Authentic Parenting | Anna Seewald
Dad
Our guest today is Anna Seewald, M. Ed, a wife, a mom, an author, a speaker, a photographer, a podcaster, an educator, a lifelong learner and the founder of Authentic Parenting. Authentic Parenting is her business and podcast and it's all about parenting from the heart.
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Awesomeness Comes From Awesomeness | Robert Bullock
Dad
Our guest today is Robert Bullock. Robert grew up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi giving him his southern roots. At an early age, Robert possessed a strong interest in anything fashion related and with his drive and passion he became a successful designer, with an expertise in draping, pattern making, and sewing. His current company, Robert Bullock Bride, has been his most fulfilling business to date, both personally as well as professionally.
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We Turned Out Okay | Karen Lock Kolp
Dad
Our guest today is Karen Lock Kolp, a child development expert, and parent coach. Her podcast, We Turned Out Okay, has been downloaded more than 300,000 times by parents who just want to know that, really, everything is going to be alright. Jonathan and Karen talk about her upbringing and the role her father played in her life. They also talk about modern parenting and how we adopt some of the traits of our parents while simultaneously learning to trust our own instincts.
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Adventure, Amazement, and Unconditional Love | Jonathan Greene
Dad
This week we get an up close and personal glimpse into Jonathan’s life. He shares his background as a son and father, the passion behind this podcast, and why he wanted to pay homage to his own parents and open up the discussion to encompass all aspects of fatherhood, family life, and even difficult topics such as loss and grief. He shares how fatherhood compares to his expectations and visions of how it would be, and the differences between how he grew up and the way he is raising his own children.
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Balancing Needs, Staying Open, and Letting them Fly | Craig Johnson
Dad
Today’s guest is Craig Johnson, an old camp buddy of Jonathan’s. Craig has an extremely busy and full life; he and his wife Liz have been married for 20 years and are both attorneys. Together they have three children — Ben, 16; Sam, 13; and Lucy, 8. Craig shares the lessons he has learned from coaching his own kids, how his career experience as an attorney, lobbyist, and State Senator has shaped his approach towards parenting, and the challenge of balance and enjoyment of his kids’ success.
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Rituals of Childhood and Raising Little Big Personalities | Rob Schiffmann
Dad
Rob Schiffmann - actor, improviser, musician and most importantly - father. Rob and Jonathan grew up together and reminisce about their Tuesday baseball games and what it taught them to be great fathers of their own. They also talk about the unique path Rob had growing up with two great parents and stepparents, and examine the relationship of weekend parenting. Rob now has two daughters and they examine the delicate balance between staying involved and letting your children have space to do their own thing.
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We’re In This Village Together | Lance Somerfeld
Dad
This week’s episode features father of two, husband, and City Dads co-founder Lance Somerfeld. Lance contributes to the conversation about modern fatherhood and has appeared on local and national television, including CNN, Fox News, Today, and Katie. Lance talks about living in New York City as a father, how he went from public school teacher to a stay-at-home dad, the formation, growth, and purpose of City Dads and how they are helping thousands of men become more confident and involved fathers.
info_outline![Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 2] | Alison Donnelly show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/6358648?height=50&width=50)
Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 2] | Alison Donnelly
Dad
Today we jump back in with Part 2 of Jonathan’s conversation with Alison Donnelly. Alison is a stay-at-home mom living in Brooklyn and is married to one of Jonathan’s long-time best friends Dan. She and Jonathan talk about what it is like to lose a parent, compare end-of-life stories of their parents and any regrets they may still have, the mixed emotions of watching your children grow up and even slip in the best Barbie cake story you may ever hear!
info_outline![Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 1] | Alison Donnelly show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/item/6358626?height=50&width=50)
Loss, Love, and Barbie Cakes [Part 1] | Alison Donnelly
Dad
Today Jonathan is joined by Alison Donnelly. Alison is a stay-at-home mom living in Brooklyn and is married to one of Jonathan’s long-time friends Dan. Alison talks about her blog Formerly Fat Mom, what it is like to lose a parent, give a eulogy, compare end-of-life stories of their parents and any regrets they may still have, the mixed emotions of watching your children grow up and even slip in the best Barbie cake story you may ever hear!
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Kids Will Always Come First | Benjamin King
Dad
Today’s guest is actor, writer and director Benjamin King, who you may know from his roles on shows such as Liv and Maddie, Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds. Jonathan and Benjamin started as childhood buddies at Camp Taconic before they reconnected on Facebook as adults and new dads. Benjamin now has two girls and shares what it is like to go from a “dad in waiting” to a real life father, and much more.
info_outlineToday’s guest is Craig Johnson, an old camp buddy of Jonathan’s. Craig has an extremely busy and full life; he and his wife Liz have been married for 20 years and are both attorneys. Together they have three children — Ben, 16; Sam, 13; and Lucy, 8. Craig shares the lessons he has learned from coaching his own kids, how his career experience as an attorney, lobbyist, and State Senator has shaped his approach towards parenting, the challenge of balance and enjoyment of his kids’ success and the evolution of Craig’s own father as a grandfather. The guys also admit to being a little overeager when texting their kids, and why they can’t be too upset when there is empty ice cream in the fridge.
Key Takeaways:
[1:24] Jonathan and Craig met at Camp Taconic. Here they learned a lot about independence (for both the children and the parents) and he now sends his own kids to camp.
[3:20] He and his wife Liz have been married for 20 years and he is very grateful for their partnership both as husband and wife and as co-parents. They are both attorneys, with Craig in lobbying and public policy, and Liz in the courtroom as a defense attorney and former prosecutor. And yes, Craig loses all the arguments in the house. Craig was a former State Senator in New York from 2007-2010.
[4:49] Craig and Jonathan both have sons named Ben who are teens learning to drive while terrifying their parents.
[8:37] Craig finds coaching a rewarding experience and found a great way to bond with his kids while taking part in something they love.
[19:16] Both Jonathan and Craig allow their kids to use phones and social media apps, but monitor them to make sure there isn’t any shady business going on. Craig’s wife Liz teaches a class for parents to help them understand and deal with their children using social technology.
[27:35] Bar and Bat Mitzvah season is underway, and while it can get expensive and time-consuming, it’s an amazing accomplishment and Craig is extremely proud of how much his sons’ bar mitzvahs got their family together.
[36:28] Craig’s dad lives in the very same house that he grew up in, only about a mile and a half away. He had the model attitude as a grandfather where he was there if Craig needed him but trusted him to make the right decisions and learn on his own.
[43:31] Craig finds one of the biggest challenges is balancing his dedication to being a father, a husband, and to his career.
[45:02] The best part of parenting for Craig is sharing in their successes, whether it’s something big, such as a sports team win or an everyday moment of them memorizing a vocabulary word.
[51:29] Karma has come back around for all the years that Craig left an empty ice cream container in the fridge, as his kids to that to him now.
[55:47] Both dads are puzzled why their sons don’t have the same rush of getting their driver's license as they did as teens.
[58:52] Craig has a lot of interesting work in his pipeline, including Uber, AirBnB, and cryptocurrency.
[59:42] Craig is extremely appreciative of his wife’s ability to be a stand out counselor, lawyer, and mother. She is a fantastic example of showing his children the importance of work and responsibility.
Links:
Quotes:
- “I’m almost in tears when I drop off my kids at high school! I mean that’s good about us, but what’s wrong with us?!”
- “My son wrote a one-page essay on why he should watch Dexter and I read it and was like ‘okay you could watch it because that was so good.’”
- “We can’t always be there for them, and we have to let them make those mistakes.”
- “They each have different jealousies and different desires and it’s just a moving puzzle that changes every day.”
- “I’ve become a better listener as a parent. You have to listen to your kids and let them talk. They can educate you.”