If men are from Mars, and women from Venus, then where in the world are teenagers from? If you are parenting a teen, you know that they are far from the person they might have been just a year or two ago. How do we communicate with this new breed? And what can we do when our children are younger to prepare for this difficult time? On this week's show, Sarah Newton (http://www.sarahnewton.com), know as the "teenage Super Nanny," shares her unique wisdom on this topic.

If men are from Mars, and women from Venus, then where in the world are teenagers from? If you are parenting a teen, you know that they are far from the person they might have been just a year or two ago. How do we communicate with this new breed? And what can we do […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – How to Survive the Teenage Years appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Books truly are a child's bridge to the future and the past, and to imagination and reality. However, with competition from television, video games, the Internet, and apps, are children still reading books? How are things changing in the publishing industry and will modern technological developments help or hurt the field of children's literature? On this week's show, I have fascinating conversations with three different guests to help address these questions: Steve Geck is the Editorial...

Books truly are a child’s bridge to the future and the past, and to imagination and reality. However, with competition from television, video games, the Internet, and apps, are children still reading books? How are things changing in the publishing industry and will modern technological developments help or hurt the field of children’s literature? On […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – What Does The Future Hold for Children’s Books? appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

My guest Kristine Barnett, author of The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism (http://www.amazon.com/The-Spark-Mothers-Nurturing-Genius/dp/0812993373/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364859232&sr=8-1&keywords=kristine+barnett+the+spark), pulled her 3 year old severely autistic son out of his special education pre-school in an attempt to return his childhood and try to re-connect him to the world by nurturing his passion for the stars. HIs special ed teacher thought that...

My guest Kristine Barnett, author of The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius, and Autism, pulled her 3 year old severely autistic son out of his special education pre-school in an attempt to return his childhood and try to re-connect him to the world by nurturing his passion for the stars. HIs special ed […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – What Important Lessons We All Can Learn From One Mom’s Story About Raising An Autistic Genius appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

For lots of children, the most important, and most anxiety provoking, aspect of starting the new school year is the social component. Making and keeping friends and developing strong social skills is harder today than it was when we were growing up. And some kids find making friends especially challenging. On this week's show, you will get some incredible expert advice on how to help your child conquer his social challenges from mom, psychologist, and author, Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore...

For lots of children, the most important, and most anxiety provoking, aspect of starting the new school year is the social component. Making and keeping friends and developing strong social skills is harder today than it was when we were growing up. And some kids find making friends especially challenging. On this week’s show, you […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – How to Help Your Child Make Friends and Develop Strong Social Skills appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Is your child anxious about starting a new school year? Are you? The back to school time is a challenging transition period for everyone involved, and the important subject of this week's show. My return guest, author and educator, Rick Ackerly, (http://geniusinchildren.org/about/) and I talk about how we can partner with our child and the school to make this transition a positive learning experience for all involved. If you're a parent, you either are in the midst of getting ready for your...

Is your child anxious about starting a new school year? Are you? The back to school time is a challenging transition period for everyone involved, and the important subject of this week’s show. My return guest, author and educator, Rick Ackerly, and I talk about how we can partner with our child and the school […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – Making the Back to School Transition appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Becoming a biological parent is the miraculous result of the successful completion of a complex process that includes ovulation, conception, and carrying a baby to term. For a significant minority of folks, however, this journey to parenthood is fraught with challenges. Whether you are struggling with getting pregnant or staying pregnant, the disease of infertility is an incredibly difficult challenge to face. On this week's show, I talk with Barb Collura, the CEO of RESOLVE...

Becoming a biological parent is the miraculous result of the successful completion of a complex process that includes ovulation, conception, and carrying a baby to term. For a significant minority of folks, however, this journey to parenthood is fraught with challenges. Whether you are struggling with getting pregnant or staying pregnant, the disease of infertility […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – What You Need to Know About Infertility appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Those last days of summer break before school or pre-school resumes can be tough! On this week's show, my guests and I talk about great summer activities that can help you and your children survive, have fun, and even learn, during this transition time. Jennie Ito is a development psychologist and play consultant for Leap Frog. She shares her favorite ideas or beating the summer doldrums including using recycled household objects and where she goes online to get inspiration for new play...

Those last days of summer break before school or pre-school resumes can be tough! On this week’s show, my guests and I talk about great summer activities that can help you and your children survive, have fun, and even learn, during this transition time. Jennie Ito is a development psychologist and play consultant for Leap […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – How to Survive the End of Summer With the Kids! appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

Last week, the New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/muffy_can_play_AP6ELbpb1BiTQgonhOrCTJ?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Local)reported that some rich Manhattan parents have begun paying $400 an hour for consultants to arrange and oversee play dates for their pre-school children so they can learn how to properly socialize with others and fare better in their applications to New York's elite private schools. This is such a sad commentary on the decline of unstructured play in...

Last week, the New York Post reported that some rich Manhattan parents have begun paying $400 an hour for consultants to arrange and oversee play dates for their pre-school children so they can learn how to properly socialize with others and fare better in their applications to New York’s elite private schools. This is such […] The post Parenting With Playdate Planet – Play to Win: Why Monkey Bars and Make Believe Can Make or Break Your Child’s Future appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.

If you're tired of hearing about the problems in our education system and in our homes, and would rather learn what teachers and parents can do now to return the love of learning to their students and children, than this is the show for you. My guest, Dara Feldman, M. Ed. (http://www.darafeldman.com) was Disney's 2005 Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the year. She is also on a personal mission to enhance the lives of children by teaching educators how to get kids excited again about...

In our difficult economy, more and more teenagers seeking employment are unable to find a job. If we want our children to become financially self-sufficient, perhaps starting and growing their own business is our best bet. On this week's show, I speak with author and teen counselor, Julia Neiman (http://julianeiman.com/). After years of working with foster youth, Julia realized the best way to empower her clients and help them achieve independence was to give them the tools and skills to...

Each of our children is unique and wonderful, but how should we maximize our child's potential? Who better to answer that question than someone who has helped raise thousands of children and coached teachers, school leaders and parents for many years. Rick Ackerly (http://www.rickackerly.com)has been a headmaster of four independent schools and is a nationally recognized leader in the field of education. He is also the author of one of my favorite books for parents: The Genius in Every...

  Moms who work outside of the home, or from their home, talk about the challenge of work-life integration all the time. But this is not just an issue for moms. As the economy has changed, more dads are becoming the primary caretakers for their children and more and more families have two working parents. Dads may not talk about this issue as much as moms, but the challenge remains. On this week's show, I speak with executive coach and the author of Hoof it! 7 Key Lessons on Your Journey of...

Summer is just around the corner and that means summer break for your children. The sun, the fun . . . but also the complaints of boredom. And don't forget the whining! On this week's show, my guest Robert Nickell (AKA "Daddy Nickell"), founder of Daddy Scrubs, (http://www.daddyscrubs.com/)and I share lots of great ideas for what you can do with those long summer days. Be sure to listen in because we have you covered with a whole host of activities and ideas (everything from our own take on...

On this week's show, we explore one of parenting's greatest challenges: how to get your child to enjoy a healthy, varied diet. My guest is Dr. Jennifer Gardner (http://www.healthykidscompany.com/about/about-dr-gardner), a pediatrician and mom with a special interest in pediatric nutrition, fitness, weight management, and pediatric obesity. She founded an online child wellness and pediatric weight management company called Healthy Kids Company (http://www.healthykidscompany.com/)and her...

Parenting is life changing for all of us. But for my two guests on this week's show, parenting actually brought them a new career as well as a new baby. Dr. Rosina McAlpine (http://www.inspiredchildren.com/aboutrosina.html)is an award winning education professor at the University of Sydney. After the birth of her son, she applied her research prowess to reading and distilling the latest studies on a vast array of parenting related subjects from psychology to neuroscience to biology. She went...

On this week's show, I interview Brain Insights (http://www.braininsightsonline.com/)founder and early brain development specialist, Deborah McNellis about how parents can best foster the developing brains of their babies and young children. During a child's first years of life, 90% of brain development takes place. What can parents do to maximize this window of opportunity? Make sure to listen in to learn: How the brain's development is affected by external factors The role a baby or young...

Play is essential to every aspect of a child's healthy development and an amazing teaching vehicle. So why are schools cutting back or eliminating recess and why has unstructured play for kids declined drastically in the last decade? It's time to reverse this disturbing trend. On this week's show, I talk with Darell Hammond, the Founder and CEO of Kaboom.org (http://kaboom.org/), Sarah Stern, Deputy Director of Development for Right to Play's ...