The Power of Showing Up Book Review
The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired The Power of Showing UpBook ReviewThe most important thing we can do for our kids is show up for them.Whether or not you had a parent or care giver who helped you feel safe, seen, soothed,…
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Ep. 135: Advice & Ideas from Teachers During COVID-19
Show notes & links. I’ve spent the past weeks talking with youth development experts who are sharing their advice and encouragement for parents during this crazy time of social distancing, sheltering at home, or what I like to now call “Iso for the Rona” (the Australian term for “Isolation for the Coronavirus” that I learned…
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Advice & Encouragement During COVID-19: Bringing Camp Home with Ariella Rogge
Long-time camp director Ariella Rogge of Sanborn Western Camps has a TON of amazing ideas for activities we can do to encourage our kids to explore nature. She also shares connection tips families can use to stay close during COVID-19. Watch our Chat L Links to Instructions & Downloads for Activities we Discussed NATURE NUGGETS…
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Ep. 123: Connection Comes First
Show notes & links available here. In this episode, I’m talking about my theme for this month: Connection! All month long, my posts and podcast episodes are centered around this topic, and it’s one that I feel is critically important to raising thriving kids. In fact, the first chapter of my book Happy Campers (Secret…
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Ep. 99: The Myth of the Perfect Girl with Ana Homayoun
The Myth of the Perfect Girl In Episode 99, I talk with Ana Homayoun, a nationally recognized counselor and consultant specializing in positive strategies for junior high and high school students. Ana was previously on the podcast (Ep. 45) talking about her book Social Media Wellness: Helping Tweens and Teens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital…
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Ep. 92: Creating Strong Relationships with Teens
In Episode 92, I’m chatting with educator and parent coach, Helaina Altabef, founder of Tame the Teen. We talk about building up the attributes parents need to form strong, caring relationships with teens. BIG IDEAS There is a lot of disconnection between parents and their kids. It is possible for parents to learn how to…
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Ep. 89: The Power of Connection to Build Good Men with Michael Reichert, Ph.D.
“Give yourself the gift of listening to a boy and don’t be put off by boys that seem like they don’t want your gift, they can’t help themselves. They will want it sooner or later.” Michael Reichert, Ph.D. In this podcast episode, I interview Michael C. Reichert, Ph.D., founding director of the Center for the…
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Ep. 70: Parent on Purpose with Amy Carney
“It is not about creating some outcome for the kids. It’s just about us coming together to figure out what values are really important to us, what type of adult we would like to launch, and how we can help them to get to that place.” Amy Carney In Episode 70, I’m chatting with Amy…
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The Wisdom of High School Girls
One highlight of my summer has been meeting with our oldest female campers to discuss relationships, goals, and life. These girls have so much wisdom to share with each other and with adults. We meet on the middle Sunday of their two-week camp session. We spend two hours doing activities together and sharing ideas about…
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Ep. 32: 10 Benefits of Summer Camp for Teens
It’s those deep relationships that are formed at summer camp that really have a dramatic influence on them. -Stephen Gray Wallace In Episode 32, I’m talking with Stephen Gray Wallace about his recent article for Teen Life : 10 Reasons Why High School Students Will Get a Lot from Summer Camp. Adolescents’ Three Primary Developmental Tasks Forming an…
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How to get Closer to your Kid in 5 Minutes a Day
One-on-Ones On our counselor job description, one of their duties is to “check in with each camper, every day.” We call these check-in meetings “One-on-Ones.” Counselors ask campers specific, open-ended questions to elicit how campers are feeling. The counselors ask about their friendships, activities, how much they’re missing home, what’s going well, and if they…
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