Healthy Parenting Handbook with Katie Kimball Katie Kimball

Oh, parents. Parents in the tech age...there REALLY is no handbook for this! We've never seen our parents struggle through having the Internet in our kids' pockets, and honestly? I don't like the feeling of making it up as I go along.
That's why I've been following Andrea and Tyler at Better Screen Time for a few years in my personal email, and I don't know why I didn't ask her to do an interview sooner!
We dug deep in this interview,  including:
Risks of screen use and technology, including some I NEVER even consideredWhy we can't parent from a place of fear (even though that bit above is scary!!!)How parents can consciously choose when a child gets a personal deviceThe risk of allowing our kids to self-soothe with screensThe importance of kids under 6 doing the hard work of playingThe difference between watching a show and playing on an interactive touch screen (mind-blowing!)What questions you should ask your kids to help build a family tech plan (and why "together" works better than "rules from the top")This interview is required listening for all parents, and we really dig into healthy screen boundaries for kids younger than 10. Lay the foundations for family tech use with this interview, and watch in a few months when I have Andrea back to tackle the tough topic of tweens, teens, and smartphones.
Andrea offered a free gift for our listeners 100 screen-free activities.

Andrea is a camp leader for #LifeSkillsNow Summer Camp this June! Sign up for free here!

Check out 3rd Rock Essentials and use code KITCHENSTEW for 20% off!

Resources We Mention for Better Screen Time
My second interview with Andrea about teens and screensFind Andrea OnlineAndrea's book: Creating a Tech Healthy FamilyAndrea's Courses: Creating a Tech Healthy Family, Untangling Teens and TechDr. Dimitri Christakis is a leader in screen research with kidsReset Your Child's BrainHere's the interview I mentioned with Dina Rose about healthy eating habitsFollow Andrea on social media: Instagram, Kitchen Stewardship Kids Cook Real Food Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp! follow Katie on Instagram follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates YouTube shorts channel for HPH Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

Power. Control. Parenting.

Which of these three doesn’t belong?

My guest today is Wendy Snyder, a positive parenting educator who reminds us, “Control is not the goal of parenting.”

Obviously, there is a balance of power in a parent-child relationship, but taking the power or fighting over who has power isn’t the right game to play.

Wendy will teach you:
Why yelling is sometimes what parents do when they feel powerLESSWhy it’s so difficult to parent “cactus kids” - aka those who want to be in powerSteps to reduce your reliance on fear, force, bribery, rewards & nagging to influence your kidsPowerful positive strategies that not only help you self-calm, but also work to decrease pushback from your kiddosHow to get to the root of your child’s power-seeking misbehavior so you can effectively redirect them toward better behaviorIf you’re struggling with a powerful child or wishing you had a roadmap to calmer parenting, this one is for you!

Wendy is a camp leader for #LifeSkillsNow Summer Camp this June! Sign up for free here!

Resources We Mention for Raising Strong-Willed Kids
Wendy's free power struggles master classFind Wendy onlineIs your child highly sensitive?Get more practical tips for picky eaters hereFollow her on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube The Fresh Start Family Show podcastWendy's free guide to raising strong-willed kids Kitchen Stewardship Kids Cook Real Food Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp! follow Katie on Instagram follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates YouTube shorts channel for HPH Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

I used Tosha's tips the very DAY we recorded this interview, and I have to tell you -- they work. So well.
Once you hear about her strategy for reducing frustration and nipping "negative spirals" in the bud, you'll know why when my husband spent a ton of time hanging with our then-5-year-old, Gabe, over Christmas break, he said:


"You know, Gabe has had a really good break. He hasn't been having any tantrums or behavior issues at ALL. And I'm really treasuring my time with him...he won't be little for very much longer!!"


Tosha Schore is a parent coach who specializes in the biggest surprise of her own life -- parenting boys!


In this interview that I did NOT want to end, you'll learn:
Why empowered women can still raise strong, balanced boysThe very first step to disciplining without punishment (I kind of had to ask this twice because I wasn't understanding; I was a little slow to catch on because the answer has nothing to do with children!!)Why words are not powerful enough to stop aggressive behaviorHow the isolation of modern parenting is hurting our effortsThe mindset shift that rocked my thinking when Tosha explained how to respond to and appreciate a boy getting upset when fun time ends (I will have to work HARD to implement this one, folks, I need all the encouragement I can get!)The most powerful antidote to aggression (and it's free to use!)I do think a lot of Tosha's tips apply to girls too, but I really appreciate her focus on boys and the disconnect a lot of mommas in particular feel with their opposite-gender child. (Yes, boys and girls are different! Amazing fact!!)

Resources We Mention for Parenting Boys
Tosha's 10-day reconnect: Register now Tosha's websiteTosha's book: Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges (Amazon/Bookshop.org)Tosha's Facebook pageIt starts with a healthy parent: Interview with Dr. Ryan WohlfertPositive parenting strategies: Interview with Suzanne TuckerVisit today's sponsor, Happsy, at https://www.kidscookrealfood.com/happsy and see full show notes and video at https://www.kidscookrealfood.com/017.
Kitchen Stewardship Kids Cook Real Food Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp! follow Katie on Instagram follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates YouTube shorts channel for HPH Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

I’ve been telling everyone about this book!
Ever since I read  The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey, it has truly changed my parenting. My mindset about the mistakes my kids make and little accidents they have is totally more peaceful, and the whole time I was absorbing the information, I was thinking, “How can I interview this author so I can share her amazing wisdom with my audience???”


Turns out all I had to do was post something I had done using the Failure Philosophy with one of my kids here on Facebook, and someone tagged her and now — here we are! 😀


Here are a few things we talked about:
How teachers are finding that kids these days are literally “less teachable,” and how fear of making mistakes and inability to deal with frustration turned out to be at the rootJessica’s surprising story of how old her child was when he learned to tie his shoes, and how that wake-up call brought her middle school teaching strategies into her parentingWhat simple three-letter word we need to use so much more with our kids to help them focus on process and progressWhy it’s so hard for us as parents to let our kids fail!The reason college kids are taking longer to finish college even though they are really smart and have high test scores… One simple step to help our kids break free from their helplessnessWhy “self-directed executive function” should be part of your interaction with your kids, and some questions to ask them regularly An easy equation for figuring out how much responsibility we can give each of our children at various agesWhy the kitchen is an excellent place to promote failure and the motivation for us to do it!If you have kids in sports, want more homework help, and wish you knew what to do with report cards or chores and more, The Gift of Failure is a must-read (or listen to)!
Resources We Mention for Letting Kids Fail
You can find Jessica at her website.The Gift of Failure (Amazon/Bookshop.org)MindsetHow to Raise an AdultScreenwiseThe Stinky and Dirty ShowJessica’s blog post on laundryIf you enjoyed this interview, you’ll also enjoy my interview with Shan Kitchen Stewardship Kids Cook Real Food Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp! follow Katie on Instagram follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates YouTube shorts channel for HPH Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

I'm so happy to have my stress mastery mentor here today!
Heidi Hanna, PhD, is one of the most intellectual, intuitive and compassionate people I know, and I'm honored to host her wisdom today. We recorded this interview in March 2020, when we were all in a tailspin and figuring out managing our stress was more important than ever!


Fill your brain with Dr. Hanna's research and her personal experience today:
At age 10, Heidi was fainting from stress - literally. Find out how to help if this happens to your child, or if they seem to get stomachaches and headaches in uncomfortable situations.Highly sensitive kids actually fare better than other kids if raised in the right environment...but we don't always get that right as you'll hear.What research is showing about how stress-sensitive people's brains work and why Dr. Hanna doesn't love the term "negativity bias," even though it's technically accurate to describe stress-sensitive people.Why HSCs sometimes spiral into thinking like, "It's all my fault, I messed that up, I'm so dumb, and this is why NO ONE LIKES ME!" (I feel like that's my whole high school life!)And more importantly, what parents can do to help kids stop that spiral, appreciate what their reactions are trying to tell them, and reverse the reaction.How we can look at the ways in which our kids (or ourselves) are reacting to stress and understand what recharge techniques they need to get more capacity.Dr. Hanna's encouragement for parents of HSCs and how we can see the positive about our children's personality.Resources We Mention for Managing Stress
Dr. Hanna's websiteDr. Hanna's courses: Stress Mastery Fundamentals 101 and Stress Mastery FoundationsElaine Aron's WebsiteMy Healthy Parenting Handbook Episodes on Stress Mastery: part 1 and part 2My interview with Dr. K, an expert on highly sensitive childrenMy introduction to highly sensitive peopleGoNoodleHeartMath device helps regulate stress responseCheck out today's sponsor, JustThrive, at https://www.kidscookrealfood.com/justhrive, and use Katie15 for 15% off!
Kitchen Stewardship Kids Cook Real Food Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp! follow Katie on Instagram follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates YouTube shorts channel for HPH Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!

We talked last week about STRESS and its impact on our health and our relationship with our families. I challenged you to be more aware of your breath and take the “Moment to Breathe” challenge, and a few of you chimed in after trying it that it’s really working!!
Personally I found being aware of my breath and its ability to control my bodily reaction to stress to be life changing and revolutionary! Why? Because I can control my breath, and in this world where too often things feel out of control, that’s a game-changer.


In part 2 today, we’ll discuss how to close the gap between demand and capacity…it turns out that stress ISN’T what happens to you that’s stressful, it’s a combination of what happens and how capable you are in reacting to it. (Hint: Responding is better than reacting anyway. More in the video!)


I’ll teach my Stress Mastery instructor’s BFF method – you’ve learned the “B” and now for the rest! Dr. Heidi Hanna is the director of the American Institute of Stress and absolutely brilliant at making stress positive fuel for change, plus keeping everything easy to understand. I hope I share her information well as I’m certified as a “Stress Mastery Educator"!

Show Notes
Take this free quiz to find out how stressed you are.Free recharge suggestions and meditations.The Inner Balance sensorOur sleep hacks post on Kitchen StewardshipCheck out the free Stress Mastery for Busy Moms Challenge here! Kitchen Stewardship Kids Cook Real Food Register for #LifeSkillsNow Season 3 Virtual Summer Camp! follow Katie on Instagram follow Kids Cook Real Food on Facebook Subscribe to the newsletter to get weekly updates YouTube shorts channel for HPH Find the Healthy Parenting Handbook at kidscookrealfood.com/podcast Affiliate links used here. Thanks for supporting the Healthy Parenting Handbook!