Hand in Hand Parenting: The Podcast

Latest Episodes:

What to Do When Your Family Wants to Rule Your Parenting May 16, 2019

Show notes

How do you make like Meghan Markle and stand strong when you face loud and opposing opinions on how you *should be* raising your child?

Meghan and Harry have broken many a protocol since bringing royal baby Archie into the world, from not using the royal family's preferred hospital to Harry holding Archie at a (delayed) press call.

No-one is telling them how to raise a prince, not even the queen!

How About You?

How can you get the same support from your family when your ideas about parenting differ from theirs?

How you can avoid endless confrontations and feuds?

How can you stand strong when their feelings rock you and you face indecision and uncertainty about your parenting style?

Hand in Hand Parenting can seem very different to an older generation, and even younger friends and family that find mainstream parenting practices successful for them. So, how can we show the differences in a positive light without alienating anyone?

Listen to this episode and find out how to own your parenting when your family wants to rule over you.

Why your parenting ideas rub moms and mom-in-laws up the wrong way and how you can ease this
One easy tip for keeping everyone happy when your child moves offtrack and everyone expects you to act (and no, you won't need to time-out)
How to see the good in their criticism and ways to handle their opinions

Get More Support and Resources for Times Family is Judgmental

Try these five tips for responding when you feel judged about your parenting
Get the book Listen, to hear the 100s of stories from families using these tools.

Find Your Tribe

Don't go it alone!

The Hand in Hand Parent Club offers daily support from instructors, with free access to our Setting Limits class, and monthly Q&A Sessions with Hand in Hand's Founder Patty Wipfler.

We're re-opening in the summer. Drop us an email at Podcast@Handinhandparenting.org and we'll be in touch about dates.

Get ready to join Abigail's rocking new community and be mother- flipping-awesome. Go here to get registered now.

3 Reasons We Parents Can Suck at Setting Limits May 07, 2019

Show notes

Elle confesses that she really sucks at setting limits with her kids - and together she and Abigail suss out ways to make rules, boundaries and enforcing them a whole lot easier.

Join us this week if you've ever battled with yourself about when to set limits, or found that whenever you do set limits your kids just don't seem to listen.

Listen to the podcast this week and learn

Top 3 reasons why limit setting is failing you
Ways you can reframe what it means to set limits
Why backchat isn't all bad
Why determining what matters for you and your family really helps you set limits more effectively.

If you want to stop yelling and start setting calm limits, or you are sick of your buttons and boundaries getting pushed, join us for this podcast.

More Resources for Setting Limits with your Kids

Discover Hand in Hand's 3-Step Approach to Setting Limits in this free ebook

Take our online Setting Limits class and get proven tools to set healthy limits that fosters closeness and cooperation in your family. Sign up here, or register for the Hand in Hand Parent Club and get this class free with your membership.

Stay Connected

We'd love to hear about your parenting challenges. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message at podcast@handinhandparenting.org

Get weekly tips, ideas, and inspiration for your parenting in our newsletter

What To Do When You Aren't So Psyched to See Your Kids May 01, 2019

Show notes

We know we love our kids, but that doesn't stop them being hard to like sometimes.

This podcast is for you if you ever wondered how you were going to get through the next few hours with your kids close by.

We talk about how we get to the point where the dread feels real and we share things you can do when parenting feels this hard.

Listen to What To Do When You Aren't So Psyched To See Your Kids and

Find the hidden power in giving in to a bad day
Get play ideas and ideas for when play seems just too hard
Learn how to hold off on constant control and mommy managing
Why it's vital to have your own time to whine and tantrum sometimes

We also wanted to take a moment to thank you for being here and seeking ways for happier days with your family - you are amazing for all the caring you do.

More Resources For Help for Hard Times in Parenting

This is the Listening Partnerships online class we mention. Don't forget you can get it for 25% off when you join the Hand in Hand Parent Club.

Stay Connected

Why Does my Child Only Listen When I Lose It? Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

This week Abigail and Elle respond to a mom who feels like she sees power struggles, aggression and kickback when she's parenting the way she wants to, and compliance only once she gets mad.

Are her efforts to parent kindly back-firing? And why would that be?

On the podcast this week we talk about:

What to expect when parenting with respect
Setting boundaries on your own levels of calm
Comparison parenting and why no way is the perfect way
What power struggles actually mean, and working on embracing them as a win not a loss.

Join us if you've ever felt like your efforts at being an empathetic parent are lost on your child and learn why that definitely is not what is happening!

More Resources on Mean Words and Mean Moms

This article on how kids acquire bad words and re-use them is very insightful. Read Bad Words from Good Kids.

"Mean mom," comments can be very triggering. Here's how instructor Irina handles it step-by-step. My Child Calls Me Mean Mom. What Should I Do?

Stay connected

Get weekly tips, ideas, and inspiration for your parenting in our newsletter

Setting Limits: The Hard No Apr 10, 2019

Show notes

You know about setting warm limits: Moving in calmly when you need to stop a behavior, but what happens when it feels like there is no chance to keep calm?

Like, your child is about to stick their finger in the power socket. Or dashes out across a busy street. Then how do you set a warm limit then?

On the podcast this week, we talk about the Hard No. And why no is hard! When no means no - and those times you aren't even sure your no needs to be hard.

Discover how Abigail handles a hard - and fast - no when there is no doubt a quick, firm limit needs to be set.
How to evaluate if a no needs to be hard.
What happens when your no is hard and then you realise it doesn't need to be.

Join us this week for Setting Limits: The Hard No, and figure out how to stay firm and keep cool.

For more resources on Setting Limits, try these:

Do you know what or why you are setting a limit? It can really help to know. Here's four limits kids need and why to set them.

Read Abigail's post about how to connect before you set limits in One thing to do Before Setting Limits

Want more on Setting Limits? There's 3 days left of our Setting Limits challenge. You get daily ideas for setting limits plus access to our online class on the weekend. You can join here.

Stay connected

Get weekly tips, ideas, and inspiration for your parenting in our Newsletter

Help! My Kid Keeps Bragging Apr 03, 2019

Show notes

Where does the need to be competitive come from and why does it rub us parents up the wrong way? This week Abigail and Elle respond to one mom about her son's competitive streak.

On Help! My Kid Keeps Bragging we talk about:

Is your child's competitive streak signalling some other need?
Competitiveness and confidence
Is competition bad, anyways?
Why sometimes it's good to bask with your child in their glory

Figure out what's causes a child to get competitive, and get new ways to handle things when your kids start telling you "I'm fastest," "I'm fittest," "I'm best."

Get More Resources for Helping Competitive Kids

This is the Hand in Hand 30 Parenting Challenge fundraiser that we mention at the end of the podcast. It's not too late to join...

Stay connected

Get weekly tips, ideas, and inspiration for your parenting in our Newsletter

Finding Your Calm Place in Parenting (It Really Can Happen!) Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

So, you may be fairly new to Hand in Hand's approach or maybe you've been trying out the tools for a few months, even years. But at some point you'll probably - most likely when you are particularly tired or frustrated - ask, "Is Hand in Hand too hard???"

We know!

We've been there!

This week, Elle and Abigail talk about when and why this question pops up. They explore the alternatives and share their own experiences about when it's happened to them - and don't forget Abigail has been parenting this way for about a decade! Plus, we also walk you through ways to get past this ickiness so that you really do find your calm place in parenting.

We've been there too - it really can happen!

Listen to Finding Your Calm Place in Parenting - It Really Can Happen and find out:

Why we reach our limits with this approach
Why other parenting styles may offer a quick fix that seems good in the moment and how this compares with Hand in Hand over time
What we can do to get on track
How to navigate those darker moments

More Resources For Getting Support As Parents

Haven't tried Listening Time yet? Read about how it differs from chatting with friends and post for a partner in our free Facebook Connect support group

Listen to Abigail and Elle's podcast A Little Lite Listening Partnerships Demonstration

For daily support from instructors, plus regular Q&A call-ins with them and our founder Patty Wipfler, join the Hand in Hand Parent Club.

stay connected

Get weekly tips, ideas, and inspiration for your parenting in our Newsletter

Raising Resilient Girls...Part 2 Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

Join us as we continue examining how nature, nurture and culture affects boys and girls, with social philosopher and author Michael Gurian.

On Part 2 of this series, Michael talks about how we can use what science says to raise resilient girls.

On this week's episode:

The way mothers and fathers empathise differently, and why this can be beneficial in building resilience and boundaries
Why fathering is essential for adolescent girls, and what happens in same sex families
How girls can get locked in perception and destructive thought patterns and how parents can help unlock this
Why nurturing our girls according to their nature builds resilience

Listen to Part Two of Raising Resilient Girls now

more resources for raising resilient girls

Learn more about Micheal's work at www.GurianInstitute.com and read more about his approach to raising girls in his book The Minds of Girls.

Join Michael and Abigail at this year's Summer Institute.

Hear Micheal on Part One of this podcast, and his talk with us about Raising Boys - Raising Boys and Girls Differently

Raising a tween? Get help navigating the changing landscape and challenges of keeping connected as your child steps further into independence. With tools that supports you, your child and your relationship.

stay connected

Get weekly tips, ideas, and inspiration for your parenting in our Newsletter

Raising Resilient Girls - with Michael Gurian Mar 13, 2019

Show notes

Social philosopher, family therapist, and New York Times best-selling author Michael Gurian returns to the podcast this week for some girl talk!

Last time Michael guested with us, talk turned to boys. But why even separate talk about boys and girls? Michael explains the fundamental differences in brain science between girls and boys and why these difference affect:

How girls learn and process information
Why the mean girl phenomenon happens and why this can be an important part of a girl's rise into maturity
Why some girls are more prone to anxiety that can lead to self-harm like eating disorders
Cyclical thought processes that can stall our girls' decision- and action- taking.

Michael suggests ways that we can observe what's happening in our girls' lives and support them to be strong and resilient.

Join us this week for some fascinating insight on how the world looks for girls and the practical ways you can guide yours.

More Resources for Raising Resilient Girls

Learn more about Micheal's work at www.GurianInstitute.com and read more about his approach to raising girls in his book The Minds of Girls.

Join Michael and Abigail at this year's Summer Institute.

Hear Micheal talk about Raising Boys on our earlier podcast Raising Boys and Girls Differently

For daily support from instructors, plus regular Q&A call-ins with them and our founder Patty Wipfler, join the Hand in Hand Parent Club - your rich, deep dive into Hand in Hand Parenting

Parenting a Strong-Willed Child Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

You may have heard about how your tenacious, persistent, negotiating go-getter is developing the skills he or she needs to be a great leader in the future, but daily parenting a strong-willed child can feel like an uphill battle. All those constant requests, desires, energy and power play is a lot!

This week Abigail and Elle weigh in on why parenting a strong-willed child can feel so demanding and draining, and how you can raise your strong-willed child without so many power struggles - or the need to "break them."

On this week's podcast, Parenting the Strong-Willed child:

How an agenda won't help when you raise a strong-willed child
How to harness your child's enthusiasm, desire and power
Why these kids can also be super sensitive
Learn how to dance between limits and freedom
What to do if you disapprove of your child's nature and how to develop a mindset that helps improve things

Listen to Parenting The Strong-Willed Child now.