Connection Tip #2: Start a Daily Family Sharing Habit
“Just like at camp, connections are the result of intentionally chosen, day-to-day family habits that create feelings of warmth and belonging.” –Happy Campers Secret #1: Connection Comes First One of my favorite connection tips (besides unplugging) is having a daily family sharing habit. I’ve honed my ideas on this topic over many years of practice around…
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Highs, Lows, and Buffaloes
What do kids choose to share about their friendships, camp experiences, time at school, and other life experiences? Sometimes, not much. An activity we do during nightly campfires at camp is an excellent way to get kids to share, and it’s also an easy family sharing habit that leads to better communication and connection. Highs…
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Connection Tip #1: Full Attention
“It’s the little, ordinary parts of our family life that our kids will remember. The feeling of what it was like to be home and to belong.” –Happy Campers Secret #1: Connection Comes First Kids need our full, undivided, undistracted attention for at least a few minutes every day. As little as TWO minutes a day…
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Why Kids Need to Get Uncomfortable
As parents, we spend a lot of time making our kids comfortable. Feeling cold? I’ll grab you a sweatshirt. Hungry? Let me get you a snack right away! Kid being unkind? I’ll complain to the teacher and make her stop! At times, I’ve felt like it’s my duty to alleviate any discomfort my child is…
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Pick a Summer Theme!
With school out, longer days, and more open space in your family’s schedule, summer offers a great opportunity to try something new! Instead of getting bogged down (like I often do) with lofty goals and plans that just aren’t realistic (like cleaning out every closet), why not pick one main theme for your family’s summer…
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Ep. 164: Growing Gratitude
Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 164, I’m chatting with my friend Sara Kuljis of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp. We talk about family gratitude practices and lessons from camp for having more grateful families. At Thanksgiving, it’s easy to remember to be grateful, but the…
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Ep. 162: The Power of Selectively Ignoring Behavior
SHOW NOTES Join the Sunshine Parenting PATREON squad for special perks, including bonus podcast episodes, exclusive posts, and resources! This month’s Patreon resource: 31 Simple Things: 31 of my favorite tips for happier, more connected families. Join Audrey’s email subscriber community for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. Frustrated with your kids’ (or…
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Ep. 161: An Inside Look at Sunshine’s Parenting
Join Audrey’s email subscriber community for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. This week on the podcast, hear directly from my kids about their thoughts about my parenting. My guests are my oldest and youngest kids, Gretchen (age 26) and Owen (age 17). They happen to be the only two of our kids…
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Ep. 155: The Bottom Line for Baby with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
SHOW NOTES This week’s conversation is with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D., the trusted, down-to-earth parenting expert many of us have grown to trust over the years due to her pragmatic, research-based approach and advice. Tina has researched and written the reference book every new parent needs to combat the anxiety from competing advice from family…
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Parenting in Place Masterclass Series
I’m thrilled to be part of this new collective of some of today’s most prominent thought leaders in parenting, neuroscience, and well-being, whose books together have sold more than 3 million copies. We are passionate about helping families navigate these challenging times, and have come together to share our very best strategies and ideas for…
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My Biggest Fan
Mother’s Day 2020 In anticipation of Mother’s Day, I took some time going through some pictures of my mom today. The pictures remind me… How my mom, to me, has always been the most beautiful, glamorous, put-together, high fashion woman in the world. How my mom has always been what we refer to in our…
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Advice from an Aussie during “Iso for the Rona”
Hi SP Friends, I absolutely love receiving emails from Sunshine Parenting Podcast listeners with feedback, ideas, and questions. This email came in from Vicki, who is a chiropractor who specializes in treating patients for the physical effects of stress. Vicki lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and three children. If you’ve heard my phrase,…
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