

Connected Parenting
Jennifer Kolari
Connected Parenting shares techniques that therapists use to help parents soothe their child as well as enhance the parent-child bond and is based on the understanding that correcting and guiding behavior works best when it is preceded by and linked to empathy. At the heart of this parenting model is the CALM Technique which helps parents accurately attune to children’s affect and experience. These empathic interactions release reward chemicals in the brain that stimulate positive emotions and increase order and balance in the nervous system. Reward chemicals, including natural opiates, endorphins, and a powerful hormone called oxytocin, reduce and inhibit stress hormones and bathe the brain in positive emotions that ripple through every cell in the body. The benefits of empathy and compassion have a strong base in science that cannot be underestimated. Simply put, it is brain food, the emotional nutrition all of us need, perhaps our children most of all.
Although many parenting techniques stress the importance of empathy, Connected Parenting will show you how to use it skillfully to repair frayed bonds, deescalate tantrums, contain and correct difficult behaviors and help your child to become more confident and emotionally resilient. We use a collaborative and supportive coaching model and provide inspirational, easy-to-understand techniques grounded in neuroscience and attachment. In the end, your child will be more compliant, more relaxed, and – most importantly – happier. Connected Parenting will bring out the best in you and your child.
Although many parenting techniques stress the importance of empathy, Connected Parenting will show you how to use it skillfully to repair frayed bonds, deescalate tantrums, contain and correct difficult behaviors and help your child to become more confident and emotionally resilient. We use a collaborative and supportive coaching model and provide inspirational, easy-to-understand techniques grounded in neuroscience and attachment. In the end, your child will be more compliant, more relaxed, and – most importantly – happier. Connected Parenting will bring out the best in you and your child.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 15, 2021 • 20min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 53 – Morning Windows
The morning routines that looked so promising at the beginning of the school year may be starting to fall apart right about now. Mornings can be very challenging and an absolute nightmare for some families. Mornings set the tone for the day and a bad morning can throw everyone off. In this episode, Jennifer covers a powerful technique called Morning Windows to make mornings go smoothly and set everyone up for a positive day.

Oct 2, 2021 • 25min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 52 – Understanding Your Teen
In this episode Jennifer talks about the teenage years. They can be difficult years but they don’t have to be. Understanding that the teenage brain is under construction and is not fully developed until well into the 20’s can help parents understand, predict, manage and most importantly enjoy their teen.

Jul 30, 2021 • 16min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 51 – Rewriting Your Child’s Story
Many children who “act out”, have difficult behaviours, and a strong counter will (gladiators, as I like to call them), have a story about themselves. “I’m the bad one in the family. I am the one who wrecks everything. I am a destructive force in my family’s world.” That story can affect choices, behaviour, self-esteem, and emotional regulation. As parents, it is important to rewrite that story because your child is so much more than their behavior. Join me and my special guest, Natalie Syrmopoulos from the Connected Parenting team, in this episode to learn how to use an accomplishment book to rewrite your child’s story - for them and for you.

Jun 24, 2021 • 16min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 50 – The Power of Play
In this episode, our 50th, Jennifer talks about the importance, the magic and the power of play.

Jun 7, 2021 • 14min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 49 – Roadmap of Childhood, Part Two
In this episode, the roadmap of childhood continues through the tween, teen, and young adults years. Jennifer helps parents recognize normal and expected developmental stages, what to expect on this part of the parenting journey, how to enjoy your kids, and how to handle the inevitable bumps in the road.

May 19, 2021 • 14min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 48 – Roadmap of Childhood, Part One
In part one of this episode, Jennifer helps parents recognize what are normal and expected development stages, what to expect on this parenting journey, and how to handle the bumps in the road from ages 2 to 13.

Apr 20, 2021 • 27min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 47 – Help… I Have 4 Kids and One of Them is My Husband
In this episode, Jennifer explores what happens when one parent is too serious and the other is too playful...how to see each other’s strengths and work together instead of against each other.

Mar 31, 2021 • 19min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 46 – WTF To Do When Your Kids Are Swearing
In this episode, Jennifer tackles swearing; Why kids do it… How to understand it and how to redirect it.

Mar 11, 2021 • 20min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 45 – The Importance of Self Parenting
In this episode, Jennifer talks about the importance of self-parenting and how to parent yourself from a place of kindness and compassion. As parents, we are the architects of our children’s brains, and our parents were the architects of ours. In truth, we are all walking around as adults with programming that was installed before we were seven years old. Self-compassion and loving self-parenting are critical to good mental health and help us be better parents to our children.

Feb 16, 2021 • 21min
CONNECTED PARENTING EPISODE 43 – The Kids Aren’t Alright
The pandemic is taking its toll on children’s mental health. Many kids are struggling and parents are struggling with knowing how to help them. In this episode, Jennifer gives parents some important tips on how to soothe and comfort your kids while building your emotional resilience during these trying times.


