The Art of Parenting Jeanne-Marie Paynel, M. Ed.

Are you curious about the magic of daily rituals? Listen in and learn from my guest, Britta Bushnell, how they can transform your life.
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I’ve always been fascinated by the transformative process of birth, and why I became a birth doula. Today, I’m excited to be speaking with Britta, a seasoned childbirth educator to explore how birth is truly the first and most crucial initiation into parenthood.
What We Talked About: The importance of childbirth as an initiation into parenthood.
Mythology and storytelling as meaning-making practices for adults and kids. 
Incorporating rituals into family life to help you live and share your values.
How perfectionism can both hinder and help in our parenting
Practical tips for crafting seamless transitions between work and parenting
Things to Remember “Parenting is a messy, creative, unknowable magical thing that creates a being on the other side.”
“Parenthood is like a yoga practice, that idea of coming to the mat every day and knowing that some days are better and some days are worse, yet you still show up and do your best.”
“What causes us the most suffering is the resistance to what is happening.”
“Parenthood teaches us an openness to the unbidden.”
“Perfectionism is a strategy, and as a strategy, it most often gets in our way.”
“Infants respond well to rhythm and predictability in their lives.”
“To find ways to be tender with ourselves and to forgive ourselves. That is the true antidote to perfectionism's toxins.”
“Children help to create the fabric of the values of the family.”
-Britta Bushnell
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Do you want to foster confidence in your teen better? Listen in and discover how you can start today at home.
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Helping our teenagers feel confident is critical to their well-being and future success, starting at home. Karleen shares her personal and professional experience as a conflict resolution expert. Listen in to acquire the tools to nurture the confidence your teens need to thrive in life. 
We Talked About: What five universal skills do experts use to resolve conflicts, and how can you use them at home?
What unwanted baggage gets in the way of building your teen’s self-confidence and resiliency?
How conflict resolution skills can enhance parenting, especially with teens.
Curiosity, attitude, and masterful listening are significant tools in resolving family conflicts.
Real-life examples and practical strategies for applying conflict resolution techniques in parenting situations.
Things to Remember “Even when you get it right, even when you have it right, you can still get it wrong.”
“Curiosity is not just asking questions.” 
“Master listening in a conflict situation means you're filling in the gaps.”
“Anytime you're in a conflict, the most important part is connecting with that person.”
“When you want to build confidence in your children, allow them into the solution to bring them back in and give them a space for it.”
“Sometimes situations are for our children to sort through.”
“You’re absolutely meant to be the parent for your child.”
-Karleen Savage
 
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Is your child's screen time stealing precious moments? Listen in as my guest, Katherine Martinko, shares how to unplug and reclaim childhood.

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What We Talked About: Katherine’s desire to write her book “Childhood Unplugged.”’
The effects of excessive screen time have on our children's development and mental health
Navigating digital media use and fostering offline activities
Setting boundaries around screen time and social media use.
Modeling appropriate use of our digital devices to shape healthy screen habits for our children.
Alternative communication methods and developing human communication skills
Things to Remember “Parenting is about conveying the principles that you believe to be the most important in life to your children and setting them off in the world on the right foot and watching them succeed.”
“The benefits of having a smartphone simply do not outweigh the cons.”
“Handling a smartphone is on par with handling a car. Kids need that level of responsibility and emotional maturity to do it.”
“When you give kids responsibilities around the house, they have less time to hang out in their bedrooms, scroll on their phones, or play video games.”
“We're too caught up with the idea that just because this technology is new and exciting, it is, therefore, good, but we're losing a lot in the process.”
“It is up to us as parents to protect our children from the negative effects of this highly addictive substance the same way that we would limit our children's access to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes.”
“We promote better independence in children if you're not surveilling them.”
-Katherine Martinko
“Technology is taking us to a place where children are forgetting to play. We need to rescue childhood.” - Mariana Carazo
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How far would you go to save your child's vision? Listen in as Stephen Johnston shares his mission to fight blindness for his son and thousands of others.

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It’s hard to imagine losing one sight, and even more heartbreaking to discover that your child is. My guest today is a father on a mission to find a cure not only for his child but all persons affected by the onset of blindness. 
What We Talked About: The Precursor of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
How Steve's parenting approach changed after his son's diagnosis
Steve's journey in creating a nonprofit organization, "A Race Against Blindness"
The importance of mental toughness and perseverance
How Steve and his family found strength and resilience in the face of adversity
Things to Remember “Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Anything can happen at any given time.”

“Everybody can make a difference. It doesn't matter how many or how few resources anyone has. Everybody can make a difference.”
“Start doing things that might prepare your children for challenges.”
“Make sure you have a support network for you and the kids, and you’ll be able to get through whatever it is.”
“Challenges are coming for all of us at some point or another, and the more we prepare ourselves to face those head-on as they happen, the better off we are.”
-Stephen Johnston
 
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Do you have difficulty overcoming past trauma to start living the life you desire? Tune in to listen to Karena’s transformative insights.
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The negative stories we tell ourselves can be quite damaging to our well-being. My guest today shares how to move beyond so we can rise above the story to live a fulfilling life. 
What We Talked About: Why Karena felt compelled to share her story in her book
Her 3-step process to healing from trauma
Why, as parents, it’s crucial to have self-awareness
How to break free from negative self-talk
The unwanted ripple effects of trauma
How to find joy even in difficult times
Things to Remember “Parenting is taking responsibility to cultivate a self-awareness around our past trauma.”
“What our brain does in the face of trauma is that it tries to keep us safe by writing these stories that keep us in a little box.”
“We have the power to heal. We’re just afraid to do it.”
“There is more for us than just the pain we carry around.”
“We are all here to experience joy and happiness.”
“The powerful notion of honoring your emotions and feeling them in real time goes a long way toward mental and emotional well-being.”
– Karena Kilcoyne
 “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” – Brené Brown.
 
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Do you struggle with digital consumption, whether you or your children in your home? Listen in and learn what we now know about how technology impacts our children.

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 I’m concerned about technology's effects on our children’s developing brains. Today, I spoke with Forest Bronzan, a father leading global initiatives, so we can better understand how technology impacts our lives and our children.
What We Talked About: How technology is changing and impacting the way we raise our children.
The challenges we face in navigating social media
How parents can have open conversations with their children about technology use.
Teaching children critical thinking skills to help them evaluate the information they encounter online.
Setting healthy boundaries around technology use at home.
What is your DORA Score?
Things to Remember “Parenting is being nimble to navigate an ever-changing world, and in many cases, that's technology.”
“Start early, have conversations at an early age with your children on what your family values are but also with your community.”
“The biggest challenge is that high schoolers aren't aware of the negative influences on the internet.”
“Parents need to pay closer attention to how their children learn about the world.”
“We need to look at ourselves... We need to model the behavior ourselves.”
“There's a lot of challenges and a lot that we don't know yet about the effectiveness of learning apps.”
“There hasn't been a single study showing a positive benefit of social media before high school.”
“Try to put the phone down as much as possible during those first few years and spend time with your child.”
“Time goes by so fast. You don't want to miss those magical years checking a notification.”
- Forest Bronzan
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