Ep. 48: Common Sense Media with Reid Broudy
Something I always talk about is the parent child relationship. It is so important, especially at this age. Reid Broudy Reid Broudy is a rising senior who attends Wildwood School in Los Angeles. Reid has been coming to Gold Arrow Camp since 2014 and recently completed the Junior Counselor program. His camp nickname is REX.…
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Talking with Kids about Friendship
“Friendship is a life skill you need to learn, so why not start now?” Jackson, Age 9 I spent yesterday evening making friendship bracelets and talking about friendship with a group of campers. We were outside, near pine trees and a campfire — the perfect camp setting. At one point, a deer walked by about…
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Ep. 42: Jedi Mom Tricks with Maria Horner, Part 3
“Don’t use the power of your voice, use your feet” -Maria Horner In Episode 42, Maria Horner is back with the final installment of her Jedi Mom Tricks. This is Part 3, the final installment of our series! Listen here if you missed Jedi Mom Tricks (Part 1) and (Part 2)! These Jedi Mom…
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7 Ways to Help Kids Through their Teen Years
A focus of our staff training is helping counselors learn to connect with kids, empathize with them, and give them positive, supportive guidance. A powerful exercise we do is to ask our staff (19-24 year olds) to reflect on what they remember as being their most difficult time growing up. This summer, as has been…
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Ep. 38: We Turned Out Okay with Karen Lock Kolp
A lot of what I teach is helping parents understand their children as people. The best way to be happy in your parenting is to recognize that your child is a person and to respect them and expect that respect in return. -Karen Lock Kolp In Episode 38, I have a fun chat with Karen…
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What do Kids Need at Different Ages?
In preparation for training our camp counselors, I’ve spent some time revising and updating our materials and resources about the different characteristics and needs of the age groups we serve at camp. This information can be helpful for parents, as well. In this post, I’m including the chart of Age Group Characteristics and Needs, as…
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Ep. 33: Jedi Mom Tricks (Part 2) with Maria Horner
You decide as a family what’s important…Every single thing can’t be important. You have to pick a few things that are in alignment with your family’s values and then really, really be consistent with them. Maria Horner In Episode 33, I’m with Maria Horner talking about more of her “Jedi Mom Tricks!” Listen here if you…
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Ep. 31: Listen: 5 Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges
You’re not alone. Whatever struggle you’re facing and however hard it feels to you right now, I’m confident that with support you can get through it. And I’m 100% confident that you’re not the first or only parent to have slipped up in all the ways you have slipped up, nor are you the only…
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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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Ep. 29: Empowering Kids through Outdoor Adventures
Instead of telling kids what to do, we have the kids tell us what to do. It’s an empowering experience to let kids think that way from a young age. -Paul Dreyer In Episode 29, I’m chatting with Kyle Littman (COO) and Paul Dreyer (CEO) of Avid 4 Adventure. Kyle and Paul are both passionate about…
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Ep. 26: Be the Parent, Please with Naomi Riley
“Parents are bombarded by technology. We’re all under a lot of pressure. But we’ve somehow lost all sense about parenting when it comes to screens. And we have sense when it comes to other things. Our kids don’t ask us for chocolate cake for breakfast every morning. And you know why? Because we’ve created the…
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One Simple Thing: Monthly Parenting Challenges for a Happier, More Connected Family
Each month this year, I’m sharing One Simple Thing to try to create a happier, more connected family! January: Daily Family Sharing February: Calm the Morning Chaos March: Discovering Your “Authentic” Self April: How to get Closer to your Kid in 5 Minutes a Day May: 3 Reasons to Give Your Kid a “WOW” Today:…
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