Lazy Parenting with Stephanie Kennedy

Stephanie Kennedy
  • 4.6 (5)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Biweekly

Kids who get up and dressed in the morning by themselves, make their own lunches, empty the dishwasher, wash their own clothes, feed the pets AND make their own dinner?!? Is this a dream or could it possibly become your REALITY?!? Stephanie is a mom of four, a former high school math and science teacher, the owner of 2 business and the founder of the #lazyparenting community. On this podcast she digs deep into the concept and strategies behind lazy parenting to help you raise happy, joyful, kind, empathetic and passionate adults who, above all else, are good humans.

  1. 5d ago

    85. How Readers Are Really Made

    Wondering how to raise a reader? Worried about graphic novels, reluctant readers, or kids who just won't sit still long enough to finish a chapter? Trying to figure out whether screen time is killing your child's love of books — or whether your son who only reads Diary of a Wimpy Kid even counts as a reader? In this episode Stephanie reframes the whole conversation. Because the question most parents are asking, "how do I get my kid to read", is actually the wrong question. The better question is: how do you raise someone who thinks of themselves as a reader? Starting with the moment she discovered her daughter Katie used to cover her reading lamp with her hand when she heard footsteps in the hallway so nobody would know she was still awake reading past her bedtime. She wasn't sneaking her phone. She was sneaking her book. This episode covers: Are graphic novels real reading? (Yes. Here's why.) What to do with boys who won't sit still long enough to read. The book list Stephanie's son Nick put together from memory. Every book he remembers loving, organized by age and reading level. What a Yoto player is and why it matters for pre-readers. How to read alongside your kids instead of just telling them to read. Why the no-screens-in-bedrooms rule quietly built a reading culture in Stephanie's house over twenty years. Plus the line that changes how you think about all of it: Families don't raise readers. Families create homes where reading is normal. Nick's full book list — graphic novels, funny books, adventure series, non-fiction and more: NICK’S BOOK LIST FOR YOUNG BOYS BOOKS WITH PICTURES OR EASIER BOOKS TO START WITH • Amulet• Bone• Geronimo Stilton• Lunch Lady by Jarrett J. Krosoczka• Diary of a Wimpy Kid• Captain Underpants (lots of spin-off series)• STAT: Standing Tall and Talented (basketball books)• Smile (maybe more for girls but according to Nick, still good)• Jedi Academy “Really good”• Origami Yoda • Potterwookiee (part of The Creature from My Closet series)• Who Would Win? (books that imagine two different animals fighting each other)• Big Nate A STEP UP - Nick started reading many of these around Grade 3: • Warriors (the cat books)• Harry Potter• Percy Jackson• I Am Number Four (lots of books in the series)• The 39 Clues• Goosebumps (Scary stuff, but good)• The Spiderwick Chronicles• Holes• Magic Tree House• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume• Choose Your Own Adventure books• How to Eat Fried Worms• Bruno and Boots• Loki’s Wolves NON-FICTION AND OTHER BOOKS BOYS MAY LOVE • Fun facts about animals (the more dangerous the animals, the bette)• Fun facts about space• Books about different climates, including jungles, the Arctic and deserts• Anything about the depths of the ocean, especially creatures like the colossal squid• Books about historical periods such as dinosaurs, Ancient Rome and the Vikings• Guinness World Records• Encyclopedias or “ultimate guides” connected to a favourite show or character, such as the Pokémon Ultimate Handbook• Ultimate guides for video games they enjoy• Where’s Waldo?• I Spy books• Books with titles like The Ultimate Guide to Being a Ninja• Books about aliens and whether they might be real• Books about monsters and how to hunt them• Books about myths and legends: What is the chupacabra, where did the story come from, and how might you find one in real life? Save it. You will use it. Lazy Parenting Podcast | Episode 85 | lazyparenting.ca | @lazyparenting

  2. Jul 23

    84. This Is How We Do Things Here

    87% of people sleep with their phone in their bedroom. In Stephanie's house, that number has always been zero. In this episode Stephanie talks about the one technology decision she and Chris made as parents that she would make again without hesitation: no screens in the bedrooms. Ever. And what she believes that rule quietly built in her four kids over twenty years. From the sleep research that is now very clear, to the unexpected insight her son gave her about proximity and connection, to an honest conversation about her youngest, and the cats that are currently making the downstairs less inviting than she would like, this episode is practical, honest and grounded in two decades of holding a line that was not always popular. Because just because everyone else does it does not mean your family has to. And sometimes the most important thing we protect our kids from is not what we think. Lazy Parenting Podcast | Episode 84 | lazyparenting.ca | @lazyparenting

  3. Jul 16

    83. Get in the Water

    Forced family time. The Sunday walk nobody wanted to go on. The car ride with no phones. The trail that seemed too long and the snacks that ran out and everyone who came home closer than when they left. In this episode, Stephanie talks about one of the most underrated things she did as a parent — making everyone come. Not to create perfect memories. But to build something quieter and more lasting: a family culture. One built not in extraordinary moments but in ordinary ones, repeated. From a cold lake in Whistler to a desert trail where she watched her kids pair off ahead of her and felt something she still doesn't have a perfect word for, to her son's observation that proximity was the secret all along, this episode is about the small daily decisions that quietly shape whether your kids will choose each other long after they've left home. Family culture isn't built in extraordinary moments. It's built in ordinary ones we repeat. Lazy Parenting Podcast | Episode 83 | lazyparenting.ca | @lazyparenting

  4. Jul 9

    82. There Are No Magic Fairies in This House

    Chores. Nobody's favourite topic. But possibly the most underrated parenting tool in the whole toolkit. In this episode Stephanie makes the case that chores are not really about having a clean house. They are about belonging. About raising kids who understand that families are not hotels, that everyone is crew, not passengers, and that the work of keeping a life running well is something you learn young or struggle with later. From the "item on the stair" hack that never worked, to the dishwasher rotation that taught the golden rule better than any conversation could, to watching her adult son plan his cleaning day from across the country, this episode is honest, warm and grounded in twenty+ years of real family life. Including the research finding that the best predictor of a young adult's success in their mid-twenties was whether they did household chores at age three or four. Not grades. Not sport. Chores. There are no magic fairies. Teaching our kids this might be one of the most loving things we ever do. Lazy Parenting Podcast | Episode 82 | lazyparenting.ca | @lazyparenting

  5. Jul 2

    81. How To Step Back Without Letting Go

    Last week we talked about getting out of our kids' way. This week is about how to actually do that — without abandoning them. It's called scaffolding. And it turns out it's something most parents are already doing instinctively. This episode is about making it intentional. From setting up a kitchen so a toddler can unload the dishwasher, to knowing when to leave the room while your teenager figures something out, to the moment you watch your adult child walk out the door and realize the building is standing on its own — Stephanie traces what scaffolding looks like at every stage of raising kids. Practical, honest, and grounded in real stories from raising four kids to adulthood, this episode answers the question every parent eventually asks: how do I help without taking over? Because the goal was never to be needed forever, the goal was always to help them need us differently.

  6. Jun 25

    80. Getting Out of Their Way

    Every parent who has ever quietly reloaded the dishwasher, laid out their child's clothes, or helped just a little too much with that school project — this one is for you. In this episode, Stephanie talks about the most common way parents accidentally get in the way of their kids building confidence and capability: the small, everyday moments where we help when we shouldn't, fix what didn't need fixing, and rescue kids from experiences that were quietly building something important. From the story of putting her kids in French Immersion and accidentally removing herself from the homework equation, to the honest confession about still rearranging the dishwasher, this episode is a real and relatable look at why we rescue our kids, what it actually costs them, and the one small thing you can try this week to start getting out of their way. Because confidence is evidence. And, every time we step in before our kids get the chance to try, we take away a piece of evidence they needed to collect for themselves.

  7. Jun 18

    79. Competence Creates Confidence

    Every parent wants confident kids. But what if confidence isn't something we can give our children? What if it isn't built through praise, encouragement, or constantly telling them how amazing they are? In this episode, I share why I believe confidence is actually built through competence. From learning to cook and make lunches, to walking to swim practice, taking public transit, climbing trees, doing chores, playing sports, and solving everyday problems, our kids build confidence when they are given opportunities to do things for themselves. I reflect on conversations with my own adult children, lessons from raising four kids, and why some of the small decisions we make as parents can have a much bigger impact than we realize. Because confidence isn't a feeling. It's evidence. It's the accumulated evidence that you've done hard things before and figured them out. And every time our kids do something for themselves, they collect another piece of evidence that they can handle life.

  8. Jun 11

    78. Raising Capable Kids

    What does it really mean to raise a capable kid? In this episode, I revisit the idea that has been at the heart of Lazy Parenting since the very beginning. Looking back now with adult children, university graduates, and a teenager about to enter her final year of high school, I share what I've learned about independence, responsibility, confidence, and why I believe capability may be one of the greatest gifts we can give our kids. We often spend a lot of time trying to build confidence in our children, but what if confidence actually comes from competence? From doing hard things, solving problems, making mistakes, and discovering that they can handle it? Join me as I reflect on the early lessons of Lazy Parenting and how they have played out in real life. Because the goal was never independent children. The goal was independent adults.

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Kids who get up and dressed in the morning by themselves, make their own lunches, empty the dishwasher, wash their own clothes, feed the pets AND make their own dinner?!? Is this a dream or could it possibly become your REALITY?!? Stephanie is a mom of four, a former high school math and science teacher, the owner of 2 business and the founder of the #lazyparenting community. On this podcast she digs deep into the concept and strategies behind lazy parenting to help you raise happy, joyful, kind, empathetic and passionate adults who, above all else, are good humans.

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