made the comment while interacting with this young man and in some ways, everyone has special needs, but her comment landed on him a offensive. The young man felt that his obvious impairments could not be compared to someone with fewer challenges. They had a lively discussion and ended their interaction with hugs, but her philosophy is such that Dr. Shaw puts forth that if you see yourself as something.... disabled, angry, unlucky, negative... your perception will manifest your reality.

In this very personal episode, Dr. Shaw reflects on a recent experience during which she participated in the celebration of an old and dear friend. The friend was also a body-worker/healer who helped Dr. Shaw's family many years ago and through difficult times, and she talks here about what it was like to be included in that recent celebration and to experience the reciprocal exchange of love and admiration at that event. Dr. Shaw always promotes the idea that a life well-lived is a life full of love, and that brings up an examination of how you get that kind of life. She believes that it comes down to the choices you make. Identify what you want in life, and decide how you will get it. It's a lesson for all of us... for children and adults alike.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the importance of learning from observing yourself. In order to illustrate how that works, she shares a personal story about giving parenting advice to her own daughter who reacted by resisting taking her advice. She watched herself feel somewhat hurt and offended and then feel embarrassed and disappointed in herself for being offended. Her principles, however, include the notion that timing is important and that patience is indeed a virtue, and she was able to re-visit the situation with her daughter later in a manner that allowed for a peaceful "agree to disagree" scenario. It was an important lesson in perception versus reality and it was also a lesson in how self-observation can be so beneficial. Being mindful of how we show up in the world and modeling appropriate behavior is always a winning formula.

In this brief but very useful episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the balancing act that parents must maintain with their children when it comes to making commitments that require time, energy, effort and more. The key is balance... balancing the desire to have your child participate in something fun, healthy and/or productive but then facing the reality sometimes that the commitment you made has pitfalls. How do you juggle not being a quitter with actually taking a path that is different that what you had planned for any number of reasons. Dr. Shaw shares a personal anecdote about her own recent experience with this kind of dilemma, and she offers solid advice (as usual) for different approaches and strategies that you can use within your own family.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the topic of what happens when we defend our positions during the course of disagreements. Her discussion was spurred by a recent personal experience, and it has been Dr. Shaw's philosophy for a long time to not take things personally. When confronted, most people get defensive, but when defending your position you are actually not being open to potentially valuable points of view.... plus, it's a waste of energy and disrespectful to the other person who is speaking with you. Dr. Shaw also admits that in the recent case where she didn't defend her position that the person she was dealing with was not really in her inner circle, and there's an important lesson in that... we and our children can all "practice" not being defensive and not taking it personally when the situation and the relationship isn't emotionally charged.

On this episode, Dr. Shaw celebrates the milestone presentation of her 200th podcast. During this reflective installment of her series, she reviews a number of the concepts that she has discussed throughout the four years that she's been delivering a weekly message via this venue. She enumerates many of the life-lessons that she has presented throughout this series and she lays out some of the axioms and guidelines that she lives by every day as an educator, as a member of a close-knit family, as a thinker and as a member of the global community. We all need to take time to reflect, and this episode provides a lovely and earnest recap of Dr. Shaw's teachings.

This podcast is an immediate follow-up to last week's episode in which Dr. Shaw speaks about her philosophy that timing is everything.... but she's not necessarily talking about the timing that you might assume she's referring to.... she's really focused on patience in life, not about coincidence and not about immediate gratification. She's also talking about the kind of patience that allows the truth is revealed. Dr. Shaw feels there's a connection between moments when one is full of ego, one can't be patient. When an individual is full of ego they only care about convincing others that they are right. When egoless, the experience is fulfilling enough. There is also a practicality in this philosophy in getting things done with our children, and she offers valuable advice on how that can work.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw focuses on how, in life, timing can be everything. She runs through several examples and scenarios to illustrate how waiting for the right moment can pay off... timing can deliver you the right relationship, timing can help students in school when a child needs an extra moment, patience can keep you centered or when you are waiting for word about a school application or a job or acceptance into a club or sports team. Unanswered prayers need a moment to be answered, and often the answer can come in disguise. Even having the right conversation with your child about anything from a temper tantrum to an awkward moment that we are navigating, may require just the right time to be effective. Life ebbs and flows, and patience through the process pays off.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw talks about teaching our children to be flexible. As with other tenets of Dr. Shaw's philosophy, teaching flexibility begins with proper modeling for our children. When an adult behaves in a frustrated or inflexible manner, which will happen, it's important to point out that behavior and also explore the situation that you are in for the learning lessons built into it. When we react in a negative way, we should note and mark it and then strive to be better next time. We need to show up in the best possible way, and we need to teach our children that it's ok to be different from one another as in our differences and our ability to be flexible with one another, that's how we demonstrate and learn true acceptance.

In this very personal episode, Dr. Shaw shares her recent experience of having her adult son hospitalized with an serious condition and what her learning lessons were from that adventure.... and the lesson is that it's all about how you show up. She discusses some of the ups and downs of advocating for her son Joshua in the hospital and how encountering different personalities among the doctors and nurses re-taught her that flexibility is often the key. Sometimes you have to be assertive, sometimes you have to make peace, but all the time one needs to keep in mind that you are not likely to change the other person by your behavior. All one can do is be themselves with honesty and integrity and that gets you through the negative as well as the positive.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the need for setting boundaries for young children and her approach is always that children who, for example, have temper tantrums actually ARE ASKING for and know they need boundaries. She begins by discussing an example of a substitute teacher who has temporarily taken over an unruly class and suddenly that class is well behaved. In that case, it's not that the children have changed, it's that the person in charge is earning respect and treating the children with respect as well, and the mutual respect that they share leads to harmony. Dr. Shaw also talks about the role of parents in setting boundaries and she acknowledges that parents have a different relationship with their children and that boundaries might be more challenging. Still, if you don't display a high threshold for chaos and if you don't just act mean or demanding and if you simply have the correct boundaries that are respective and have give and take, you'll have positive results.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a look at the use of language and how it can cause misunderstanding or misinterpretation. She uses the example of the phrase "the universe is testing me," and the framework of that phrase implies a zero sum game where the universe is either for or against us. What we should say in that situation is the universe presents opportunities, and the manner in which we respond to that point of view becomes a demonstration of where we are as individuals and how we show up. How we choose our words impacts our experience, and we don't want our words to turn us into victims. What we need to do is see ourselves in each and every moment and if we can teach our children to do the same thing via modeling, we will be helping them tremendously.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses on one of her most important and frequently mentioned educational tool and that is "noting and marking" occurrences of success. She shares some of her own experience from her decades of experience, and she then focuses on an illustrative example of noting and marking from her personal life. She relates a recent story about how she dealt with some anxiety that her granddaughter was feeling and how noting and marking a successful experience in dealing with that anxiety. She believes that learning is not a selfish experience, rather a generous one, and this story can help reinforce how modeling the right behavior goes very far in educating.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw discusses and illustrates how we are often lucky in our lives when negativity strikes. While that may seem counterintuitive on the surface, Dr. Shaw provides a few examples of how our challenging moments in life can lead to us being lifted up. Her poignant conclusion on this topic is worth remembering.... that our moments of suffering are truly gifts because they lead us to the next moments of complete healing.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the celebrations of the Spring Season. The religious holidays and other celebrations of this season have a focus on re-birth, growth and freedom. She relates a personal story about her recent experience telling the story of Passover to her young grandchildren and how she handles some of the scary parts of that story. She talked at that dinner about how the Passover story allows a vision into the human condition and is very focused on the notion of freedom. There are lessons in there about co-existence and it demonstrates different belief systems. The conversation then turns to handling relationships that may not share the same point of view... her conclusion is that someone may not be a friend, but that doesn't mean one shouldn't be friendly with that person. The understanding that comes from this is that in order to have peace in our lives, acceptance of differences is key.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw takes a very personal turn and shares an story from her own life in order to illustrate how we should celebrate the good stuff in life. The story she shares is about selling a home and buying a new one, but the emotion runs deeper than just that transaction. The new home felt perfect from the start, and much of that happened because the prior owners who built the house clearly created a home filled with love. Then, not only did it feel that way, but the current owners have been very cooperative and downright sweet in helping access their property for planning purposes. Their land is filled with fruit trees and they generously shared their homegrown fruit and gave lessons on the care and feeding of their garden. The positivity of that exchange and that experience makes the exit from the old home feel very comfortable and welcoming. One can focus on one's struggle, and there can be valuable lessons in overcoming thing, but it's important to also keep a focus here on being present and open to positivity.

In this episode Dr. Shaw addresses the need for empowerment and the ways in which we sometimes give up our power. She poses the question of when we learn to give up or power and how do we stop doing it? The way to reclaim power is to not blame anyone else. As we teach our children to be empowered (while still at the same time keeping them on the track that we want) it is important to give them responsibility. If we adults model being empowered for our children, it teaches them to understand how to hold on to their power. Dr. Shaw gives a great illustrative classroom example of not giving her power away to a student who was being a bully, and then wraps by reminding the listener that her social-emotional children's book series address these kinds of issues directly... those books can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/DrMindyBooks

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses and reveals some perspective on her own humanity in a way that can help parents, and all adults really, keep themselves in check regarding their own personal progress in life. She begins with the notion that a moment is just a moment, and she points out that when we have dramatic experiences or we learn important lessons that we need to develop a new emotional muscle so that we don't fall back on old patterns. For herself, she always attempts to be present so as not to respond habitually. She then shares an important example of how this creation of stamina or new behavior came into play for her recently in an important interpersonal relationship. The big takeaway is that we all tend to be our most self-important when we feel unimportant... we all feel our most controlling when we are actually out of control. Knowing this can be incredibly liberating.

In this brief and personal episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the parenting dilemma of being overly enabling versus allowing our children to have experiences that sometimes can be very difficult. She shares an illustrative example from her own life and friendships as she describes a parent experiencing their child in an abusive relationship. Her philosophy is that as a parent, we can't judge or intervene sometimes... we have to help our children navigate their situations, but all we can do is pick up our children when they fall. Sometimes, in fact, when they fall, there are important and hard lessons learned via natural consequences. Our children need real life experiences to build their own independence, difficult as that may be to witness.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the concept of not moving forward in life because we are defending our positions or defending our own limitations. She uses some illustrative examples of how we defend our positions in order to set the stage. Then we learn that what she feels we need first and foremost are good relationships, and a key to a good relationship is having communication that includes the views of our partners and not disregarding their opinions. If we can learn to not defend our positions, we can teach our children to be better friends and not to sweat the small stuff. Don't take things personally... that's an important axiom to live by.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw shares a very personal story about a recent experience in her own life. In this tale, she talks of a moment at which she felt like she needed a reprieve and she internally "cried uncle," and then within hours, the situation resolved itself. The lesson of the situation was that she noticed that she momentarily forgot her aim of remaining optimistic and she actually fell into an old pattern. What she was reminded of was that her new intention of being present and trusting that the universe will help work things out. It was a reminder to remain vigilant about maintaining a vision and to live life in the moment.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the concept of acceptance, and mostly from the point of view of self-acceptance. Her belief is that if someone is not accepting them self, then the alternative is to be filled with desire, and that's a negative and potentially dangerous emotional space to be in. We must teach our children to be satisfied with what we have. That is not to say that we shouldn't be aspirational, but we need to move forward based on who we are with an attitude of gratitude. We also want our children to have self-love, self-worth and self-respect. From that position of accepting who we are, we can begin personal growth from a positive point of view.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the need to be true to ourselves in order to attract people into our lives who are like we are. She believes that we attract what we need when we need it. It is important for children to understand that friendships go through transitions, and that's ok. Life can be filled with different kinds of relationships, and some may be more fulfilling than others. Things evolve. The keys to communicating all of this to our children are intention, attention and reflection. Also, we must note and mark important moments... children need to be reminded of what they are learning. Through authenticity we earn fulfillment.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw sends a simple message... remain positive and maintain positivity. She talks about the power inherent in making the choice to affirm life and to keep moving in the direction of living your best life. Optimism can create abundance or success or health. Life is an adventure and one should remain eager to live it. Everyone deserves the best in life and we each have the responsibility to choose it for ourselves.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw re-visits a topic that she feels always needs attention, and that is the delicate balance between being in charge of your children as a parent and also teaching our children responsibility. She recognizes that as parent herself, she wanted to be friendly with her children and not be overly disciplining... BUT, children can only be as responsible as they are responsive. She walks us through examples of how to give a child choices in a fashion that gives them some responsibility, but not all. She encourages sharing tasks with children in order to teach responsibility. She also points out that "helicopter parenting" doesn't teach children to be responsible, and that the lack of learning responsibility at an early age can lead to young adults who've learned not pull their own weight when they should. There is a learning curve, but allowing your child to make healthy choices has great positives.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a look at what happens when we over-protect our hearts out of fear of getting hurt. Her philosophy is that if one is so afraid of getting hurt, then love won't be allowed in. Where our children are concerned, we need to teach our children how to deal with fear since fear can be so very limiting. Dr. Shaw's belief is that the adults who influence children need to model not being afraid, and in doing so we need to strike a balance of caution and fearlessness. The bottom line is that if one doesn't "try," one never moves in the direction of accomplishment.

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw addresses the issue of avoiding the discussion of negative behavior by a child. She uses an example from her real and recent experience where her family was honoring a child who was celebrating a birthday. During the celebration, some family members simply said "I love everything about you." Dr. Shaw believes that expressing such universal positivity is unhealthy, because there will always be things about a child's behavior that are not completely loveable. To avoid addressing the negativity is to avoid promoting a growth experience. She says that there needs to be balance between complimenting a child and presenting scenarios that challenge them to grow to be a better person.

In this brief but fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw takes a look at how using the fact that we are what we pay attention to can improve and enhance our lives. She lists and illustrates three possible approaches to making life easier and better.... one is to re-write one's own narrative, a second is to release that which we cannot control and the third is to set and uphold healthy boundaries. Specific examples of how these life hacks work are laid out in the podcast, and these tips are super helpful as we all embark on our journeys.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw expresses the notion that we all need someone with whom we can confide on a regular basis. We all need perspective and we all need help processing the feelings and the situations that we encounter in life, and it's important to remember that difficulties are invitations to rise to the occasion. We need to be reminded of the values that we want to live by to have the best possible life, and teaching each other the best ways to show up is essential. Additionally, it's important set the precedent of seeking counsel early in life... teaching your children that their needs are completely similar to your needs will lead to a more fulfilling life for them.

On this brief episode, Dr. Shaw reiterates her philosophy that one should not be afraid of difficulty. Difficult moments are temporary, and accepting it, showing up to it and working through it. It's okay to teach our children that sometimes things are hard. If we reflect on this highs and lows of our life, it gives us a formula to create more highs and experience less lows. Accepting a challenge builds stamina and character, and a mistake is a learning opportunity. By modeling that you are not a victim, it helps our children see that when adversity strikes, they are not victims either.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses living without fear as she puts forth the concept that true liberation is living without fear. Dr. Shaw's point of view is that it's important to teach our children to not be afraid as fear prevents from expressing ourselves in the most authentic way, and we do that by revealing our own vulnerabilities to our children. Her theory is that to be in the game is more important than winning the game and that in fact simply participating and doing one's best IS a win. Sometimes we get the result we want, and sometimes we don't, but the important element is making the effort. Demonstrating to our children that living life fully is simply showing up to all of our experiences, good or bad. The experience is the gift.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw addresses what happens when an adult (a teacher or a parent of one of your children's friends) makes a comment that you feel is critical of your child. Dr. Shaw sees this kind of interaction as a learning opportunity as, quite often, the comment that was unsettling came from some who you both like and respect. The discomfort could come from the element of truth that was brought forward. We need to digest what we hear, re-visit the conversation and come to the understanding that what was said was potentially constructive. We want to teach our children to understand that it's ok to see things differently from one another, and that they can and should work through the differences they have in their own friendships.

In this engaging episode, Dr. Shaw examines what it means to have (or not have) expectations and how having expectations can affect your child. An important element of having expectations is that it can lead to disappointment. There are ways that Dr. Shaw illustrates where one might aim for the best one can possibly do all the time. In her analysis, recognizing the gap between wanting a particular result and expecting that result is an important step for both parent and child. You are continually modeling for your child and how you hold yourself in the world and manage your expectations is key. Also, maintaining an attitude of gratitude for any outcome mitigates any disappointment.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the phenomenon of "helicopter parents"... those parents who hover over their children. Her philosophy is that while we all want to be protective and responsible parents, doing too much FOR our children inhibits their opportunities for learning. She uses several illustrative examples of natural consequences that demonstrate how parents that help too much actually get in the way of their children's development of skills such as resilience, reliability and resourcefulness. If parents come to the rescue too often when a child makes a mistake or simply forgets to do something, the invitation to grow from the experience is eliminated by the parent. The child also can feel that they can't be trusted to do the right thing. One should give a child the space to do what they are capable of doing, even at relatively young ages, and avoid the "Helicoptering" and providing too much aid.

In this fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the slippery slope of children who have a habit of tattling, often on other children. Per her analysis, there are several angles to this common situation, but her key recommendation is to keep children focused on the positive aspects of life and not the negative. It is very easy for a parent or teacher to fall into the trap of responding to the tattling by reprimanding the "culprit" or the person who was tattled on, when in fact that kind of reaction only serves to reinforce more tattling. Attention needs to be paid to what children do correctly, and pointing out or pointing to one's negative behavior will not have positive results. The reinforcement needed is the marking and noting of positive behaviors and that will steer the child into a better place where they can foster better and more productive relationships.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the dynamics of friendship among children, and she does it within the context of discussing "Love Languages." Dr. Shaw shares a real-life story of two youngsters in her Kindergarten-1st Grade classroom where her students engaged in an open discussion about love languages and, more importantly, what love language each student in the class exhibited. Not only are love languages a fascinating element in relationships, but they can provide a bullseye for what your friends needs most and also provide the mechanisms by which two friends can fill each other's love or friendship tank by doing for their friend what their friend needs most. It's a great way to engage and educate your young child, and fulfilling each other's love language can create the best possible kind of bond between friends.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the impact that our own state of mind has on our daily ability to live our lives. She shares her own experiences as an illustrative example, and she reveals that for her, 90% of the time her mood is aligned with positivity. The discussion that matters here is what to do with that other 10%. In relation to parenting, she encourages parents to understand that children will have those same moments when they are surrounded by negativity. She also points out that the two best strategies for parents is to provide their children with a soft place to land when they are having an off day and to try to remember not to be judgmental of that condition. As all of us change and grow, when we have an "off" moment, it's ok to just let it go.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the power of intention. Beginning your day or beginning a task, project or adventure with an intention will assist tremendously in getting the result that you want. Dr. Shaw's own personal example of having an intention is that she begins each day with the intention of being totally "in alignment." She then offer illustrative examples of how to assist our children to have intentions when approaching their own life situations.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a closer look at the psychological behavior known as projection, and she discusses how that behavioral pattern as a child can manifest again in that same child as an adult. Dr. Shaw provides specific examples of what this pattern can look like, and she relates her own experiences in the classroom during which she witnessed many children not taking responsibility for their own behavior. Her theory is that when a child is permitted to engage in that kind of behavior, it sets a pattern and a precedent that will be repeated later in life.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw shares some personal thoughts related to the Thanksgiving season just days after the actual holiday. Thanksgiving has always been a personal favorite of Dr. Shaw, and she talks about her tradition of going around the holiday table and having each person express what they are thankful for. That discussion leads into her point of view on the will to live, even under dire circumstances, and she feels that more people are comfortable expressing their thanks this year because there is so much negativity in the world around us. Her thoughts here are brief, but they are nice kickoff to the holiday season.

In this compelling episode, Dr. Shaw untangles a tricky situation for children and parents alike.... Continuing a conversation from a recent prior podcast, she dives into an analysis of friendships, and in particular, what happens when children and parents develop relationships of convenience and something goes wrong. Sometimes the children don't get along, sometimes the parents bicker, and sometimes things can go wrong and get quickly fixed by one party (like the children) and not by the other (the parents). The scenarios Dr. Shaw describes are a page right out of real life, potentially yours, and her real gift comes when she offers the "do's" and "don't" of how to behave and what to say when juggling this kind of dilemma. Her experience as both a parent and as a teacher who spent decades running a classroom with young children is invaluable for this discussion, and her guidance can surely benefit you and your children when challenged by these kinds of social pressures.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of how meditation can assist you and your children to have a sense of stability and alignment. She addresses why meditation is helpful... because it helps with concentration and focus, and it helps us return to ourselves when thoughts and actions can take our attention in a direction we don't necessarily want it to go. Dr. Shaw walks us through some simple exercises, three different approaches in fact, and again, she discusses the benefits of these brief mental and physical excursions. She then concludes with a profound explanation why introducing your children to a practice of meditation can be both healthy and productive.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw tackles a fascinating yet not uncommon scenario... she discusses what to do when children and their parents are both in shared circles of friends but then the children drift apart... how should the parents handle that situation especially if they may still want to preserve their quality relationship. Sometimes there are reasons to continue to cultivate relationships that aren't working well, and that can be modeled. Of course, children should never be put in the situation where they are being hurt emotionally or otherwise, but often the drifting of a relationship is simply part of the ebb and flow of life. Dynamics do change, but there will always be an opportunity to have different needs met in different kinds of relationships. When things get hard, it's often useful and fulfilling to not walk away... you can allow for the differences and celebrate the learning lessons from those differences.

In this VERY brief episode, Dr. Shaw wraps up her thoughts from her most recent set of podcast on the power of positivity and the goal of living up to one's birthright of having well-being in one's life.

In this installment, Dr. Shaw continues her focus on how to use the power of positive thought to attract and create good things in your life. Here, she shares her strategy of how to use a group of close-knit friends to rally their collective energy to support one another. Your goal could be maintaining your health or creating wealth or attracting a mate... the result isn't as important as the subtle act of avoiding the negative side of any issue and concentrating on the positive. Dr. Shaw also offers a way to apply this kind of openness to community thought to the act of parenting.... why not encourage your children to seek out support groups among their friends, and create an environment that's fulfilling rather than full of obstacles.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw puts forth the notion that responsibility creates freedom. That may sound like an oxymoron, but Dr. Shaw explains the concept with a clear example using her own experience related to being organized... when she became responsible by being organized, she earned herself more free time by not having her own disorganization be a time-waste. Additionally, she offers some practical uses in parenting based on her point of view.

This week's podcast is a follow-up last week's conversation about having a strategy for dealing with nervousness. In this episode, Dr. Shaw presents another strategy for overcoming an obstacle in our daily living, and in this case she discusses the best ways to continually have a sense of well-being throughout our lives. In her view, much of it comes down to BELIEF and to how one holds the idea of whether struggle is necessary. Her overview is that positivity attracts positivity, and here she presents ways to keep your mindset optimistic. Dr. Shaw understands that her own negative "stories" from her past no longer serve her, and that her newer belief system of positivity has helped her co-create well-being.

In this brief but fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the notion of nervousness. Her intent is to help parents and educators assist children who are approaching a situation that makes them uneasy, but the strategies she outlines are helpful to adults as well. Children could be faced with a test or a sports tryout or just about anything that causes nervousness, and this discussion outlines ways to teach them to embrace the discomfort. Facing and actually embracing a challenge can lead to control of the situation.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw extolls the virtues of meditation and proposes that teaching our children some simple practices of meditation can help them to center themselves and also to empower them when they are feeling nervous, anxious, afraid or simply "off". She walks us through some simple methods and exercises for meditation and establishes a quick routine that we can all use to simply get back to ourselves when we are not aligned with thoughts and energy that are healthy for us or serve our purposes.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw begins a short series of podcasts within her series of podcasts, and in this edition she presents the notion of how and what we teach our children. The point of view she suggests is that sometimes we pay attention to the wrong things. She offers examples of how we do that and she also offers strategies for parents and educators to raise the bar in certain scenarios. She suggests that we teach children that we can create our own reality and that encouraging children to change their own story because that can change their circumstances and their personal results.

In this very brief episode, Dr. Shaw once again welcomes her granddaughter, Olivia, who was the inspiration for her 22-book series for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)... those books can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/mcuxeztv. Today, Dr. Shaw talks with Olivia about feeling left out among her friends. It's a common situation among schoolchildren and can elicit bad feelings, but in this quick and cute interview, Olivia lays out her strategy for how to deal with that situation. There's a nice lesson for parents and children alike in this very short tale.

In this very brief episode, Dr. Shaw welcomes a special guest for a short appearance... her granddaughter Olivia who was the inspiration for her series of non-fiction picture books on social-emotional learning (SEL) which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/mcuxeztv. Here Olivia participates in a quick discussion about being defensive. This is a great example of how young children understand the mature concepts incorporated in SEL, and relate to Dr. Shaw because of her straight talk and respectful approach to children.

In this brief but poignant episode, Dr. Shaw discusses a topic that she calls "What's really bothering you?" She begins by admitting that there are times that she is short-tempered or easily disturbed, and when that happens it is often the case that her reactions are caused by something other than what's on the surface. The same holds true for children. We have all seen examples of a child who is having a bit of a tantrum, and quite often that acting out is the result of a whole other external factor. Her key to handling this situation is NOT to give in to the child as that's the worst possible form of reinforcement... you must not give in to that uncomfortable situation or the symptoms that got you and your child there. What you can and should do is mark and note it the next time you have a similar reaction and at a later time, relate your experience to your child as a learning lesson... and show that what's bothering you just might be something other than what it seems.

In this super-short summertime episode, Dr. Shaw encourages parents and educators to promote having a positive attitude. She talks about tackling challenges, and encourages all of us to model positivity for our children so that they can be their best selves.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw puts forth the point of view that dreams can come true. Yes, that sounds like a bit of an overly optimistic statement, but her lessons are really quite effective... she says that it's best to teach our children to work hard, to keep a positive attitude, to understand that not everything is easy, to be resilient... and with qualities like that, your behavior will lead to great results.

For this milestone 150th weekly episode, Dr. Shaw uses the moment to take stock about life. She talks about the intention of this podcast series, about how her own life has changed in the time that the podcast has been in distribution, and about her very important current and successful philosophy on life.

On this brief episode, Dr. Shaw dives into the topic of making sure that children develop a strong sense of will. Children need to develop the stamina and the discipline to meet and conquer challenges, and if they do it early it life it will help them tremendously later on. The path to developing strong will includes conveying the fact that 100% success is not always attainable and it require the understanding that not knowing something presents the opportunity to learn it. Dr. Shaw presents a good illustrative example of how her granddaughter approaches learning gymnastics... she falls but she has the drive to overcome her mistakes. We need to show our children that as adults, WE stumble and get stuck sometimes, but we don't give up, and that makes us stronger.

In this brief but inspiring episode, Dr. Shaw shares a very personal experience... she had gone through a health scare at the start of 2023, and roughly six months later she has a clean bill of health. In a way, this podcast is a corollary to the prior episode in this series that addressed how negative beliefs can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. This time, Dr. Shaw talks about how holding the space for positivity brings a positive result. She references "The Law of Attraction" and illustrates how her attitude in dealing with a health issue helped bring a positive result. She recommends not wishing for something because implied within a wish is that you don't have what you are wishing for. Put energy into positivity and get the best possible results.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw covers the fascinating subject of our belief systems, and specifically, she focuses on the impact of negative beliefs about oneself and the potential limits that self-doubt can cause. For example, if your child believes that they are not good readers or good at sports or whatever the case may be, that belief system needs to be changed. Negative self-image supported by a belief can have the power to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You want your children to think well of themselves, and belief systems can be changed just like one's attitude can be changed.

On this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the topic of MEDITATION and its benefits. Her point of view is not one that fits the traditional view of what meditation looks like... she takes the approach that yes, meditation does involve quietude, but she is really concentrating on the power of focused thought. Through focus, you can more easily do self-observation, and once you have an opportunity for clear observation of your own reactions to things, the more easily you can address and alter your old habits and patterns that are not serving you well.

In this brief but fantastic episode, Dr. Shaw walks us through the importance of understanding and responding to our feelings of DISAPPOINTMENT. As Dr. Shaw points out, disappointment occurs whether you are 2 or 82, and it's always important to monitor how one reacts to a disappointing situation. There is an invitation to learn within every emotional experience, and, as with many other visceral reactions, what kind of results come from that experience is mostly guided by how you show up to that scenario. Dr. Shaw describes a recent disappointment that she had, and she reminds us that modeling emotional reactions for our children and sharing with them that even adults have the same experiences as children is crucial. Again, it's our response to disappointment or any other sensation that determines who we are and what kind of success we will have in life.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses a very popular topic among both parents and educators, GRIT. Grit is an usual word, not used often in everyday language, so children don't always clearly understand its meaning, but Dr. Shaw runs through several examples of what it is and how to portray grit to your children so that they benefit from the qualities of exhibiting grit.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the concept of "Show and Tell," and she uses the framework of the "Show and Tell" game to illustrate how parents can better communicate with their children. She walks us through finding the sweet spot for communication... in other words, parents need to avoid over-talking to their children which results in a lack of attention, and they need to avoid under-talking which demonstrates that you might wrongly be assuming that your child knows what you are talking about. Some things need explanation, and some things require discussion, but the key is marking and noting those items or moments in ways that truly deliver a real learning lesson.

In this very brief episode, Dr. Shaw offers some great parenting advice (as always) and in this case she points out how it's important for parents to encourage children to try to new things. It sounds like a simple concept, but Dr. Shaw breaks down why it's an important step in the personal growth of a child and in their learning process. It might be easy to not argue with a child who says that they don't want to try new food or to play a new game or whatever it is, but Dr. Shaw provides great direction and a thoughtful rationale on why you should push your child to try new experiences.

In this very brief but very interesting episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the topic of providing reinforcement for your child's good behavior or good results. Her advice is simply to keep your reinforcement sincere and authentic. It's quite easy for a parent or educator to fall into a pattern of being agreeable or complimentary about something with a child when it's not necessarily merited. Dr. Shaw implores us to be specific with our compliments in order to reinforce exactly what was good about a particular circumstance, and she provides helpful examples of what to say and what not to say. She also offers thoughts on those moments when a child ASKS for compliments or reinforcements and discusses how to approach that scenario.

In this very personal episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the need for parents to model well-being for their children. Her premise is that if a parent, for example, has fear about something, it's healthy for that parent to allow their children to see and experience the adult's experience with fear because those same children will have their own feelings of fear about something and it's important to demonstrate that that's normal and okay. It's a personal story because Dr. Shaw uses an example from her own very recent experience, but primarily this discussion is about encouraging parents to walk their walk and talk their talk so that when a child goes through something and is trying to navigate a social and/or emotional challenge, they can see that even their parents as role models might go through the same thing. Overcoming challenges develops resilience, and that's a great quality for children to develop.

On this brief episode, Dr. Shaw addresses a challenging situation that often comes up for parents, and her discussion is about how to deal with one's role as a parent when you are experiencing a seriously negative moment or phase yourself. He approach here resembles that of a life coach as she offers both examples of and solutions for moving oneself out of negativity and into a headspace that is more positive so that you can serve yourself and fulfill your role as a parent more fully.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw re-visits the topic of parents who might influence their children by passing down negative traits unconsciously. Dr. Shaw uses some illustrative examples, some from her own life experience, of scenarios wherein the behavior of a parent can be projected onto a child and, in a way, ingrained in that child's own behavioral patterns. Dr. Shaw encourages parents (and educators) to carefully watch out for this kind of negative influence by self-monitoring one's own faults, foibles and insecurities. It's a tricky endeavor, but an important one to monitor in order to have your child have the most positive experiences as they navigate life.

In this brief episode Dr. Shaw continues her focus on "guided practice" which is the educational scenario where very simply, someone is helping with the practice of a skill. In this case, the example that Dr. Shaw uses comes from her own recent experience rather than an instance in a classroom, but the outcome is the same... when someone supports your learning process, it strengthens that process and leads to a more positive result.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw focuses on the simple human aspect of habitual behavior. She postulates that old habits are not necessarily tough to break because you actually never do kill them entirely... they can and do live side by side with new habits. The key to this, which has an educational application, is GUIDED PRACTICE, or doing something not alone. Dr. Shaw uses starting an exercise regimen as an example of creating a new habit or rhythm in live that doesn't necessarily kill or replace or change the old habit. To have progress or re-training with any new habit involves the training and development of a muscle (literally or figuratively), but that training, again, doesn't supplant an old pattern. What you don't want is "fighting" within yourself when conflicting habits or patters co-exist.... that's draining and is filled with negative energy. Again, Guided Practice creates the result you desire.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw touches on an important angle of good sportsmanship (a subject that she tackled in one of her socio-emotional learning books (the one found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HTL1BB9) and it's the notion of not always needing to win. Dr. Shaw acknowledges that competition can be healthy and that it has its own life lessons attached, but that it's also important for children to learn about the cooperation necessary while playing a team sport. She also likens the notion of "losing" to the concept of making a mistake... she is a huge proponent that there are countless learning lessons held in the mis-take, and that not winning a game can offer a similar experience. The idea is to have experiences that can and will contribute a great deal to one's personal growth, and being on either side of the end result of a competition has a reward.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw examines the notion that your child has feelings but you cannot possibly and completely understand their feelings because you are not them and they are individuals. She uses her own experience with a wheelchair-bound son as an illustrative example of how one might project their own feelings about an experience onto a child. More importantly, she examines why displacing your perception of someone's feelings with your own feelings is a mistake.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw continues her conversation that began with last week's podcast on Re-Birth... this follow-up touches on the concept of freedom. Both are interrelated topics of Springtime and the Easter/Passover Holiday season. She ponders the internal and external factors that impact freedom. Her point of view is that HOW one shows up to circumstances is what liberates a person, and that someone can only show up properly is if they are present. She offers some methods and exercises that can help you be present because, again, she firmly believes the sense of having freedom can only begin with being present.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw turns her attention to the meaning and the rituals associated with the arrival of Spring. In particular she is focused on the notion that this is a season of birth and re-birth, and that those life events are reinforced by the holidays of this season that celebrate new beginnings and new freedoms. Dr. Shaw encourages the listener to think about the motivations that go into creating a new generation and what parents goals are when they have children. It's a fascinating perspective that doesn't always rise to the forefront, but it is a perfect series of notions to process during this unique time of the year.

This episode is an important follow-up to the prior podcast in this series, Episode 130, in which Dr. Shaw describes a situation in which a child acted out and ended up controlling the situation by getting attention for bad behavior. Dr. Shaw does not condone a parenting strategy that rewards bad behavior in any way, and in this podcast, she further discusses how a parent needs to behave like the responsible adult when handling a child in a challenging situation. She uses the example of a child having temper tantrum in a social or public situation, and she offers her expert point of view on WHY that behavior is happening and HOW you should truly respond. Her rational and thoughtful approach to this scenario should benefit any caretaker or educator by laying out the best possible strategy.

In this fascinating episode, Dr. Shaw responds to a parent's request for advice about how to handle a child with bad behavior. In responding to that inquiry, Dr. Shaw deconstructs her own recent experience with a child who uses misbehavior to gain results. Dr. Shaw brilliantly describes the situation, sees directly into the manipulative thought process motivating the bad behavior, and recounts how the parent (a very good, not unskilled parent, by the way) handled but also mis-handled the situation. Dr. Shaw offers advice on how the entire episode could have been guided differently by the parent to a better result. Interestingly, witnesses who watched this same scenario were impressed by the parenting they saw, yet Dr. Shaw manages to go one step further to outline what should have been done for greater long term results. Once again, she identifies the issue, and offers the best possible solution.

In this episode Dr. Shaw follows a recent visit to her granddaughter's school which inspired her to share her enthusiasm here for the practice of teaching. The school is set up with a multi-age class structure and its focus is on teaching social skills (teaching humanity, if you will, just like the title of this podcast). Dr. Shaw was there presenting one of her favorite lessons which is... there are no real mistakes, only mis-takes, which themselves are pure learning opportunities. That lesson inspires risk-taking within a comfort zone which is one of the keys for Dr. Shaw in her teaching method and how she like to have children learn. Additionally, in the school where she visited, teaching social skills is not a one-day, one-and-done topic... it's an environment where that kind of growth and expansion occurs on a natural and ongoing basis. This quick recap of Dr. Shaw's experience is a true microcosm of a major part of her educational philosophy. Enjoy!

In this super-brief episode, Dr. Shaw simply shares some reflections on what it feels like to go through the medical issues that she's going through. She points out that how one shows up for life is the most important thing.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about "The Law of Attraction." For those not familiar with this line of thought, The Law of Attraction is the belief that positive thoughts bring positive results or experiences and negative thoughts bring negative ones. It's based on the notion that the energy focused thought is powerful enough to create a cause and effect relationship. Dr. Shaw has had some medical challenges of her own recently, and she uses her own recent experiences to create an illustrative example of this way of thinking and how it can manifest results. She also deftly ties this belief system into ways to impact one's parenting outcomes by using the Law of Attraction in child-rearing. Just as a reminder, her parenting book on effective communication with children is available on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJRX7JF

I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK WITH ME - A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN

In this brief but important episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the concepts of discipline and consequences as they specifically relate to parenting. Quite often, discipline for children is required, but without the proper approach, the opportunity for a teachable moment will be lost. Children can easily see the negative in a situation when they misbehave and are subject to disciplinary behavior, but Dr. Shaw is a believer in "natural consequences"... they will make sense to your child and be more effective in those life lesson moments.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to be inspired by her own recent personal medical challenges to see things from a perspective that opens new doors educationally. Here, she considers the notion of victimization... in other words, she asks the question "Am I a victim for having my condition?" In answering that question, it brings up an examination of "Why?" questions which are often asked by children. In Dr. Shaw's point of view, "Why?" is often answered with one's head but instead, answers can and should sometimes be found in behavior and emotion. During this discussion she lays out a three-tiered way of looking at oneself... by using INTENTION, ATTENTION and REFLECTION. It's a fascinating discussion with parenting possibilities built right in.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw turns her attention to the crisis in schools here in 2023 wherein social skills, manners and basic behavioral standards are lacking, even among some of the youngest students. Many teachers blame this phenomenon on the fallout of the COVID pandemic, and in all likelihood, the disruption in education caused by the events of 2020 and 2021 are to blame... but there is also a solution to the problem and that is for teachers and parents to set the stage differently for the education of children today. Here, Dr. Shaw discusses her own lifelong approach to the classroom which puts social-emotional learning first. Her philosophy is that if children are not in a comfortable, trusting and respectful environment from the start, then there's no foundation on which to teach reading, writing and math. Dr. Shaw practiced this approach long before there was a pandemic disruption, so her words of wisdom in this podcast are truly valuable.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw veers into a topic that is related to all of her work on social and emotional learning, but is somewhat different since she takes a stand on current events in this broadcast. Dr. Shaw has become troubled recently by some trends in education that are, in her mind, counterproductive, backwards thinking and quite dangerous. She has been outraged by things that are happening in the State of Florida where teaching courses and using course materials that are not approved by the State can be a felony. Much of this restrictive thinking centers of issues of race and the denial of history, and it involves an imposition of censorship that is uncalled for in modern education. Moreover, Dr. Shaw is a well-known advocate of learning by making mistakes, and if our cultural mistakes made in the past are erased, there will be no learning lessons for the present and future children in our society. This is a passionate and fascinating discussion, and it lines up with what is in the national news right now.

This brief episode is a direct follow-up to the previous podcast in this series as Dr. Shaw continues to address her journey during which she is facing a health crisis. Since they began nearly 2 1/2 years ago, these podcasts have all generally been geared toward advice for monitoring and molding the behavior and social-emotional growth of our children and grand-children, and although the line of discussion in Dr. Shaw's current arc of podcasts has included much self-reflection, the life lessons contained herein are still very relevant for any parent, grandparent, or educator. In this discussion in particular, Dr. Shaw addresses the notion of "attachment" and what it means to surrender to a loss of something as well as what it means to replace a behavioral trait such as vanity with an ability to sacrifice things to which we are attached for a higher good and more valuable purpose. These lessons are valuable to any adult and can be modeled for our children.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw gets a bit deeper into revealing her own personal learning lessons currently coming to her as a result of a medical challenge. She deftly shares her own personal experiences while also demonstrating how her lessons are consistent with lessons that parents should be sharing and modeling for their own children. Education is always the foundation of what Dr. Shaw shares, and since these podcasts are about children but geared for parents and educators, her discussions on this theme as well as her others are always most appropriate for adults. At their core, the life lessons than can be among the most important to pass along to our children are often introduced by life's more challenging moments for adults.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw delivers a succinct lesson in parenting for this early part of the New Year, and it was inspired by an episode during which a child was exhibiting some unattractive behavior during the recent holidays. It's easy for a child to get over-tired, over-wrought or over-stimulated by sweets and treats during the holidays, and Dr. Shaw witnessed an incident that served as an important microcosm for what can go right or wrong with behavior. A child became a bit hysterical and the child's parent did what she knew how to do to mitigate the situation, but Dr. Shaw's philosophy as explained here, is a much more effective strategy for addressing what happened. There can be long-lasting implications resulting from how a child's behavior is responded to, and Dr. Shaw does a nice job with this quick story of putting parents on the right track.

In this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw re-ignites a conversation about teaching RESILIENCE to our children, but the topic actually came up via a very recent personal experience for her. Dr. Shaw had a medical scare recently, and among the many thoughts brought on by that incident was the notion of keeping a positive attitude and not allowing thoughts that are are negative, non-contributing or distractions in any way. She learned and shares some valuable lessons about life from this recent experience, and, as is generally the case, Dr. Shaw suggests some excellent scenarios by which one can regularly practice their humanity, and their resilience.

In this brief episode Dr. Shaw examines a couple of fascinating subjects regarding how both children and adults handle some aspects of interpersonal relationships. Dr. Shaw starts by talking about an issue that her granddaughter experienced, and that issue blossomed into a fruitful discussion about generosity of spirit and about the expectation that a friend may or may not value the same qualities in a relationship that you do. The truly interesting part of this story is that Dr. Shaw, obviously decades the senior to her granddaughter, had a recent experience that was quite similar, and the mirroring of the two sets of experiences with friends led to several valuable lessons including lessons about knowing your audience, understanding that you must consider how a message might be heard differently than intended, and that age and maturity may not dispel all uncomfortable situations when it comes to interpersonal relations.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw emphasizes an important concept that she touched on recently in earlier podcast episodes, namely "marking and noting" behaviors as an important ingredient in modeling. In fact, because she is repeating her focus on this topic, she also veers into a discussion about the power of repetition in educating young children. She shares some examples of both repetition and marking and noting from her own life experience as well as from her extensive classroom experience. These are concepts that are an essential ingredient in her formula for communicating effectively with children, and are worthy of their own repetition.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw focuses on an action that a parent or teacher can make to truly relieve pressure from a child's psyche and that's the notion of noting and marking a mistake. We all make mistakes all the time, but for many children, there might be shame or other strong negative emotions connected to making an error in school or at home. If parents and teachers put effort into noting and marking their own routine mistakes and keeping it light when mistakes occur. Take away the burden of a mistake and encourage the freedom to experiment and learn by making mistakes.

In this week's episode, the conversation turns to a topic that incorporates a number of the parenting strategies that Dr. Shaw has discussed in the past, but the scenario here is unique. Dr. Shaw addresses situations where parents are friendly because their children are classmates, but the dynamic changes because the relationship between the children evolves in one way or another. This discussion arose from real life experiences that Dr. Shaw has witnessed recently, but it also is something she has experienced as a parent. Discomfort arises when parents who at one point were not only friendly but quite supportive of one another then find themselves taking sides in an emotional or even physical rift between their respective children. It's a situation that requires care and attention and the kind of behavior in which the parent must model appropriate behavior for the children. Dr. Shaw also relates how she handled a particular situation with her own daughter and a friend, and in that story she not only helped her child but satisfied her own needs as a parent.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of letting someone "off the hook." Dr. Shaw doesn't believe that when someone is exhibiting negative behavior that we should not provide an excuse that it's okay to be that way... we should not attribute behavior from our children, for example, to a "phase" that they are going through. When one is angry or cranky, that feeling is an acceptable feeling and all feelings can't be helped, but it is not okay for that angry or moody person to not be accountable for their behavior. Sometimes, it's helpful to point out to a child when we are in a negative space, we still cannot use that mood or feeling to hurt someone else.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses her philosophy that one of the most important aspects of life is how we show up. What she encourages is that when negativity is in the air, we should surrender to how it is, not take anything too seriously and remember that the moment will pass. Negating the feelings instead of surrendering to them is being less true. Learning to not take a negative moment personally is a winning formula, and teaching ourselves and our children the best strategies for dealing with having a bad day get us past it. Allowing ourselves to feel our feelings is essential, but creating negative behavior as a response to negativity is not the best way to show up.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw elaborates on a phrase that she uses quite often in discussing parenting strategies.... she will often say to "mark and note" something with your child. Here, she dives deeper into what it really means to mark and note an action or an activity or a feeling and how marking and noting something aids a child in their education. Dr. Shaw points out a simple and obvious example of marking and noting something for a child, and she also veers into a conversation in which she shares a slice of her own life and how she marks and notes her own behavior as an enabler. The key here is the desired result of marking and noting events in one's own life or your child's experience. There is value in focusing on what is happening in any given moment, and when one stops to point it out, there are social, emotional and educational gains.

This episode is the second of a two-part mini-series of podcasts related to the theme found within Dr. Shaw's philosophy that nothing in life is only one way, and this particular half of that theme is focused on maintaining high expectations. Dr. Shaw explains that while some folks feel that there is a negative side to having high expectations in that those expectations might not be reached, there is great benefit to having high expectations for your children and for yourself. She provides illustrative examples and shares her own experience over many years of classroom instruction. She also points out that the attitude exhibited by some that says that "if you have no expectations you won't be disappointed" is simply a way of getting yourself off the hook for the effort and results that holding a high bar can actually generate.

This episode is the first of a two-part mini-series of podcasts related to the theme found within Dr. Shaw's philosophy that nothing in life is only one way, and this particular half of that theme is focused on the benefit of not having attachments. A key observation is that there are elements in our world that are completely out of our control and those can have an impact upon us. The best way to respond to those moments that we are influenced by an external element is to just be present and in the moment. In terms of parenting, our children remind us what is most important to us... and we practice what we value in order to teach our children those most valuable lessons. Dr. Shaw says that a great mental place to be is to simply embrace life in all of its fullness and with neutrality. That doesn't mean there aren't likes and dislikes... it just means that without judgement, it makes situations better.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the topic of ENABLING. She actually draws upon her own recent first-hand experiences and the lessons that she's learned personally in handling a particular interpersonal relationship. While "enabling" is most often associated with an adult-to-adult relationship, and while the example story that unfolds in this podcast does involve adults, there is an aspect to how one handles situations in which one is an enabler that is quite helpful in parenting situations. Often the enabler is attempting to not just help, but to satisfy a need or to define oneself in a particular way. It's a fascinating topic, and as always, Dr. Shaw's perceptive inward and outward observations can be quite edifying.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw goes a bit more in depth on the topic of last week's podcast where the discussed centered on how to help your child pay attention to how they feel in social situations so they can make better decisions. Expanding on that, Dr. Shaw poses questions like ... what do we really do when we are not comfortable in a social situation? how do we have the confidence in ourselves to be true to ourselves? how do we manage our needs in an uncomfortable social situation? Clearly there are situations where our children are not fitting in, but they may lack the confidence or the strategy to get out of that situation. Dr. Shaw lays out various ways to navigate out of those kinds of scenarios.... and it is challenging because most of us have been compromised socially in our own lives. It can take a form of bravery for a child (or an adult) to find solutions and choices that can resolve these challenges. Again, paying attention and monitoring the feelings associated with the social setting will contribute greatly to creating to quality relationships.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to focus on ways in which parents can both monitor and model behaviors in some key social situations for their children. Her philosophy is that children do not have the experience or the wherewithal to understand that some of their social settings might make them uncomfortable for some reason, and it's important that children are given the know-how, perhaps by example, that it's okay to have those feelings and that it is in fact okay to exit situations that make you uncomfortable. Dr. Shaw uses her own life for illustrative purposes, both referring to times when she was a child and as an adult, talking about times when she was unfulfilled in a situation but stayed in that situation in order to not be alienated. If children are shown positive examples by their parents, educators and other adult influencers whereby they are given the knowledge and permission to understand and act according to their feelings, they will be better adjusted as life progresses for them.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw begins a slight shift in the focus of her podcast series. During September, she had been focused the strategies for setting the stage for success for your children in the new school year. Here, however, she pivots in a new direction and begins sharing some of the background that is being developed for a new book for adults. After writing 22 children's picture books for socio-emotional learning, Dr. Shaw created a parenting guide for effective communication with children, and now she is developing something akin to a memoir that is tentatively titled "Showing Up." Her strategies for parenting all overlap with her own personal value systems, and in this podcast she shares an interesting tale about her extended family that serves as a terrific illustration of how the way you show up as a model for your children will have a lasting impact on the kind of adults they will become. It's a brief but fascinating message with an important lesson built in about human nature.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues and concludes her mini-series on the handling of the start of a new school year, specifically the strategies that set the stage for success. For Dr. Shaw, it's all about preparation.... her prior two podcasts were about being organized and front-loading, and this episode is about the value of THE DAILY ROUTINE. In some ways, the first two components of this lineup of topics are built into the daily routine, and together everything feeds into the efficiency of your life of parenting and child-rearing. For children, there is greater personal success when there is a feeling of independence and of accomplishment. Preparation reduces stress, and a smooth flow to the day truly serves the needs of everyone in the family.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw follows up with the second part of her mini-series of podcasts geared to parents who want to "set the stage for success" with their children. Being that it's September and the start of a new school year in many parts of the U.S., Dr. Shaw felt that it was important to share some wisdom regarding how to best approach certain aspects of parenting with preparation. The conversation in this brief podcast is about FRONT-LOADING, a favorite topic of Dr. Shaw's, and here she discusses ways that a parent or an educator can front-load. She delivers some perfect examples of how she did it as a teacher along with ways that a parent can model front-loading for their children. The bottom line is that front-loading means do lots of work at the beginning of a task and one can do less later on.

This episode marks the first of an informal 3-part series, and this edition opens with the notion that it's September, it's back-to-school by now for all regions of the U.S., and that there's a piece of advice from Dr. Shaw that can be very helpful. Her tip is to be organized. While that sounds simple, we all know that parenting in general and getting children out the door and off to school specifically can be challenging. Here, Dr. Shaw discusses the how's and why's of being organized with your children... and actually, she talks about teaching the children to be organized on their own. It's a brief but fascinating discussion, especially since Dr. Shaw admits that she used to feel that being organized was repressive but she learned how liberating it really is. She also outlines some of the valuable life-lessons that exist for children who are in charge of their own organization... plus it's a major time saver. Dive in and learn how to get your children organized, and a number of daily family activities will be so much smoother and the children will actually feel more accomplished and independent.

In this brief edition, Dr. Shaw discusses a situation that not only falls into her area of specialization as a teacher, but it also has personal significance for her based on her own family experience. Here, she shares thoughts and feelings about children who are struggling readers. Dr. Shaw admits that she was one... that her daughter was as well... and she reflects on the pressures and the potential feeling of under-achievement that might be arise for a child who takes longer than some other children to grasp the skill of reading. Dr. Shaw offer sound advice about handling the possible stress and strain associated, and she provides a list of tips for the best parenting modes for dealing with a struggling reader at home. This is a quick but powerful podcast, and we hope you find it helpful.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw imparts a valuable lesson that works to serve the listener both in their own life as well as when in parenting mode. Dr. Shaw speaks here about dealing with social or interpersonal situations where one is "on the outs." There are strong feelings that can come up when one feels not included... there can also be a tendency to rationalize what's going on or to assign blame. Dr. Shaw uses a real situation close to her own heart in order to illustrate at least one way to navigate the feeling of not being included. Understanding ways to deflect ill will and ways to be confident can be incredibly valuable, not only for adults but certainly for children whose sense of safety and security is in a formative stage.

This is Episode 100 in this series, and Dr. Mindy Shaw utilizes that milestone to accomplish a couple of key things in this podcast. Among the topics covered this time is a recap of some of the key educational guidance that she has been providing for parents everywhere both here in the audio world and in her series of books

which you can find HERE. She also takes a good amount of this episode to share a very personal recent experience that has given Dr. Shaw the opportunity to re-learn some things. That same experience has also helped her to crystalize a key philosophy for education and for life... that it's all about how you show up in any circumstance.

In this very brief edition of this podcast series, Dr. Shaw shares her point of view on pressuring our children to learn. This topic was inspired but recent tutoring that Dr. Shaw has been doing with a child who is struggling slightly as they are learning to read. Dr. Shaw shares her own family's experience with this situation, and she also shares what she learned about putting undue pressure on a child about their pace of learning. Different children have different personalities and skill sets, and she encourages not to add unnecessary drama to your child's life by imposing an emotional attachment to their pace of learning. The learning will come, and it's an important lesson for all parents and educators.

In this short episode, Dr. Shaw discusses what she simply calls "Straight Talk," and the topic is one of great importance for parents who seeks to have effective communication with their children. The subject comes up often from parents and the main question asked is, "How do I discuss difficult or uncomfortable subject matter with my child?" Dr. Shaw has several great tips included here, and she gives simple, real-life examples of the kinds of topics that might be challenging. This subject matter is also covered in her wonderful parenting guide on effective communication with children, and you can find that book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJRX7JF, but while you're here, give this edition of the podcast a listen. Dr. Shaw's guidance is simple yet powerful.

I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK WITH ME - A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN

This podcast is a continuation and follow-up from a recent episode and it extends the discussion about defending one's position in human interaction. Dr. Shaw cites an example from her own life wherein she could have been argumentative and defensive, but because she is aware of NOT defending her position and to actually observe and understand what could be seen as an opposing point of view, she actually ends up learning from the situation. Energy is not wasted in this scenario on a discussion of what's right or wrong as it doesn't matter what's right and wrong... what matter is having the ability to see the situation through the eyes of another person and to learn and grow from that observation and from the compromise it might inspire. It's a difficult instinct and a muscle that must be developed, but it can be an extremely helpful for children who can only gain by seeing all sides of a situation.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the fascinating topic of strategically balancing the strong tendencies in children. She uses the example of being a fighter, and Dr. Shaw starts out by admitting that she had that quality and that that quality or tendency is often seen as a negative. Dr. Shaw points out that there are absolutely positive aspects when a child is prone to having a strong personality or is a "fighter," and she offers some interesting illustrative examples of how that behavior might play out. As she often does, Dr. Shaw brings the conversation around to maintaining effective communication with your child so that there is clarity when a strong personality trait results in correct or incorrect behavior.

In this edition, Dr. Shaw tackles some fascinating aspects of the education process. She begins by contrasting teachers who teach a lot of "stuff" and who inherently include a lot of "fluff in the stuff," and there are teaches that ascribe to the philosophy that Dr. Shaw lived by and that is to teach less stuff, but went much deeper on the essentials of education. She then introduces the concept of Guided Practice which is a type of learning where there is less independence for the child and more guidance. With less independence, there is less of a chance that the child will learn something incorrectly, and Dr. Shaw provides a great illustrative example of guided practice. She then moves the discussion into methods for self-learning in which one doesn't accept their own old stories or habits. You can do that by carefully observing yourself and then you can model your own advancement by noting it for your child.

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the concept of choice and making choices. She points out that while it can be true that perception becomes one's reality, it can also be said that the choices we make become our reality as well. She feels that life allows us to make choices, but that our choices don't come easily. For starters, we have to be conscious and aware to guide ourselves to making good choices. Sometimes we are the cause of our own suffering because we don't make the right choice, but if we can teach ourselves and our children to be aware enough to change your behavior before making the wrong choice, one can avoid choosing the wrong situation to be in. It's a deep and complex concept, yet Dr. Shaw gives some nice illustrative examples of the steps to making this work. Make the choice to listen to and understand this strategy about choices.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw takes on the challenging subject of how to hear what might be considered criticism and to not take it personally. Dr. Shaw has always been an big advocate of the concept of not taking things personally, but that can be especially delicate ground to tread upon when dealing with your children who are often in a system of education or other social settings where external rewards are a large part of the system. It all comes down to teaching children, as well as ourselves, to understand who we are in our truth, and to distance ourselves from the potentially negative feelings that can happen when we hear something that might be considered criticism.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the tricky subject of teaching our children to do the right thing FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. Dr. Shaw is a big believer in intrinsic rewards as opposed to external rewards, and she examines what that means. Schools and other systematic institutions often bestow prizes, rewards and other forms of recognition to children and to adults, and that can create a false motivation and an unrealistic expectation. The real gift is to act out of truth and to recognize that the accomplishment itself is the real reward.

In this episode, the ever-evolving nature of Dr. Shaw's podcasts becomes evident as she once again uses a personal experience and the observations generated by that experience to examine the human psyche. Her experience was the result of attending a recent retirement party for a fellow teacher, and the emotions and feelings that came up for Dr. Shaw at that event gave way to an examination into useful information. The story she shares opens the door for the listener of this podcast to alter their approach to both their own day-to-day as well as their approach to certain aspects of parenting.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw was inspired by recent personal losses to pose this question... would I live differently if every moment truly counted? The answer is clearly a "yes," so why do we live the way that we do? Regarding parenting, a corollary of that same question is what do we value? And what are our definitions of success? Her recommendations include providing clarity for the specific goals that we set for our children. Not only should we set a goal, but we should discuss WHY that goal matters. In a phrase, let's not take things for granted.

In this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw shifts away from her usual focus on direct parenting in order to cover a topic that offer good guidance to any adult.... to value what's important in life.

Dr. Shaw was inspired by the recent loss of a family member of a close friend, and her encouragement here is to always remember what's essential and critical in our lives and by doing so, we will have the greatest fulfillment that life can offer. We can get caught up in what we THINK is important, but it's often something that doesn't matter, and in fact it can be in the way of one of life's rich moments.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw address a topic requested by a listener and that is the notion of good sportsmanship among children. Dr. Shaw is a believer that good sportsmanship, like so many other social-emotional skills, has to be taught. It can be taught by good modeling by a parent or adult, and it can especially be taught in a family game situation. Examples of that modeling might happen when your family might be playing a board game at home or out playing mini-golf has a family... there may be a framework for your game where you are keeping score, but the emphasis needs to not be on the score, it needs to be on simply having fun. The side of competition that is ok according to Dr. Shaw is when you compete with yourself to be the best you can be and not when you compete against others to see who wins. Yes, there are games where someone wins and someone loses, but to participate and enjoy the game is the most important lesson for a child or for anyone, and Dr. Shaw encourages good sportsmanship in all walks of life.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the need to balance playfulness and boundaries. We need to remember that while we are having much needed fun, we also have to model being responsible. Dr. Shaw gives some examples of that kind of modeling, and she reminds us that while it's fun to be in the role of playmate with our children that we also have to remain in the role of the parent. Again, it's all about modeling. She also answers a question from a listener about teaching a child about sharing, and the answer is simply to demonstrate sharing and marking and noting the action. Dr. Shaw also provides a nice illustrative example of teaching sharing.

On this short episode, Dr. Shaw takes a moment to remind us that the motivation behind our dedication to parenting and family is based on the power of love. She once again follows up on observations viewed at a recent family gathering, a wedding to be exact, and her key reminder here is that creating and raising a family is all about developing and maintaining quality relationships within the family unit that are all based on love. After all, love is the root of all positive emotions.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a moment to examine an aspect of human behavior that comes up in both parenting and in all interpersonal exchanges, and that is the topic of defensiveness. Dr. Shaw recently participated in a family gathering and found herself in a situation where there was some confusing communication among the family members, and that communication led to a situation where she might have found herself defending herself. However, she chose to keep the the peace, and she used the model of backward design that she also uses in education to set her goal first, and act in a way that will facilitate reaching that goal. It's a great reminder about how to use your energy in the best possible way during certain types of interaction.

On this brief episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the topic of INCLUSION. She describes where the concept of inclusion begins... and, as with many things, it begins within one's self. By eliminating judgement of yourself, you will model not judging when it comes to dealing with others. Dr. Shaw talks about how the young children in her life, her grandchildren, are fortunate to have the model of inclusion in their lives. Bottom line... broad thinking leads to accepting and celebrating our differences.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about an issue that has been on her mind and she calls it "honesty," but as you can hear, it runs deeper than that. Her focus here is on being honest with oneself and the manipulation of feelings and interpersonal relationships. Some of her examples involve adults, but the mechanism and the theory she discusses applies to parenting as well. It's another interesting take on life's small moments, and as always with Dr. Shaw, it comes down to being present and in the moment.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about one of the topics found in her series of children's books for socio-emotional learning (SEL)... GREED. Her granddaughter Olivia, who is a real-life partner with Dr. Shaw in developing the SEL curriculum found in Dr. Shaw's books, recently re-read the GREED book and enjoyed its content. That event inspired this podcast wherein Dr. Shaw not only talks about the concept of what greed is for a young child, but she closely associates the feeling of greed with not "being in the moment." During this podcast, she explains that in detail and uses an example from her days in the classroom to illustrate. The books, by the way, can all be found here:

www.tinyurl.com/DrShawAuthor

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw continues with her recent theme of "finding joy" and she covers that subject with an interesting point of view this time around.... she talks about enjoying being with our children and promoting the sense that it's not always about work. Dr. Shaw focuses in particular on the notion of finding a trait or characteristic in your child that might be different from your own personality or not quite your ideal. Her advice, using several personal examples, is to enjoy the differences and have you and your child learn from one another. It's a brief but fascinating observations, and we hope you enjoy it.

In this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of finding joy in life. She begins with a reminder that we are what we pay attention to, and that by paying attention to the negative things in our lives, we are missing the many opportunities to find joy in things large and small. She offers a simple example of how to find joy in a daily occurrence, and she also points out that children find joy because they are more naturally open to it. It's an interesting reminded that modeling works both ways... the parent can model for the child, but the child can also model for the parent. This is a quick discussion, but it's also a lovely reminder of what can be.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw responds to questions that have come in to her regarding children who are exposed to bullying. While bullying has long been an unsavory practice among young children and adolescents, the notion of discussing that behavior and standing up to it is a relatively new topic of conversation. Dr. Shaw shares her vast experience with children to offer some important perspectives, examples and strategies related to the social-emotional challenge of bullying. She begins with her poignant definition of courage and takes the conversation forward from there. Once again, Dr. Shaw's solutions and strategies for resolution of a troubling situation are reasonable, do-able, simple but profound.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw once again responds to a question posed via her website, and the question this time around is one that has come up in the past: how do you as a parent talk with your child about subjects that might be difficult or uncomfortable to talk about? Dr. Shaw walks us through examples of what kinds of subject matter might come up... unpleasant stories in the news for example... and she offers solid parental guidance on the best possible approach in those situations. Her guidance includes being developmentally appropriate with you child as well as honest. Her key guidance is that your child should never be burdened with subject matter that isn't theirs to handle. This is a valuable conversation and worthy of our attention.

On this brief episode, Dr. Mindy Shaw brings on a special guest, her granddaughter Olivia who was a big part of the inspiration for Dr. Shaw's series of children's non-fiction picture books for social-emotional learning. It was conversations between Olivia and her "Min Min" that helped Dr. Shaw to apply her 30 years in the classroom with young children into a compendium of stories covering life lessons and life events. The books are complete with short talking points at the end of each story. Olivia, who just turned 7 years old, is a poised and well-spoken youngster, and Dr. Shaw uses her brief time on with Olivia on this podcast to demonstrate the authenticity of her communication with young children.

On this episode, Dr. Shaw tackles a delicate subject and that is the balance between being a helper to your child and being an enabler. While this discussion was inspired by a friend with a child that's well beyond their elementary school years, the framework for creating a relationship with your child whereby behavioral boundaries are set can begin quite early on. We've all heard the expression "tough love," and Dr. Shaw actually uses the phrase "firm love" to define the kind of socialization that many children require. This is a brief but meaningful discussion about a complex subject that can be confusing to some parents, but Dr. Shaw sheds light on the dilemma and on what's needed in terms of parental action.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a brief but deep look at the way in which we are defined by what we pay attention to. She lays out some clear and direct examples of how we can choose what we pay attention do in simple life situations like having an argument... are we paying attention the position we are holding onto or to the end result we desire in the grand scheme of our discussion. Dr. Shaw also reminds us that children are socialized into what they pay attention to, and she cites a recent example of young children learning from the modeling of those around them whether they are elders or just older siblings. It's a valuable lesson for parents looking to help teach appropriate behavior to their children by modeling and noting it.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw reviews one of her favorite principles for living and that is that each of us should not take things personally. It sounds like an easy request, but because we all have feelings and reactions, it can sometimes be a difficult principle to live by. Plus, there are moments in our parenting chores when something might be said or done that really feels like a personal affront. It is important in those moments to step back and remind ourselves about the ingredients that went into creating the situation that we are in and to remind ourselves, again, to not take it personally. This is another brief but valuable gem from Dr. Shaw.

In this episode inspired by this week's Valentine's Day holiday, Dr. Shaw addresses a few different aspects of love. She talks about generosity, and about how her philosophy has always been that the more you give, the more you get to keep. She always talks about how important it is that, whether you are dealing with just yourself or with others, you must come from a place where love is spoken. She also shares a touching story about a friend who recently lost a spouse. That couple had a fantastic relationship wherein their lives literally revolved around each other, and with one now gone, the actions of the remaining partner were a great example of how to keep one's spirit alive within the language of love. In closing, Dr. Shaw reminds us that when she writes her children's books, they are written from a place where love is spoken. Happy Valentine's Day!

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses a child's desire for attention, and specifically she is talking about what mechanisms are at work when a child is motivated by the external reward of attention as opposed to the internal rewards that come with success. It's a tricky situation because bestowing praise on a child is an important part of marking and noting the child's appropriate behavior, but you don't want a child to be doing the right thing for the wrong reason, for example, just to get praise or attention. Dr. Shaw cites an interesting example of something that would occur when she was teaching in a classroom wherein a child would seek praise in an artificial manner. The internal versus external rewards for children is a fascinating topic, and Dr. Shaw offers good guidance in this brief but poignant podcast.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw reviews a theme that has come up before in her material, but has also been coming up again via input from parents and it is the subject of DISCIPLINE. Dr. Shaw offers an interesting point of view about discipline as she identifies with the word more for its positive connotations that its negative ones. While many parents and educators hear the word "discipline" as meaning "punitive" which is negative, Dr. Shaw relates to the kind of discipline that's needed for accomplishment such as having the discipline to do a task or fulfill a responsibility. She also discusses having natural consequences for the child whenever there is misbehavior as well as the proper approach when dealing with a child who is having a temper tantrum and offers ways to communicate in that situation with your child.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw takes a step back and provides a fascinating overview of some of the parenting challenges that continue during our nearly two-year old pandemic. Dr. Shaw would like to see parents take a more active role in providing the necessary learning opportunities for their children that are missing because of the altered social settings and unnatural interaction that is taking place currently in schools. She suggests that the effort may not always be fun or painless, but it seems essential as socialization for young children continues to be severely disrupted.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw takes a brief moment to put forward another very simple but profound principle that applies to education and parenting and that is that behaviors have consequences. It seems like a very simple observation, but if a child exhibits good behavior it will result in good consequences and if a child exhibits bad behavior it will likely result in bad consequences. The most direct lesson for the child can actually be that it's not their parent who creates the consequence, but the child's behavior creates it. There's also a sidebar in this podcast regarding Dr. Shaw's observation of overly casual informality between young children (6 or 7 years old) that can result in an "attitude" when dealing with adults or more formal situations.

In this episode Dr. Shaw touches on a topic that has come up before in both her Parenting Guide (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJRX7JF) and on these podcasts, and the question is... when a child's behavior equals need, how do you balance that with healthy boundaries and consistency. The key for Dr. Shaw is front-loading and having the ability to discern the difference between pure misbehavior and behavior that earnestly stems from a need. She talks about how to recognize and understand that difference AND how to react in that situation. She also talks briefly about the impact of social and emotional role play. Dr. Shaw has a series of children's picture books that tell stories about feelings, emotions, life events and life lessons, but she also created dolls based on the characters in the book so that children can learn from action as well as the words on a page. https://learnwithmeremotely.com/shop/

I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK WITH ME - A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN

On this episode, Dr. Shaw tackles another concept that was requested as a topic by someone visiting her website, and the subject is that of managing expectations when teaching a child. Dr. Shaw was well-known for her multi-age classroom program, and she points out that in that program, children developed at different paces, and that the key to properly working with children is CAREFUL ATTENTIVE CONSCIOUS OBSERVATION. She explains how this simple but important principle operates, and she also discusses how to properly mix work and play in the educational process. Of particular interest in this podcast is her illustrative example of the approach to the simple task of teaching a child to write their name. Enjoy this concise lesson in education.

During this brief but poignant year-end podcast, Dr. Shaw shares a couple of her key wishes and goals for education and parenting. One priority that she promotes is maintaining a human connection and not to allow academic priorities to overshadow quality relationships. She has long felt that providing children and family members with an environment that feels safe, secure and nurturing can be a large part of the task in education our children.

Thanks for listening throughout 2021. We wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year from the LearnWithMeRemotely.com team!

In this brief podcast episode, Dr. Shaw dives into a question that comes to her frequently, and that is... "how do I get my children to listen to me?" Dr. Shaw has written an entire Parenting Guide on Effective Communication with children, but in this podcast she focuses on one very interesting and under-discussed aspect of getting respect from children, and that is the balance of firm and fun. Here, Dr. Shaw shares both solid parenting tips and some of her teaching experience in order to illustrate this principle. She also concludes with some good advice on having, teaching and modeling generosity during this holiday season.

This week Dr. Shaw responds to a request from a parent that she help to tackle a behavioral issue with a child, namely, the child is acting out and throwing tantrums. Dr. Shaw uses this opportunity to offer up an assessment of the situation and more importantly to provide solutions for both the parent and child. Her understanding of the best ways to communicate effectively with children help set the stage to implement strategies that will lead to a peaceful resolution and not only in the present, but for future instances where the child might be tempted to scream and yell and act out. As always, Dr. Shaw's advice is simple yet profound, and it's encapsulated in this podcast.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw conducts a brief discussion regarding interaction with your child during situations of adversity. She begins by breaking down your (the adult's) behavior into three important component parts... to begin with love, to have a strategy and to maintain your own resilience. Dr. Shaw also incorporates the notion of "Backwards Design" in education into this conversation. Backwards Design is an approach where you decide upon your desired result first, and then you can create a modality or curriculum to reach that goal. There's a lot of information in a short space in this podcast, and we hope you enjoy and try out what she suggests.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw discusses not one but two tales of success. The first story she shares was inspired by a parent who had contacted her to talk about the notion of a child's mistake being a learning opportunity. The idea of the mis-take leading to a re-take is a popular theme of Dr. Shaw's and she leads the listener through a brief but effective summary of how that concept works in the realm of parenting. Her second tale of success is about a more personal triumph, and the theme of that section of the podcast is really about how one's past, every aspect of one's past, can define you at one point, but then later, one needs to leave the baggage of that old story behind in some capacity. Your history informs you, but at some point can inhibit you. Dr. Shaw has seen various people treat her with the high regard that she deserves recently both personally and professionally, and there are lessons for her and for everyone in that "arrival."

In this podcast episode Dr. Shaw continues to examine the four main principles from one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements. Having recently discussed the principles of not making assumptions, being impeccable with your word and not taking things personally, In this episode, it's the principle that one should "do your personal best." Dr. Shaw discusses how that notion enters into the world of parenting and how an adult needs to model and mark and note instances of doing one's best whenever possible. She also steers the conversation into a fascinating look at her own experience of parenting an adolescent girl and uses that story to illustrate how a child enters an important phase when they argue with and separate from the parent.

In this podcast episode Dr. Shaw shifts her focus to a subject that she depicts as essential... the notion of OBSERVATION. It may seem obvious, but in parenting, as in all human relationships, one must be guided to take the right action. Often inaction occurs because one doesn't know what to do or what to do in order to manage a situation, but if one observes, the correct next steps will reveal themselves. In this podcast, Dr. Shaw offers up a number of examples of how to observe and what outcomes can be secured when observation occurs and analysis follows. This conversation also touches on several topics that have come up on other podcasts, so it also serves as a broad review of some of Dr. Shaw's key principles.

In this podcast episode Dr. Shaw picks up on a resource that she's touched upon in other recent podcasts, and that's the four main principles from one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements. In this case, it's the principle of "not making assumptions." Dr. Shaw dives into a brief but deep conversation about the errors and misrepresentations that can occur during parent-child communication. As always, she gives concrete, illustrative examples as explains this concept, and once again, she provides great advice on effectively parenting within the context of that principle

In this episode, Dr. Shaw briefly re-visits a topic that is actually more than just a topic... it's one of the 10 governing principles in her recent parenting book which is a guide to effective communication with children. The principle is that you need to CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING with your child, particularly around agreements that were already established such as a bedtime or what's for dinner. Dr. Shaw uses an illustration from her own life whereby she and her partner, in order to communicate more effectively about routine household responsibilities, have taken on a quick but formal form of acknowledgement when setting priorities at home. As she speaks through her own practice, it becomes a solid example of how it can be applied to parenting and to having children stick with their own commitments.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw explores a topic that was raised by a question that came in via her website at www.learnwithmeremotely.com. The question was with regard to disciplining a child, and specifically... how do we identify the difference between a learned behavior that needs to be corrected versus negative behaviors that might be out of the control of the child. It's a profound question, and the answer requires the paying of close attention to the situation by the parent or caretaker. Dr. Shaw cites some examples of both and her discussion on the topic is brief but fascinating.

In this podcast episode Dr. Shaw draws on her own recent life experience and raises a topic she has discussed in other recent podcasts, and that is the notion of children having confidence. Dr. Shaw points out that there is a stark difference between having confidence and being cocky, and she feels that it is important for anyone raising children to be well aware of the actions and condition surrounding a child when it comes to having confidence. She discuss that there are ways to celebrate a child without the celebration being shallow or void of meaning, and she also discusses how a parent can model for a child and initiate the right kind of discussion in order to boost confidence in an honest, sincere and respectful way.

In this podcast episode Dr. Shaw picks up on a topic she raised in podcast episode #52 which is an exploration of one of the four main principles from one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements. In this case once again, it's the principle of "not taking things personally" which can be a challenge in one's own life. Dr. Shaw takes the conversation one step further and delves into the notion of being defensive as a reaction to taking something personally. She leads a brief but powerful discussion about what it means to be defensive and how it can be counter-productive in any relationship but particularly in a family dynamic. She adds some poignant illustrative examples as explains this concept, and once again, she provides great advice on effectively communicating with others.

In this edition of Dr. Mindy Shaw's podcast, she has a different focus than usual, although her path on this episode does lead to her philosophy for parenting. Dr. Shaw had a close friend pass away right before this podcast, and it caused her to reflect on life's priorities and in particular what one's own roles and expectations are in one's relationships. As it relates to education, Dr. Shaw was inspired in this episode to once again shares her philosophy that knowledge in and of itself is not the goal and that knowledge without social kindness and being a part of community is almost meaningless. This philosophy has always been at the heart of her classroom teaching and it also is a key ingredient of the social and emotional learning curriculum she has created via her children's nonfiction picture book series. Listen in and in all likelihood you will agree.

In this edition of Dr. Mindy Shaw's podcast, she has elected to do a form of review. Over the past year, she has shared so many parenting tips and so much incredible educational guidance, it can be a lot to take in. In this episode, she takes you through a few of her favorite topics... modeling behavior for your child, marking and noting important moments in communication and more. As always, there is a ton of valuable insight, so enjoy....

As you may have noticed, this podcast is #52 and that means it marks one year of Dr. Mindy Shaw providing her weekly insights in podcast form. As Dr. Shaw marks that occasion, she reviews in this podcast how her recent work efforts of writing children's nonfiction books and doing podcasts all began and what motivates her to continue to contribute in this fashion. Also in this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to explore one of the four main principles from one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements. In this case, it's the notion of "not taking things personally" which can be a challenge in one's own life. Dr. Shaw delivers not only a solid interpretation of what it truly means to not take things personally, but she adds in some wonderful illustrative examples of how that principle or "agreement" can be applied effectively when taking care of and teaching young children.

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about going back to school, but not in general terms as the return to brick and mortar classrooms has a whole new meaning this year. Dr. Shaw offers some advice on what's important and how to support our children during this time of new beginning. The good news is that most children are quite excited about the prospect of re-joining the social situations that school days offer. Again, this quick podcast offers some valuable insight for parents regarding their priorities at this time.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw explores a topic that came up via contact with one of the families in her circle of friends and it is the subject of stress. Different people react differently to stressful stimuli... some of us have a short fuse when stressed while others among us may close down emotionally when dealing with stress. She discusses how one needs to identify the stress and initiate a strategy to deal with it rather than allow the stress to overwhelm our emotions. What we don't want is for the stress to disrupt the way we behave with those we love, and what we do want is to not only handle the stress as best we can, but to model our successful strategies for our children.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw returns to her discussion about the content in the Q&A section of her parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. She has a section in that book that covers her "ten most frequently asked questions" which come from parents and educators who are fans of her podcast. That Q&A makes up the closing section of her parenting guide, and if offers up some very practical applications of the content offered up in the first half of her book which are Dr. Shaw's 10 governing principles for effective communication with children. This week, she dives into 10th question from the Q&A and that is... "Are there any subjects that are taboo to discuss with children?" It's a challenging question as each family has different values and mores, but as she reads through the answer to that question in her book, Dr. Shaw covers some important ground and offers a solid point of view on the answer to that question.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw explores one of the four main principles from one of her favorite books, The Four Agreements. In this case, it's the notion of being "impeccable with your word" which can be a challenge in one's own life. Dr. Shaw's interpretation is that you must not go against yourself or be negative regarding your own actions. She deftly ties that concept into parenting and teaching, and she talks about how it is important in education to support the learning lessons they encounter. She also emphasizes that when there is a problem, the problem does not define a person, and children need to be supported in the notion of who they really are.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the notion of children having good manners. Interestingly, her first children's picture book for social and emotional learning was called "Good Manners." The podcast begins with the question... is there a right and wrong way to do something? Some things are subjective, but in the discussion of whether a child is "spoiled" or not it's not as clear. Dr. Shaw's philosophy is that behavior equals need and there is nothing wrong with getting one's needs met. If a child is overly getting what they WANT and not necessarily what they need, it could lead to a lack of appreciation. But good manners is important... saying "please" and "thank you" is a simply way of not sounding bossy and of creating a momentary acknowledgement of appreciation.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw uses an example of communication among adults to illustrate a successful strategy for communication with children. Her train of thought begins with an example of two adults communicating in which one or both of the adults might become defensive during a conversation. Her suggestion for the adults is to not be defensive but to be accommodating in terms of solving the mis-communication. She then turns that into a model for children which leads to a discussion about when to accommodate and when to have no room for negotiation with a child. It comes down to clarity and respect within the adult-child communication, and once again, it's best to hear her description of these effective strategies, and you can do so in this episode.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw shares a recent revelation about her work... that the "material" of life and the experiences of daily living provide the most true path to personal growth and learning. For Dr. Shaw, the revelation was that her series of 22 children's picture books for social and emotional learning was very much inspired by daily conversations with fellow educators as much as it was by her extensive in-classroom experience. It's best to hear her share her thoughts, and she does that in this brief but profound podcast.

Once again this week, Dr. Shaw has postponed further discussion about her new parenting book in order to lead a helpful discussion for parents on a slightly different topic. Her book is a guide for effective communication with children, and in actuality, the topic of this podcast is not unrelated to that subject matter. This discussion is related to parents and their modeling of behavior for children, and the question that Dr. Shaw explores here is... if a parent or caretaker has a limitation in a particular area, how should that adult behave around a child so that the limitations of the adult do not create a limiting environment for the child. Dr. Shaw shares examples and offers strategies for how to do what's best for the child's development.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw once again tables the conversation about her parenting guide in order to answer a question from a parent that came in via her website at www.learnwithmeremotely.com. The question involved an older sibling that was acting out due to feeling jealous of a new baby in the house. Dr. Shaw actually has TWO children's picture books that are germane to this topic... one is called Jealousy and the other is called Birth of a Sibling. This podcast draws on the learning lessons of both of those books. In "Jealousy" a child envies the possessions of another child, but it taught to not worry about what someone else has, but to count the blessing for what YOU have. In "Birth of a Sibling" it does deal with the life event of a new baby coming into the household. Dr. Shaw utilizes some very special strategies from that book during this podcast, and as always, her direct method of communication turns out to be both simple and profound.

Once again this week, Dr. Shaw has paused her conversation about her current parenting guide. She had been spending each podcast episode recently going through the Q & A section of her recent book for parents on effective communication with children, one question and answer at a time. But two things happened recently related to Dr. Shaw's work and she decided to share her reaction to those events as the subject matter on this podcast. One story that Dr. Shaw shares here is with regard to a recent meet-up that she had with a young child who has been reading her children's picture books for social and emotional learning. When the child met the real life "Min Min" from the books, he was enthralled. He asked about Olivia, the other "star" of the books series, and he wanted to meet her as well. It was a very gratifying moment for Dr. Shaw and she shares that story. She also discusses a negative review of her books that popped up on Amazon, a review where one of her simplest books was critiqued as "too advanced" for young children. Dr. Shaw discusses how this was an eye-opening experience, not because of any defensiveness on her part, but because it was a reminder that her ability to communicate with young children is so uncommon that it can be perceived as over the heads of youngsters when in fact, young children understand her words implicitly.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw takes a moment away from the discussion she's been having about the Q&A section of her recent parenting book. Instead of diving into the next question, she decided to share a brief bit of audio pulled from a video that was created for her potential production partners on a television project. The audio is brief and it sounds different than her usual recordings as, again, it was pulled from a video, but still, the content is important and that's why it is being shared here.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the next item to come up in the Q&A section of her recent parenting book, and this time it is the 9th question in that Q&A. The book is called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN, and in recent weeks, she has been reviewing the closing section of that book which is a list of the "ten most frequently asked questions" from parents and educators. The answers to those common questions serve to illustrate practical applications of Dr. Shaw's 10 governing principles for effective communication with children which make up the opening section of her parenting guide. At the start of this podcast, Dr. Shaw shares a personal reflection on how her current endeavors feel like right action, done because it's what's desired, not required by others. Then there's that 9th question from the Q&A, and that question is, "Can we address internal versus external rewards and reinforcement?" Dr. Shaw is a big proponent of limiting external rewards and having a child's learning or experience be the reward in and of itself. It's another insightful discussion from Dr. Mindy Shaw.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the next item to come up in the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. In recent weeks, she has been reviewing her valuable list of the "ten most frequently asked questions" which came from parents and educators who are fans of her podcast. Those questions, plus one 11th bonus question, make up the closing section of her parenting guide, and that Q&A section offers some very practical applications of the content offered up in the first half of her book, and that is Dr. Shaw's 10 governing principles for effective communication with children. Before diving headfirst into answering that question, Dr. Shaw reflects on a recent visit with family which reminded her that a full life is a life filled with love. Then, Dr. Shaw arrives at the moment where she reveals and answers the 8th question in the Q&A section of her book, and that question is, "Can you address punishment versus natural consequences?" Dr. Shaw discusses the negative connotation of punishment versus the learning lesson aspect of a natural consequence. She also talks about the need for prior agreements about natural consequences and that you cannot change your mind about agreed upon consequences. She also demonstrates an understanding that natural consequences can be upsetting. It's more great parenting advice from both her book and from Dr. Shaw herself.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the next item to come up in the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. In recent weeks, she has been reviewing her valuable list of the "ten most frequently asked questions" which came from parents and educators who are fans of her podcast. Those questions, plus one 11th bonus question, make up the closing section of her parenting guide, and that Q&A section offers some very practical applications of the content offered up in the first half of her book, and that is Dr. Shaw's 10 governing principles for effective communication with children. This week, she dives into seventh question from the Q&A and that is... "How can I teach my child how to share?" Before diving headfirst into answering that question, Dr. Shaw reflects for a moment on the difference between being and doing. Then, when she does address the question of sharing, the number one tip that Dr. Shaw provides is to model it. When sharing occurs in your family, mark it, note it and discuss it. By shining a spotlight on the behavior of sharing, it will become a valued way of living. She also mentions related behaviors such as taking turns. This is another simple yet profound lesson from Dr. Shaw.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw examines the next item to come up in the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. If you are new to this series, Dr. Shaw has been going through the "ten most frequently asked questions" from parents who are fans of her podcast. Those questions, plus one 11th bonus question, make up the closing section of her parenting guide, and that Q&A section offers some very practical applications of the content offered up in the first half of her book, and that is Dr. Shaw's 10 governing principles for effective communication with children. This week, she dives into sixth question from the Q&A and that is... "What do I do if my child won’t eat the food that I serve?" Dr. Shaw shares a few fascinating angles on this question, and one point of view involves one of her favorite topics, front-loading. Clearly, if there's an agreement with your child ahead of time, this predicament will be avoided, and if not, there will be natural consequences. Dr. Shaw also talks quite a bit in this podcast about giving responsibility to a child. It's more great tips for parents and educators, so enjoy!

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to review the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. However, before she gets to the section of the book being recapped on this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw openly reflects on the notion of championing. To champion someone is a wonderful means of emotional support, and we often don't take the time to champion our children. Think about how you feel when someone champions you, and you will realize how important it can be for a child. Regarding her parenting guide, as of this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw is spending time discussing the above-referenced closing section of the book which features the ten most frequently asked questions that Dr. Shaw hears from parents and podcast listeners. This week, she dives into fifth of those questions which is also perhaps the most common question, "What do I do with my children who always want to talk when I am uncomfortable talking because I don’t know what to say?" Dr. Shaw shares that she loves the honesty of this question, and her answer include a range of parenting tips, from recommending that we recognize that some of us are more extroverted than others to suggestion ways to get professional help from a counsellor and how to even introduce that concept to a child. Again, it's great material, so enjoy!

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to review the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. In recent podcasts, Dr. Shaw has reviewed the 10 governing principles for effective parent-child communication which forms the opening section of her book, however, the closing section of the book features the ten most frequently asked questions that Dr. Shaw hears from parents and podcast listeners. This week, she dives into fourth of those questions which is, "How can I get my child to talk when my child never wants to tell me how they feel?" Dr. Shaw has a terrific answer which is all outlined in this podcast, and her recommendation involves both honoring the fact that different children have different skills when it comes to verbal communication and also modeling how to initiate potentially sensitive conversations. It's really a masterful bit of parent-child advice, so enjoy.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to review the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. However, before she gets to the section of the book being recapped on this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw openly discusses her motivation for sharing knowledge. She has a true philosophy of "paying it forward," and her longstanding multi-age school program for a combined Kindergarten-First Grade classroom served as a perfect example and illustration of that philosophy. Regarding her parenting guide, as of this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw is spending time discussing the above-reference closing section of the book which features the ten most frequently asked questions that Dr. Shaw hears from parents and podcast listeners. This week, she dives into third of those questions which is also perhaps the most common question, "What do I do when my child won’t listen to me? No one understands parent-child communication better than Dr. Shaw, and her answer to this question which focuses on front-loading agreements between parent and child is astoundingly simple and accurate. This is great material, and it addresses what is apparently a very common dilemma. Enjoy!

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to review the Q&A section of her recent parenting book called I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK TO ME... A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN. In recent podcasts, Dr. Shaw has reviewed the 10 governing principles for effective parent-child communication which forms the opening section of her book, but the closing section of the book features the ten most frequently asked questions that Dr. Shaw hears from parents and podcast listeners. This week, she dives into second of those questions which is, "How do get my child to go to bed at bedtime?" Dr. Shaw has the answer which is all centered on front-loading... front-loading both an agreement about the details of bedtime and the consequences for not upholding that agreement. This is great material, and it addresses a very common scenario, so enjoy.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw returns to the topic of her recent parenting book titled I Like How You Speak to Me - A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children. Over the course of recent podcasts, Dr. Shaw had reviewed the all-important 10 governing principles for effective communication as documented in her book. Now, starting on this podcast, she is taking the listener through the Q & A section of her book during which she answers the 10 most frequently asked questions that parents have brought to Dr. Shaw... plus one bonus question. This week's question is a common one... How can I stop getting impatient, frustrated or angry when we are in a hurry and my child is moving slower than a snail? Listen closely.... the answer to this question also holds the key to many more parent-child dilemmas.

This week Dr. Shaw is featuring the audio of another media appearance, this time it's from WDCW-TV in Washington, DC. Reporter Jimmy Alexander from DCW50, the CW Network Affiliate in Washington, produced and anchored a piece about children returning to school post-pandemic, and he was kind enough to seek out Dr. Shaw's opinions on that subject and talk with her about her work. This podcast episode is actually the audio of that interview and the report in which is appears.

On her last podcast, Dr. Shaw shared a recent media appearance where she was interviewed about her work, but two episodes ago, Dr. Shaw wrapped up her discussion of her Ten Governing Principles that guide effective communication with children. The list of those principles and the discussion around them form the first major section of Dr. Shaw's new parenting guide available on Amazon. In the middle of that book there is a short children's book which serves as a model for why Dr. Shaw's style of communicating with young children is so effective, and in this podcast, along with a recap of recent events for Dr. Shaw and a recap of those 10 governing principles, there is a reading of the children's section of the parenting guide. What's most important is that the information and its practical application all blend together the way Dr. Shaw presents it.

On this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a break from her recent podcast format whereby she has been sharing her 10 governing principles for effective communication with children. Those principles form an important opening section of her new parenting book which can be found here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJRX7JF . The recent publishing of that book landed her once again on WDST-FM in Woodstock where she was a return guest on the Sunday show known as The Woodstock Roundtable. That program is hosted by Doug Grunther, and Dr. Shaw's recent guest appearance on that program made for a great discussion about her new parenting guide and about her work in general including all of her social and emotional learning books for children. This interview with Dr. Shaw was lively and interesting, so she decided to share it as this week's podcast. Enjoy.

I LIKE HOW YOU SPEAK WITH ME - A PARENT'S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review her "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children. These principles make up the foundation of her new guidebook for parents just published recently and available at Amazon.com. The book is titled I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists the aforementioned Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the tenth and final one in this series of conversations. Her tenth governing principle, the one she discusses here, is TO BE PRESENT AND IN THE MOMENT. While Dr. Shaw starts out by stating that we should always want to be in the moment in our lives, it's not always so easy, especially when raising children. There's lots to do, and there always seems to be a stressful moment. Sometimes those moments get in the way of paying attention to the one entity that needs your attention right then and there, your child. Each of the 10 governing principles is intended to be used in tandem with the other 9, and between this podcast series and her new parenting book, Dr. Shaw shares some great strategies for getting your parent-child communication to actually work.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review her "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children. First, she starts off with a recap of all of her recent work, especially her 20+ children's nonfiction picture books for Social and Emotional Learning. Dr. Shaw then transitions into a brief but potent discussion of her 9th Governing Principle from her new parenting book. The 10 governing principles form the backbone of her guidebook for parents just published recently and available at Amazon.com. The book has the appropriate title of I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists the aforementioned Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the ninth of those ten. Her ninth governing principle, the one she discusses here, is TO BE RESPECTFUL. In Dr. Shaw's opinion, respect is mutual and respect is earned. As a parent you don't just "get" respect, you model it and you earn it. Each of the 10 governing principles is intended to be used in tandem with the other 9, and between this podcast series and her new parenting book, Dr. Shaw shares some great strategies for getting your parent-child communication to actually work.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review her "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children. Those principles for the backbone of her new parenting guide just published recently and available at Amazon.com. That new book was first introduced during this podcast series a number of weeks ago, and the concept for Dr. Shaw's new parenting guide is to help parents and educators communicate effectively with young children. The book has the appropriate title of I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists the aforementioned Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the eighth of those ten. Her eighth governing principle, the one she discusses here, is TO ALWAYS CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING. While it sounds obvious, checking that your child is clear about what you are saying is completely necessary for effective communication because without understanding one's communication cannot possibly be effective. Perhaps the biggest revelation in this podcast is HOW you can check for understanding and what to do about it if it turns out your child does not understand what you are saying. Each of the 10 governing principles is intended to be used in tandem with the other 9, and between this podcast series and her new parenting book, Dr. Shaw shares some great strategies for getting your parent-child communication to actually work.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review her "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children that are featured in her brand new parenting guide just out and available at Amazon.com. This new book was first announced during this Dr. Shaw podcast a number of weeks ago, and the concept for this new parenting guide is to help parents and educators communicate effectively with young children. The book has the appropriate title of I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists Dr. Shaw's Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the seventh of those ten. Her seventh governing principle, the one she discusses here, is TO HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS. If you know Dr. Shaw or have been following her work for a while now, then you know that this principle is very much in-keeping with her philosophy about education and about life in general. As Dr. Shaw discusses what it means to have and maintain high expectations for your children as well as for yourself, she offers up several examples, including one self-deprecating tale. In the end, you'll see how this governing principle is so important and how it works intermingled with the other 9 governing principles outlined in her parenting guide.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review the "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children that are featured in her brand new parenting guide just out and available at Amazon.com. Her new book for parents was first introduced and outlined by Dr. Shaw on a podcast several weeks back, and the concept for this new parenting guide is to help parents and educators communicate effectively with young children. The book has the appropriate title of I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists Dr. Shaw's Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the sixth of those ten. Her sixth governing principle, the one she discusses here, is TO NOT BE AFRAID TO MODEL MAKING MISTAKES for your child. As she discusses that guidance here, Dr. Shaw provides several illustrations of to not cover up mistakes in front of your children and in fact to teach them that there is no shame in making mistakes and that in fact, mistakes are where one finds learning opportunities.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review the "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children that are featured in her brand new book for parents. Several weeks ago on an earlier podcast, Dr. Shaw first introduced and outlined her concept for the new parenting guide that she created. That book is now out... it's called I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists Dr. Shaw's Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode. This is the fifth of those, and the guiding principle she discusses here is TO BE CONSISTENT AND HAVE FOLLOW-THROUGH. She provides a great illustration of how this might come up for parents by describing a child acting out at bedtime. As with many of the other governing principles that Dr. Shaw espouses, this one involves making prior agreements with your child. The secret to this aspect of effective communication is to front-load an agreement with your child including the consequences of breaking that agreement, and by remaining consistent and modeling consistency.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review the "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children that are featured in her brand new book for parents. On Podcast Episode 18 in this series, Dr. Shaw first introduced and outlined her concept for a new parenting guide that she was writing. That book is now out... it's called I Like How You Speak to Me... A Parent's Guide to Effective Communication with Children, and the opening section of that book lists Dr. Shaw's Ten Governing Principles for effective communication. Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the fourth of those, and the guiding principle she discusses here is TO BE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE. She provides some great illustrations of how this comes up in real life communication, and she is careful to encourage parents to not "baby" their child and to also not speak over their heads... it has to be done just right. It's a fascinating element of parent-child communication, and that's what this podcast is focused on.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review the "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children. This avenue of discussion was introduced on Episode 18 of her podcast series when Dr. Shaw first introduced and outlined her concept for a new parenting book on how to get children to listen. At that time, Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the second of those, and the guiding principle she discusses here is NOT OVER-SPEAKING. She provides some great illustrations of how not to over-speak with your child and she explains why it is detrimental to your parent-child communication.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues to review the "Ten Governing Principles" for effective communication with children. This avenue of discussion was introduced on Episode 18 of her podcast series when Dr. Shaw first introduced and outlined her concept for a new parenting book on how to get children to listen. At that time, Dr. Shaw promised that for ten straight podcasts she would delve into a discussion of one guiding principle per episode, and this is the second of those, and the guiding principle she discusses here is CLARITY. Also, in this podcast, she describes her new parenting book in greater detail and explains how it will be uniquely divided into three parts... (1) the "Ten Guiding Principles" for communicating with children, (2) a short children's book inserted in the middle of the parenting information that actually shows the inspiration for all of the Dr. Shaw children's book, and (3) the book's final section which features questions most frequently asked by parents. Not surprisingly, Dr. Shaw's answers to those questions incorporate examples of the Ten Guiding Principles.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw continues on her new discussion path that was started on her last podcast. On that podcast, Dr. Shaw outlined her concept for a new parenting book on how to get children to listen. She outlined her "Ten Governing Principles" for communicating with children, after which she promised to go into detail about each of those ten principles on her next ten podcasts. This is the first of those, and the guiding principle she discusses here is BEING HONEST when communicating with children.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw introduces a new area of discussion based upon requests that she has received from parents, and that topic is how to speak with children in a manner so that they will listen. Dr. Shaw actually mentions that, instead of a new children's book, she is currently working on turning this particular topic into a new book designed to help parents. She breaks down what she calls "The Ten General Principles for Communicating with Children," and while Dr. Shaw acknowledges that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for children, these guiding principles will go very far in creating successful communication with children.

In this episode Dr. Shaw follows up on an inspiration that cropped up during a recent radio interview on which she appeared. She was discussing her books and the subject of social and emotional learning and it was suggested that adults needed that kind of learning as much as children. This podcast picks up on that theme and talks in depth about how "we are what we pay attention to" and how modeling for children, especially in this troubled time of remote and disrupted education, is so important.

On this episode, Dr. Shaw shares her recent interview on WDST in Woodstock. The Woodstock Roundtable is hosted by Doug Grunther on WDST, and Dr. Shaw's recent guest appearance on that program made for a lively discussion about her work and her educational philosophy. The Q&A included here also led the conversation down some interesting avenues, so again, this was worth sharing.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw talks about a subject that came up because it was the holiday season... the topic is greed and being greedy. Children often want more than is necessary, and Dr. Shaw shares her strategies for dealing with greediness drawn from her lifetime of experience teaching young children. She teaches that when a child is "in the moment," that child is able to appreciate what they have as opposed to being preoccupied with the next shiny object.

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw is focused on the concept of LEARNING LESSONS. She talks about what makes a true learning lesson, how to "scaffold" with children during their education process, how to celebrate the unknown as the place where learning truly occurs and how to not treat a mistake as heavy, but rather as the gateway to learning.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a detour from her recent episodes of discussing character building to talk about a related issue, bullying. She discusses her philosophy that behavior comes from need, and that bullies don't feel good about themselves which is why they behave the way they do... to make others feels small so they can feel bigger. She then reads her book titled "Showing Off", which is part of her acclaimed new series of children's books for social and emotional learning.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues her recent theme of building character. Her trademark as a teacher was to always have her students be exposed to honest conversations and quality relationships, and with that foundation she was able to teach humanity daily. During this podcast, several concrete examples of educational strategies are shared that can be helpful to parents and teachers alike.

In Ep 11, Dr. Shaw introduces the notion of building character in children. She discusses what good character means, and she reads her children's book titled Sorry aloud as an illustration of character development. In that book, a child learns that just saying "I'm sorry" isn't enough... one needs to change their behavior to demonstrate true remorse. Dr. Shaw reviews the book's talking points. She then concludes by asking listeners to continue to provide feedback.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the topic of GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP and its role in the social and emotional development of children. Dr. Shaw shares some thought-provoking examples of good and bad sportsmanship and the life lessons that are built into that behavior. Another topic that is important to Dr. Shaw is CHARACTER, and she connects the practice of good sportsmanship to growth into a person of good character.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw explores the concept of internal and external reinforcement and role of such reinforcement in education. Her examination of the kinds of rewards systems that are sometimes used in schools or at home is eye-opening for parents and teachers everywhere.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw follows up on some education concepts that were discussed in recent podcasts and also gets into the teaching strategy known as "scaffolding." She explains that educational tool for parents and teachers and she follows that up with a conversation about a child needing to be responsive in order to be responsible. As always, this is a fascinating and very helpful discourse.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw begins by re-examining the notion of a "mis-take" being a learning lesson. She clarifies ways in which a mistake might not be celebrated as a learning opportunity. She also talks in detail about the concept behind her series of books for socio-emotional learning and she launches into a fascinating discussion about the use of "strategies" in education and parenting.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw answers a follow-up question about her comment on a recent podcast about "socializing a child's behavior." She explains that concept using real life examples, and then she reads one of the stories from her recent book series. The chapter she reads is the one titled "SHAME" and it provides a fascinating framework for a discussion about shame and a child's natural reaction to making a mis-take. To Dr. Shaw, there are no "mistakes," only learning opportunities.

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes questions that have come in via her website at www.learnwithmeremotely.com. One question is about making mistakes in front of our children. Another is about why the need for repetition in learning. And the final question is about teaching children about sharing. All three answers include invaluable and highly detailed conversations and examples that are helpful to parents everywhere.

In Ep 4, Dr. Shaw is joined by PreSchool educator Christina DeGrote who reads and discusses Dr. Shaw's children's picture book, "Anger." Dr. Shaw's vital series of single chapter e-books & multi-chapter paperbacks (all on Amazon) were created to help parents, educators and children to work on their socio-emotional development. After the story reading in this podcast, Ms. DeGrote and Dr. Shaw continue to have a lively discussion about various valuable educational strategies.

In this episode, Dr. Mindy Shaw discusses education with regard to the themes of consistency and follow-through. Dr. Shaw has 30+ years of experience with 4 to 8 year olds, and she shares important information in this podcast that will help parents deliver the messages to their children that the children want and need.

In this second podcast in the series, Dr. Shaw visits with Christina DeGrote, a colleague and Pre-School teacher, to discuss the educational impact that the Dr. Shaw series of books can have on students in need of support for their social and emotional learning. Christina reads the short picture book, "A Kid's Concern: The Coronavirus," and the colleagues share their thoughts about the content.

In this first podcast in the series we meet Dr. Mindy Shaw and discuss what it means to teach humanity to young schoolchildren and how the current remote learning environment may impact social and emotional learning.