My guest today is Erica Whitfield.  I don’t have many episodes about sibling dynamics, so I’m very excited to have Erica here to dig into scapegoated siblings. Erica explains what exactly a scapegoated sibling is and why some kiddos may feel disconnected from their parents. We get into other roles that siblings may fall into and how we, as parents, can make sure we’re there to hold & support all of our kids. Erica talks about how past trauma can affect our parentings and how we can recognize if we’re starting to scapegoat. I ask Erica what to do if we notice that we’re in that dynamic, and we touch on how neurodivergence, birth order, & your own relationships and history can affect these roles. Erica explains what to do to start repair - asking for feedback, negotiating, and finding balance, & justice, and we explore a few different ways to ask for that feedback. Takeaways from the show What is a scapegoated sibling?  Nurturing communication between siblings  Resentment between siblings  Other roles that kids can fall into  How to communicate to your child that you can handle their challenges & journey  Signs you may be scapegoating one child  How to correct when you see yourself in this dynamic  Neurodivergence, birth order, & your own relationships playing into these roles  “Dynamics play out until they get healed”  Inviting & preparing for feedback from your teens about their experience For more details, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me in chapter seven of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Matthew Lederman, a communication specialist, discusses nonviolent communication, common unmet needs in children, staying connected when triggered, rebuilding trust, meeting our own needs for health and safety. Takeaways: nonviolent communication, being resourced, communicating with adolescents, common unmet needs in children, staying connected when triggered, rebuilding trust, welcoming feedback from our kids, why teens pull away from their parents, meeting our own needs for health and safety.

Join me in chapter six of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m so excited about my guest today, Rowan O’Roarty, my daughter!  Rowan is back and shares updates on what’s been going on since last time she was on, like working as an esthetician and moving out & living on her own. We talk about how often we check-in with each other, how Rowan’s anxiety & depression are showing up recently, and how she manages them. She shares her thoughts on how parents can best support their adolescents and young adults when they’re struggling with depression. Rowan ends by sharing a poem about motherhood that resonated with her recently.Takeaways from the show Job interviews Moving out  How frequently should we check-in with each other?  Managing anxiety & depression  Supporting adolescents & young adults with depression  What emerging adults need/want from their parents For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me in chapter five of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.For more show notes and info on our advertisers, go to https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-five Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Dr. Kristan Rodriguez.  Dr. Rodriguez shares a bit about her background in education & parenting and how that drives her to work on transforming education. We touch on many different methodologies: world schooling, homeschooling, unschooling, and IB & AP programs. Dr. Rodriguez shares some things that need to be taught aside from academics like financial literacy, art & music, and entrepreneurial skills. I ask if she sees that schools are willing to make changes and try less traditional methodologies - do kids need to know and regurgitate “The Canterbury Tales” more than they need authentic real-life learning experiences? I also ask what parents can do to help sway their administrators to make changes (spoiler: get involved & participate!). We agree that checking-in and setting goals with your teen before a new school year starts is a good plan, as well as empowering our kids to see where they have control. We touch on how to scaffold and facilitate hard conversations for your adolescent (while not having those tricky conversations for them). Dr. Rodriguez and I end by discussing how schools are supporting mental health for their students. Takeaways from the show Meeting individual needs in a school setting AP & IB programs, world schooling, homeschooling, & unschooling   What should be taught in addition to traditional academics?  Are we adequately preparing adolescents for careers?  Schools are more willing to try less traditional methodologies  What life-skills actually need to be taught in 2023?  How can parents encourage their administrators to make changes?  Checking-in and goal-setting with teens before a new school year Facilitating hard conversations for your adolescent  How are schools supporting mental health?  Engaging students outside of academia For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me in Chapter Four of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.Get the full show notes and find out more about our sponsors by visiting our website:https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-four/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Wendy Snyder. I’m so excited to have her here because our stories are so similar, especially the “early-years overwhelm,” leading us to find something that does work. Wendy shares her background and what “raising strong-willed children with integrity” means to her. We agree on so much around kids being our teachers and the importance of childrens’ dignity. Wendy and I talk about what happens when we can start letting go of expectations and focus on creating the best environment for our kids instead while still being the leader of our home. I ask Wendy what’s been surprising to her about navigating the teen years with her own kiddos, and that leads us to identifying missing life skills, modeling sobriety, and harm reduction. Wendy shares her thoughts on some starter steps to mend and nurture our relationships with older kids, how to establish firm boundaries, and how to respond when those boundaries are crossed. Takeaways from the show Raising strong-willed children with integrity  Firm kindness  Creating the best environment for your child  Inviting collaboration, cooperation, and contribution  Teens experimenting with drugs & alcohol  Identifying missing skills  Starter steps to mend and nurture relationship with older kids  Moving away from punishment  Viewing mistakes as opportunities to learn  Establishing boundaries (and what happens when they do not adhere to those boundaries) For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me in Chapter Three of Joyful Courage: Calming the drama and taking control of your parenting journey, the book I published back in 2019. I will be discussing what holds up and things I’ve learned during the wild years since it came out.Find out more and learn about our sponsors at https://www.besproutable.com/podcasts/joyful-courage-book-chapter-three/Learn more about your ad choices - visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices