Smart Family Podcast Toni Nieuwhof and Dr Rob Meeder

When we heard that the average child today spends 4-7 minutes outside per day and 4-7 hours on screens, we felt compelled to explore this further and consider what we could do about this. Ginny Yurich is a mom, author, speaker and founder of 1000 Hours Outside - an organization designed to challenge and equip families with the knowledge and tools they need to make outside time a transformative time for children and families. We were born to be outside, with friends and family, learning and playing. Ginny explains how this can be a realistic goal for any family and why it should be a priority for healthy development.

You want to instill confidence and resilience in your child, but sometimes it seems life has another agenda, doesn't it?! Today's expert William Vanderbloemen translates what he's learned through working with thousands of young adults about character traits and soft skills that set kids up for success in their chosen life pursuit. The good news is, your child doesn't need to be born with the habits and soft skills that will help them succeed. They are all learnable, and today's discussion focuses on how to influence your child to learn these skills. We also focus on how critical self-awareness is in our current culture, and how to get this message across. William Vanderbloemen's new book, Be the Unicorn, is a deep dive into the soft sklls that he, as a seasoned expert in recruiting, looks for in top talent.

Today Dr Rob Meeder shares his insights on children's mental health in an interview with Jeff Brodie. This is pretty well children's mental health in a nutshell... in 25 minutes. Dr Rob talks about everything from common mental health issues; what is stress (really); how behaviour, communication and mental health are connected; medications; how mental health starts in infancy and more. This was part of a 5 part series by Jeff Brodie at Connexus Community Church. Enjoy!

Today's marriage expert Chris Bruno knows from experience that one of the primary issues couples face over the long term is feeling disconnected. Maybe this resonates with you now, or has in the past. The question is, once you feel like the love is gone, is there still a future for your relationship? How can you rebuild your intimacy, from drifting apart to growing closer again? Chris shares invaluable advice about the power of kindness, in telling each other your stories and so much more. Find out more about Thrive Marriage Labs by checking out the shownotes on the Smart Family Podcast website.

Trauma can take on various forms and how children experience trauma will vary from child to child. Similarly, how to talk to children about this will vary. It is important to know how the brain is impacted by trauma and what that means for therapists, parents, teachers etc as they seek to help and nurture children who need to heal. Jessica Sinarski is a certified adoption therapist and now dedicates her work to helping the helpers. She creates resources for families and caregivers who seek to do this work well, informed by an ever-growing body of knowledge about how trauma impacts the developing brain. Today she shares her very practical wisdom on this topic - so helpful!

Do you have a child who shows signs of having heightened sensitivity to certain senses - bright lights, loud sounds, certain smells or tastes or textures? Will your child not only try to avoid the sensation, but even have a meltdown over the exposure? Perhaps there's a sensory processing disorder ("SPD") involved. Our guests, Rachel Harrington and Jessica Hill have years of practical experience helping children and their families to not only cope with SPD, but to find creative ways to 'grow into' the needs of their own nervous system. While SPD is more common in children on the autism spectrum or those with developmental disabilities, it also develops for other reasons, such as brain injury or prematurity. What's the difference between a sensory quirk and an actual sensory processing disorder? Tune into this episode for valuable info on this relevant and emerging field.