In the spring, I often get a lot of questions about what parents should be doing with their kids over the summer to keep them from regressing. That’s why in episode 016 of the Are they 18 yet?™ podcast, I shared my tips and recommendations for summer “school” work, so the back-to-school routine doesn’t throw…
Tag: parenting
EP 013: Talking to your partner and your kids about money
In episode 013 of the Are They 18 Yet?™ Podcast, I sit down with my husband Joe as we share how we handled conversations on some difficult topics when we first got together. Joe was a single dad when we met (Olivia was 3), and having a child in the picture had a huge impact the…
EP 012: Body image and media: What stories are we telling our kids? (with Dr. Kate Browne)
In this episode, I sit down with writer and speaker Dr. Kate Browne to talk about the narratives being told in the media, the impact it has on our beliefs, and the way it’s effecting our kids’ health and well-being. In this interview, Dr. Browne shares both her personal experiences that led to her becoming…
EP 011: Your mental health: Why it’s impacting your kids (with Katherine Endy)
In episode 011 of the Are They 18 Yet? Podcast, I sit down with Katherine Endy from The Family Life Coach. Katherine is a social worker, mom of 3, and doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland. If you’re a parent, you’ve likely spent a lot of time thinking about your kids’ behavior and mental…
EP 010: Single parenting and emotional well-being after divorce (with Mary Leonard)
If you or someone you know is going through a divorce with kids involved, you’re not going to want to miss this episode of the Are they 18 yet?™ Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with my sister, Mary Leonard, and talk about how to help your kids build resiliency when coping with big…
EP 009: Time Management and Device Use Boundaries for kids with ADHD (with Mike McLeod)
I don’t know about you, but I secretly miss the days when I would use the phone to actually TALK to people. I was late to the cell phone party…and was certainly one of the last ones to get a phone that was multifunctional. Now that I’ve joined the dark side and had a phone…
EP 008: Building accountability and motivation in kids with ADHD (with Mike McLeod)
When it comes to working with kids who have ADHD, it’s easy to mistake skill-based issues with behavioral issues. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say things like: “They’re just lazy.” “He doesn’t care about doing well in school.” “I’ve tried giving rewards and punishments…nothing motivates her.” In many cases, it seems like…
EP 007: Positive Reinforcement: Does it really help motivate kids?
When I worked in the school systems, rewards and behavior charts were a common practice. Even in my training to be a therapist, “positive reinforcement” was often a go-to strategy for managing behaviors and motivating kids to do “non-preferred” tasks. The problem was that for a lot of kids it didn’t work. And what was…
EP 004: Building discipline and self-management in elementary school through college
When raising kids in elementary school, junior high, and high school, a lot of parents wonder if they’re preparing their kids for what lies ahead in college and adulthood. We can’t look in to a crystal ball and predict the future, but we can bring insights from our own failures and successes to the way…
EP 003: The Breaking Point
We all have a point where the demands of life become too overwhelming and we lose our ability to self-manage and stay disciplined. For people who have a diagnosis of ADHD, that point can come sooner rather than later. In this episode, my husband (Joe) shares what happened when he hit his breaking point, including:…