Simply Jewish Parenting

Adina Soclof
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Judaism

Practical Jewish parenting tips for raising resilient, grateful, value-driven children in today’s world. Welcome to Simply Jewish Parenting — practical guidance for raising confident, resilient, values-driven Jewish kids. Hosted by Adina Soclof, Parent Educator, Speech Pathologist, and founder of ParentingSimply.com, this channel helps parents build calm homes, strong character, gratitude, emotional intelligence, and Jewish connection. Expect short, research-based episodes on real parenting challenges: tantrums, entitlement, sibling conflict, screen time, teens pulling away, and holiday overwhelm. Learn how Jewish wisdom, rituals, Shabbat, blessings, Modeh Ani, and traditions can make parenting easier, not harder. Adina has taught thousands of parents and professionals and is the author of Parenting Simply: Preparing Kids for Life. Join a community that understands your struggles and equips you with language, tools, and compassion. Subscribe for Jewish parenting tips, behavior insights, family communication skills, and encouragement—because parenting is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone.

  1. 4d ago

    Yom Kippur Parenting Through Small Changes

    Yom Kippur parenting doesn’t have to sound like a sermon, and teshuva doesn’t have to feel like shame. We’re taking a grounded look at how kids actually learn the core ideas of the High Holidays: responsibility, repair, and the courage to try again after we mess up. The surprise is that the most meaningful Yom Kippur prep often happens in ordinary moments at home, not in big speeches. We talk about modeling self reflection out loud in a way that’s simple and non-preachy. Instead of listing what our kids need to fix, we name one thing we want to work on as parents: staying calmer during the morning rush, listening with more patience when we’re tired, putting the phone away at dinner, or bringing a little more steadiness to bedtime. These small kabbalot are realistic, repeatable, and powerful over time, which makes them perfect for Jewish family life during the High Holidays. We also get specific about apologizing and why “I’m sorry, but…” cancels the lesson. When we apologize without excuses, our children see what genuine responsibility looks like, and they learn a life skill they can use with siblings, friends, and eventually their own families. If you want one practical takeaway, it’s this: pick one small parenting change before Yom Kippur, say it out loud in front of your kids, and follow through. Listen now, then subscribe, share with a friend who’s parenting through the holidays, and leave a review so more families can find these Yom Kippur and teshuva parenting tools.

  2. Sep 8

    Back-To-School Calm

    Back-to-school season can look like fresh notebooks on the outside and pure overload on the inside. We feel it too: bedtimes shift, lunches suddenly matter again, homework returns, and it can seem like everyone needs something at the exact same time. What helps isn’t a perfect plan or an Instagram-ready schedule, but a calm, workable back to school routine that reduces friction and gives the whole family a steadier rhythm. We walk through practical parenting strategies you can start using before the first bell, including how to adjust sleep gradually so mornings don’t feel like a daily emergency. Then we zoom in on the moments that tend to unravel, whether that’s mornings, after school, homework time, or bedtime, and how a simple, visible routine can cut decision fatigue and lower conflict. We also talk about creating a designated homework space that signals focus without needing anything fancy. From there, we tackle the big stress multipliers: overpacked calendars and last-minute dinners. We share why simplifying extracurriculars early in the school year can protect the margin kids need, plus how basic meal planning and a shared family calendar system can take the mental load out of your head and put it somewhere everyone can see. We close with a Jewish lens on rhythm and routine: thoughtful structure doesn’t remove warmth, it often creates it. If back to school is the season when you catch yourself yelling more than you want to, we also share a free way to get support. Subscribe for more practical Jewish parenting tools, share this with a friend who needs calmer mornings, and leave a review so more families can find the show.

  3. Sep 1

    Calmer School Mornings

    Back-to-school mornings can make even kind, thoughtful parents sound like drill sergeants, and it usually happens in the same way: too much to do, too little time, and one kid moving at the speed of a snail while you try to hold everything together. We get honest about that “Why am I yelling?” moment, and we focus on what actually helps when you need your family to move without turning the house into a battleground.  We walk through practical communication tools you can use right away to stop yelling and get more cooperation. You’ll hear how small choices can lower resistance while the task stays non-negotiable, how collaborative problem solving turns you and your child into a team, and how giving information in advance makes transitions less abrupt. We also talk about calm, neutral expectations that avoid lectures and power struggles, plus the underrated power of gentle humor that softens your tone and changes the whole mood.  Finally, we zoom in on motivation: noticing what’s going right during the morning routine, and using positive attention to build momentum. You’ll leave with a simple challenge for the week: replace one phrase you say when you’re stressed with one calmer strategy and watch what shifts. If yelling has become a pattern you want to change, check the link in the show notes for the free email course “Stop Yelling and Create a Karma Home.” Subscribe, share this with a fellow parent, and leave a review so more families can find calmer mornings.

  4. Aug 25

    Simple Elul Practices For Busy Jewish Families

    Elul shows up at the most inconvenient time, right when school starts, calendars fill up, and everyone’s patience is already thin. So how do we bring the spirit of Elul into our homes in a way that feels calm and real for kids, instead of becoming one more overwhelming project? We take inspiration from a list of practical Elul ideas and translate it into something parents can actually use on an average Tuesday night.  We talk about why the “giant Elul plan” usually backfires, and how picking one or two simple practices can create more meaning than an ambitious checklist. We share concrete, kid-friendly options like a quick Tehillim moment, a gratitude share at supper, choosing one middah to work on as a family, writing Shanah Tovah cards, or playing Yamim Noraim music while you cook. The thread running through it all is Jewish parenting that’s warm, realistic, and built for real life.  We also explore how to weave Elul into routines you already have, like bedtime check-ins and car-ride questions, and how sensory cues can help children feel that something special is happening as the High Holidays approach. Then we get personal with one-on-one conversations that communicate, “I see you, I believe in you, and you can grow,” which is a powerful form of connection and teshuvah for the whole family. If Elul also has you noticing your own reactions, we point you toward support for building a calm home when you feel overwhelmed or tempted to yell.  Subscribe for more practical Jewish parenting tools, share this with a friend who feels stretched thin in Elul, and leave a review so more families can find us. What’s your one Elul anchor going to be this year?

  5. Aug 18

    Elul Gives Us A Simple Way To Raise A Mensch

    Elul has a way of shining a light on what we want to change, but as parents, the question isn’t only “How do I improve?” It’s also “How do I help my child grow into a mensch?” I’m sharing a grounded, realistic approach to Jewish parenting that builds middot without turning your home into a constant lecture and without adding a giant project to your already packed week.  We talk about what “be a mensch” actually means when you translate it into real life: honesty when it’s uncomfortable, kindness when siblings are competing, persistence when school feels hard, and self-control when emotions run hot. I connect these Torah values to emotional health, including how middot strengthen a child’s self-efficacy so they feel more capable, more hopeful, and better able to handle challenges.  You’ll also hear practical tools you can start using today: modeling the trait you want to see, naming the middah when it shows up, using stories to make character come alive, and noticing your child’s strengths so Elul isn’t only about what’s wrong. We end with a simple family practice for the week: choose one middah, look for it, model it once in a visible way, and ask one question at supper that gets everyone reflecting.  If you’re craving more calm and you’re noticing moments where you feel frustrated or yell more than you want to, I also share a resource to help. Subscribe for more Torah-based parenting support, share this with a friend who’s in the Elul mindset, and leave a review so more families can find the show.

  6. Aug 11

    Family Vacation Survival Guide

    Your family vacation doesn’t fall apart because you picked the wrong destination. It falls apart when the plan ignores what your kids can actually handle. We’re talking about the practical side of traveling with children and how to make trips go more smoothly, not perfectly, by designing the days around real needs instead of sky-high expectations. We share concrete family vacation tips you can use right away: planning for your child’s age and stage, building in downtime every single day, and making peace with the fact that routines matter even when you’re away. We also get very specific about the “small stuff” that saves the day: snacks and drinks (yes, always), leaving space between activities, and keeping the itinerary simple so you’re not spending half the trip managing exhaustion and frustration. We dig into choices that are easy to overlook but make a huge difference, like child-friendly accommodations and a sleep setup that won’t sabotage bedtime, plus setting a budget ahead of time to cut down on arguments. And we end with the mindset shift that makes parenting on vacation feel possible: expect the unexpected. Weather changes, sickness, sunburn, lost items, and meltdowns happen, and flexibility is the real goal. If you want calmer, more realistic family travel, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend planning a trip, and leave a quick review so more parents can find us.

  7. Aug 4

    Realistic Family Vacations Without The Meltdown

    You can spend months planning a family vacation and still end up thinking, why is this so hard? I get it, because the hardest part is often not the travel, the packing, or the budget. It is the pressure we pile onto the trip before we ever leave the driveway: everyone should get along, the kids should be grateful, the weather should cooperate, and we should come home rested and deeply connected. That perfect version sounds nice, but it turns every normal hiccup into proof that the vacation is “going badly.”  I walk through a mindset shift that makes traveling with kids feel lighter: don’t expect a perfect vacation, expect a real family vacation. That means planning for the most predictable parts of parenting on the road, like sibling fighting, cranky moods, whining, surprise hunger, and at least one plan that falls apart. When you expect a little messiness, you stop treating bumps like disasters and start recovering faster with more patience and flexibility.  We also talk about what actually makes a trip meaningful. The best memories are often the small moments, not the big activity: ice cream after dinner, laughing in the hotel room, a short walk after supper, or collapsing in pajamas because everyone is done. I share a practical exercise to do before your next family vacation: write down three realistic expectations and one simple thing that would still make the trip feel successful, even if plenty goes wrong.  If you want more tools for staying calm when parenting stress spikes, I also mention my email course Stop Yelling and Create a Calm Home. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a friend planning travel, and leave a review so more parents can find these family vacation tips.

  8. Jul 28

    Screen Time Limits Without The Fight

    Turning off the TV or tablet shouldn’t feel like pulling a fire alarm, but for a lot of families, ending screen time sparks instant negotiating, complaining, and dramatic predictions of doom. I’m Adina Sakloff, and I’m walking through how to set screen time limits without getting dragged into a daily power struggle, even when your child is loud, persistent, or heartbreakingly convincing.  We start with a calming truth: kids are supposed to push back against limits. Their disappointment doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong; it means they’re practicing being a kid. From there, I share three practical strategies you can use today across video games, phones, computers, and TV. You’ll hear simple language for saying no calmly, why long explanations often backfire, and how consistency teaches children that arguing won’t change the boundary.  Next, we lean into humor and confidence as a parenting tool. When kids try emotional negotiation, we can stay warm and firm at the same time, keeping our nervous system grounded so theirs can settle. Finally, we talk about boredom and why “There’s nothing to do” is not a problem to solve for them. Boredom can be the doorway to creativity, independence, and real frustration tolerance, which supports healthier digital habits and child development over the long run.  If this helped, subscribe, leave a review, and share the show with a friend so more parents can feel confident setting healthy screen time boundaries.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Practical Jewish parenting tips for raising resilient, grateful, value-driven children in today’s world. Welcome to Simply Jewish Parenting — practical guidance for raising confident, resilient, values-driven Jewish kids. Hosted by Adina Soclof, Parent Educator, Speech Pathologist, and founder of ParentingSimply.com, this channel helps parents build calm homes, strong character, gratitude, emotional intelligence, and Jewish connection. Expect short, research-based episodes on real parenting challenges: tantrums, entitlement, sibling conflict, screen time, teens pulling away, and holiday overwhelm. Learn how Jewish wisdom, rituals, Shabbat, blessings, Modeh Ani, and traditions can make parenting easier, not harder. Adina has taught thousands of parents and professionals and is the author of Parenting Simply: Preparing Kids for Life. Join a community that understands your struggles and equips you with language, tools, and compassion. Subscribe for Jewish parenting tips, behavior insights, family communication skills, and encouragement—because parenting is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Information

  • Creator
    Adina Soclof
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Simply Jewish Parenting
  • Show Website
    Simply Jewish Parenting

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