Parenting Forward

Latest Episodes:

089: Transracial Adoption Mental Health w/Cam Lee Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

Transracial adoption is a complicated problem with no simple solution. I’m not a parent of transracial adoption, nor am I a transracial adoptee myself, but I am learning alongside all of you how to be more kind to all those who are or have been involved in it. There is a cultural narrative surrounding transracial adoptions that is ill-conceived and often downright harmful. We need professional help and advice in learning how to navigate this issue.

I brought on Cam Lee to begin a conversation on this topic for all of us. He is a licensed clinical counselor who is himself a transracial adoptee. He specializes in adoption-informed mental health services. In this episode, we discuss the truth about transracial adoption and the mental health problems that come with it.

Show Highlights:

Cam’s own adoption story and how that led him to become a licensed clinician.
The most common mistakes people make when they tell stories of transracial adoptions.
How to dismantle the harm of the system.
How parents who recognize the harmfulness of the adoption system can navigate that conversation with their children.
How Cam works with his clients to heal their racial trauma.
What to do when your children are struggling but aren’t interested in therapy.
How to deal with your adopted child’s body image issues.

Links (affiliates included):

The Girls Who Went Away - https://amzn.to/3h5l98h

Adoptee mental health and suicide: https://www.wearekaan.org/post/adoptee-mental-health-and-suicide-what-s-the-connection

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3784288/

2-Night Workshop Sep 2020

https://therapyredeemed.wordpress.com/2-night/

Suggested Resources (camps, colleagues, adoptee voices, book recs, etc.)

https://therapyredeemed.wordpress.com/shop/

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

088: Mother of 3 Runs for Office w/ Elizabeth Madeira Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

Awhile back, I read this book, Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein and it explains why the state of political discourse is so polarized and the answer is actually not the absence of social media. It says that in America, the political system incentivizes polarization, leading to the way that it is today.

My guest today decided to not just get involved in calling representatives but go all the way and run for office. Elizabeth Madeira is a Belmont graduate, teacher, mom of three, and Democratic candidate for Tennessee’s 63rd State House District.

She has been a Spanish teacher in both public and independent schools and has worked as a Sunday School Director for over 10 years. Elizabeth has a master’s degree in Educational Administration and has served as a volunteer in community and faith-based nonprofit organizations.

Show Highlights:

Elizabeth’s political awakening and how it coincided with her faith.
What it means when God and your faith doesn't look exactly like you planned for it to.
Her struggles with infertility.
How Elizabeth decided to run for State House.
Some of the biggest challenges Elizabeth has faced her campaign.
How you can support Elizabeth’s campaign.

Links (affiliates included):

Elizabeth’s Campaign Page - https://elizabethfortn.com

Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein - https://amzn.to/30MeHxv

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

087: 9 Year Old CEO of Peyticakes w/ Peyton Brown & Windy Augustine Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

At Parenting Forward we believe that every child can make a difference no matter the age and because of this narrative, I'm always on the lookout for kids in the world who are creating change.

Peyton Brown and her mother, Windy Augustine, join me on today’s episode. Peyton is the CEO of the company Peyticakes which creates beautiful, bold, empowering t-shirts with messages such as “I Am Change” and “I Am Worthy” targeted at girls. Peyton is a young girl with big dreams and she is determined to make them real no matter what.

Show Highlights:

How Peyton used a vision board to start her business.
Why Peyton “just wants girls.”
How Windy empowers Peyton to go after what she wants in life.
How Peyton’s sheer determination motivates Windy every day.
How Windy balances the challenges of being a single parent with a full-time job while helping her daughter run a business.
Advice Peyton would give any girl with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

Links (affiliates included):

Peyticakes: https://peyticakes.com

Lauren Duca’s Session from the Parenting Forward Conference: https://gum.co/shbWS

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

086: Parenting after Losing RHE w/ Dan Evans Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

So many of us grieved the loss of Rachel Held Evans. She was the best-selling author of several books and a hugely influential figure shaping a generation of discourse around faith. When she died in 2019 at the age of 37, we each had to cope with that grief in our own personal way.

One thing that brings me comfort is knowing that Rachel was loved by a man as good as Dan Evans. Losing your wife and the mother of your children is hard enough, but there is another layer in that Dan’s wife was a public figure. He has to raise his kids with Rachel’s ideas that are out there so publicly. In this episode, Dan and I discuss how he has gone about parenting his kids after losing Rachel.

Show Highlights:

How Dan is making parenting decisions in light of the parenting research Rachel did in her life and what she would have wanted.
The level of risk he is willing to take in parenting his kids.
How the experience of shifting in his faith affects his parenting.
Why he desires for his kids to see people with differing opinions from one another.
Why it’s important to get comfortable with confusion.
How he wishes the world could change to make space for a parent like him.
How he navigates gender roles with one daughter and one son.
Differentiating between making our kids bear the burden of our failures and celebrating the prospect of that possibility.

Links (affiliates included):

Rachel’s books: https://rachelheldevans.com/books

2016 and the Risk of Birth - https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/risk-of-birth-2016

No Drama Discipline - https://amzn.to/32UAKmY

Caring for your baby and young child -https://amzn.to/2ZZ7xVY

Episode 46: Grieving RHE - https://cindywangbrandt.com/podcast/episode-46-grieving-rhe-fox-news-empty-nesting-with-carol-howard-merritt/

Episode 58 with Sarah and Beth - https://cindywangbrandt.com/podcast/episode-58-talking-politics-with-your-kids-pantsuit-politics/

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/3g0LJPn

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

085: Holy Troublemaking & Raising Strong-Willed Children with Daneen Akers Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

Love and justice will only arise when we unite with those who are different from us. People with diverse backgrounds, faiths, and even beliefs have the power to come together and create something beautiful. However, if we surround ourselves only with those who are identical to us, we will never reach the same heights.

Daneen Akers is a visionary who understands this well. She invited me to be a part of a project that has become one of the things I feel most honored. For this project, she wrote a book for middle schoolers titled Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints. It is a children’s storybook about people from different faiths coming together to work for love and justice in their corners of the world. In this episode, she shares where her idea for this book came from and how she put it all together.

Show Highlights:

Daneen’s process for deciding who to feature in her book.
The profiles that especially resonated with her.
Why it was important to her to use different styles of artists.
The definition of troublemaking that was at the forefront of her mind.
Advice for parents who are raising strong-willed children.

Links (affiliates included):

Find my Holy Troublemaker profile here:

https://www.holytroublemakers.com/cindy

Casper Ter Kuile’s session about rituals can be found here:

https://www.parentingforwardconference.com/2020-sessions

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/2GB6eDB3

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

084: Black Boys, Black Hair, Black Anger w/ Michael Waters Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

Many of us feel intimidated to talk to our kids about racism. It’s so much more than someone not liking someone else because of the color of their skin and that can get confusing. However, we don’t need to make it this hard. We just need to provide them with an awareness of the world and how it operates as they grow.

In this episode, Michael Waters helps us understand how to do that. He is an award-winning author, activist, professor, and speaker. He has published a couple of books on race, faith, justice, and family, so he fits right in here. He also has a children’s book coming out soon that answers many of the inquiries our children have about current events. Listen in for great insight on how to communicate with our kids about the changes that need to happen in our world.

Show Highlights:

The conversation with his son that demanded a response and sparked the idea of a children’s book on racism.
How to help our kids understand racial injustice.
What actual change-making needs to look like right now.
How to approach anger and navigate a parenting conversation on it.
The role of faith and interfaith groups in fighting against systemic racism.
Black hair and how it is a metaphor for the slow growth that’s required for justice work.

Links (affiliates included):

Pastor Michael’s website: https://michaelwwaters.com

Guide and coloring sheet download here:https://www.flyawaybooks.com/for-beautiful-black-boys

Parenting Forward Conference Sessions - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com/2019-sessions

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/2GB6eDB3

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

083: Parenting Teens, the Mental Load, & Passing on Faith w/ Kristen Howerton Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

By and large, evangelical culture defines Christianity by what we don’t do. This gets passed on to our kids until they begin to define themselves not by what they love, but by what they abstain from. In reality, it’s a beautiful thing when we raise our kids by teaching them what we do; what we love and fight for.

Kristen Howerton is a blogger, podcaster, and author who is on a mission to do just that. In her new book, Rage Against the Minivan, she tells her personal parenting story and helps parents understand that there is no “right” way to raise kids. Kristen is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and a mother to 4 children by birth and adoption.

In this episode, we talk about the unique difficulty of parenting teens, why women often bear the mental load in their families, and how moms can authentically pass on their faith.

Show Highlights:

Kristen’s faith evolution experience and how she expressed that publicly.
The lack of resources nowadays for parenting teenagers.
How to love our teenage children as they journey towards adulthood.
Responding to our children by empathizing with the feelings instead of the conviction.
The mental load women take on and how to excavate and stop reinforcing that message.
How Kristen’s spiritual baggage plays into her parenting.

Links (affiliates included):

Kristen Howerton’s website: https://www.kristenhowerton.com

Kristen Howerton’s book, Rage Against the Minivan: https://amzn.to/2ZzyIVY

Mental load: https://www.workingmother.com/this-comic-perfectly-explains-mental-load-working-mothers-bear

New York Times Interview with Jon Stewart - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/15/magazine/jon-stewart-interview.html

Parenting Forward Conference Sessions - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com/2019-sessions

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/2GB6eDB3

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

082: Kids & Aunties Sew Masks with Kristina Wong Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

Masks have become a polarizing political symbol in our society this year. Opinions on them have changed and developed throughout the entirety of COVID-19, but they are still quite divisive. Depending on our backgrounds, experiences, and personal perspectives, we all view this tiny piece of cloth in a different way. That is why I wanted to have a conversation today with my friend and repeat guest, Kristina Wong.

Kristina is the creator of Radical Cram School, a social justice school on YouTube for girls of color. She is also a performance artist and Muslim-elected representative in Koreatown in LA. When the pandemic first hit in America, she began making masks for the homeless and others who were immunocompromised and had no access to masks. This led to countless requests and the eventual creation of the Facebook group, Auntie Sewing Squad.

In today’s episode, we talk about both of our experiences with masks during COVID-19, as well as what we are doing to help. If you are interested in learning more about what it has been like to be an Asian American during this time, listen in to the amazing insights and stories Kristina shares.

Show Highlights:

Our personal experiences with masks and COVID-19 in general.
How Kristina got started sewing masks for the less fortunate.
An explanation of the term “auntie” in Asian culture.
The transformation and current culture of the Auntie Sewing Squad group.
How Kristina has valued the women of color in her sewing squad.
How I have recruited children to help the vulnerable with my mass sewing camp.
How to support the Auntie Sewing Squad.

Links (affiliates included):

Radical Cram School - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI3voZCASp0

Auntie Sewing Squad - https://www.facebook.com/auntiesewing/

Auntie Sewing Squad Donor Link - https://donorbox.org/auntie-sewing-squad?fbclid=IwAR3rixvhPJiuYrux150Ql2ZWPo_0hHPIxpEr5ay81gO4HU_s00LX9EUsWE4

Seamstresses United Navajo & Hopi Nation Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1YPMOKVP3L56J?fbclid=IwAR20RjSKqmIAug3otJoJ-tULKsbF-RSl-7HS096EatiAsH2Qpn5xegHH0HE

SIGN UP TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE NEXT MASK SEWING CAMP - https://mailchi.mp/08c18bd2b620/mask-sewing-camp-with-auntie-sewing-squad

Parenting Forward Conference Sessions - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com/2019-sessions

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/2GB6eDB

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

081: The Science of Parenting with Amy and Jeff Olrick Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

It’s easy to forget that our kids are people too. They have just as much humanity as we do and yet we place so many limits on them. We have to understand that kids experience the same amount of stress we experience. They just lack the brain development to express it in a way we can understand. In today’s episode, we discuss all of this and more.

Jeff and Amy Olrick are the parents of three boys as well as human rights activists. Jeff is a child psychologist who has a passion for helping parents understand what is happening scientifically to their children’s brains. Jeff and Amy are also the authors of The Six Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents and Kids Through The Science of Connection.

I get asked often for books that are not fundamentalist, but still speak to Christians and communicate a Christian worldview. That’s exactly the kind of book this is. Tune in to the episode to hear all about it and benefit from Jeff and Amy’s knowledge about the science of parenting.

Show Highlights:

How parents can navigate through the stress of being quarantined with their kids.
Why we need to reframe the questions we ask in our relationships.
The systemic problem with the productivity model in our country.
Why adults actually aren’t fundamentally different from children.
How to become conscious of our attachment patterns from childhood and break the cycle for our own kids.
The importance of giving ourselves grace in parenting.
How Jeff and Amy want to serve and challenge the Christian community with their book.
The six needs of every child.
How Jeff and Amy navigated writing their book while being parents to actual children.

Links (affiliates included):

Jeff and Amy Olrick’s website: https://www.growingconnected.com

Parenting Forward Conference Sessions - https://www.parentingforwardconference.com/2019-sessions

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/2GB6eDB

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

080: Raising Antiracist Kids with Rebekah Gienapp Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

Today, I brought my friend Rebekah Gienapp on to talk about raising antiracist kids. A lot of you have been asking questions about how to talk to your kids about everything that has been going on and we wanted to answer them for you. Rebekah is a former community organizer from Memphis, Tennessee who wrote the guide Raising Antiracist Kids: An Age by Age Guide for Parents of White Children. She has so much wisdom to share on nurturing brave kids with a love for justice and in this episode, we discuss it all.

As you all know, I am constantly creating antiracist resources and have always been committed to dismantling white supremacy through this podcast and beyond. With the recent death of George Floyd, this is all the more urgent. So many of us are looking for resources to help us process this tragedy and teach us what steps we can take to combat racism. The process won’t be glamorous, but I plan to never stop educating myself. I hope you will persevere through it with me.

Show Highlights:

Rebekah’s upbringing in a majority-black city and experience as a community organizer.
How she got back into the world of social justice when she noticed her son’s mostly white world.
Why we should push back against the belief that our children are too young or innocent to talk about racism and the death of George Floyd.
How to move past our discomfort and overcome white fragility.
What we can learn from Jilian Best’s conversation with her child about race and justice.
How these conversations about race are dividing families and what to do about that.

Links (affiliates included):

Rebekah Gienapp’s website - https://www.rebekahgienapp.com

The video to Jilian Best’s conversation with her child about race - https://www.facebook.com/100012209014313/videos/978240022592956/

Parenting Forward Conference Sessions - https://gumroad.com/parentingforward?sort=page_layout

Join us at the Parenting Forward Patreon Team - https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Parenting Forward, the Book - https://amzn.to/2GB6eDB3

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

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