Practicing Calm — What the Boys Taught Me - A Series: Part 4
Gotta Love Family Podcast
Many of us, without a plan, default to raised voices. We want calmer homes, but when the moment comes, we go straight to frustration and yelling because that's the response we're used to. Staying calm comes from knowing, ahead of time, how to respond when things are out of control or don't meet our expectations. Join me as I share two real-life stories that illustrate perfectly that staying calm requires a plan and that with a plan you can do it.
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Practicing Calm — It's Better to Laugh Than to Cry – A Series: Part 3
Gotta Love Family Podcast
In today's podcast, I share two real-life examples that illustrate how important it is to laugh and find humor in hard situations. When you do, it can make all the difference. You will love the stories and I bet you will relate. Join me and learn more about the art of remaining calm when parenting.
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Practicing Calm — The Time-In – A Series Part 2
Gotta Love Family Podcast
The little boy, three years old, was out of control, a temper tantrum of sorts. I didn't know what he wanted, but I could tell he felt desperate to have whatever it was. His mother was using a calm voice, talking to him, holding him gently while he twisted and screamed, then leading him away. I could tell that many of the onlooking adults felt upset with her. Why wasn't she doing anything about this terrible tantrum? Why didn't she make him stop? That little boy was my grandson, and his mother is my daughter, Jodie. We were at a family reunion, and this wasn't his first outburst. He was three,...
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Practicing Calm — The Honey Bucket - A Series
Gotta Love Family Podcast
I used to think staying calm with my children was and move past, something I'd graduate from once they were grown. I know better now. Right now, I'm caring for my 96-year-old mother, who has dementia, and I'm finding myself back in the same classroom I thought I'd left decades ago. The stories in this series are from long ago, mostly from the years when my children were small, or my grandchildren were underfoot. But I keep coming back to them, because the lessons in them are just as true today as they were then. I hope these stories feel less like advice from someone who's arrived, and...
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Learning in Disguise
Gotta Love Family Podcast
A friend of mine, a mom with several young children, told me recently that her kids' favorite thing to do is play dress-up. They want to do it all day long, even the boys. Of course, it makes a glorious mess. As we visited, she asked me about the value of this interest she was seeing in her kids, and it opened up a wonderful conversation. Today I will share some effective ideas on how to harness the joy of dressing up and learning in a family activity. They work for little kids and teens. They can be so family-connecting!
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Finding Your Two Mites
Gotta Love Family Podcast
My sister Cindy has a job caring for a man with dementia. As I know well, this can be an overwhelming and consuming responsibility. Here was her text to me: "Mary, I need advice. Taking care of D. is draining me. I didn't go to the temple all week. I'd leave his house, and I had nothing left. He wants to be with me constantly. When I'm cooking his food, he stands right next to me, and I have to move away. He asks me what he should do about everything. It's exhausting." After some pondering, because I do know firsthand what this is like, here was my response: "No matter what our current...
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Stop Fixing the Cookies!
Gotta Love Family Podcast
When you're engaged in a project, what matters to you? For many adults, it's the outcome. When children are engaged in a project, what matters to them? For the most part, it's the process. There is real value in stepping back and allowing our children to create without worrying about the outcome. Any time we foster the skills of creation, thinking, and problem-solving, we are helping our children on the path to becoming capable, confident adults. Join me as I share some stellar examples of what stepping back from the outcome looks like and how it can bless the children in your...
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Drunken Snails and Other Miracles
Gotta Love Family Podcast
When I moved from Montana to Utah in my late 50s, something stopped me in my tracks. The realization that , no matter the circumstances or the people involved. This hit me hard. I couldn't blame others for how I felt! I was mad and honestly didn't want it to be true. But I am a learner, and the thought wouldn't leave. As I learned and accepted the truth of this statement, my life began to change. I wanted that same growth for my children. Join me as I share my 29-year-old son Andrew's experience. It is enlightening and fun. Especially the part about the drunken snails. : )
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Two Mintes and a Moment of Stillness
Gotta Love Family Podcast
I had a deep, interesting, and moving conversation about learning to slow down and being still with a friend, Melissa. This is something I've been tutored in for over a decade, but it still isn't a habit for me. I'm a mover, shaker, and finisher. Stopping and stillness are not part of my natural energy. Join me as I share what my tutoring has looked like, how it has gone, and the challenges and blessings of working on stillness. It has been enlightening.
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Spark Station Letters: Keeping Kids in Your Heart (and You in Theirs)
Gotta Love Family Podcast
When my daughter Marie's children were young, I wanted to stay connected between visits. We only saw each other a couple of times a year, and I wanted more than that. While working on a presentation about , the idea came to me: why not write Spark Station Letters? The idea was simple. I would write letters to my grandchildren sharing something that interested me — a word, a historical figure, a current event, a family story. Something that might spark a conversation in their home and keep us woven into each other's lives. It worked beautifully. Marie told me the kids were all ears when she...
info_outlineWhen you're engaged in a project, what matters to you? For many adults, it's the outcome.
When children are engaged in a project, what matters to them? For the most part, it's the process.
There is real value in stepping back and allowing our children to create without worrying about the outcome.
Any time we foster the skills of creation, thinking, and problem-solving, we are helping our children on the path to becoming capable, confident adults.
Join me as I share some stellar examples of what stepping back from the outcome looks like and how it can bless the children in your life.