Throwback Parenting

The scenario:  Your child misbehaves, causing you frustration, disappointment, and even embarrassment. How do you stay calm? That is what we are tackling today. We've got a formula to help, and it looks something like this: 1. Check your mindset 2. Think through your reaction in advance 3. Don't take the behavior personally 4. Don't dish out consequences in anger 5. Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn   Find show notes here   If you enjoy the podcast, I think you will also enjoy my free audio training: 3 Parenting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make (and What to do Instead). Uplevel your parenting in a hurry by signing up today. Join the waitlist for my upcoming online course: Aim for the Launch: How to Turn Kids into Responsible Adults Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook

While we are conservative about many things, our curfew policy is fairly liberal. It allows our teenagers a great deal of freedom, but also requires a hefty dose of responsibility.  The liberal approach that we explain in this episode has worked like a charm in our home. It has taught our teens to set appropriate boundaries and then, to live within them. Listen in for all the details.   If you love the podcast, I know you will love my FREE audio training series: 3 Parenting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make (and What to Do Instead). It will help you uplevel your parenting in a hurry. Sign up here. Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook  

About ten years ago, we decided to get rid of the video game system that our kids bought with their own money. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made, and we will never get another one.  Listen in to hear about the experiences that led to our controversial decision, the research to support it, and how video games are contributing to a generation of unmotivated kids (especially boys).   Sign up for my FREE three-part audio training: 3 Parenting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make (and what to do instead) Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook  

This podcast is all about preparing kids to become responsible adults. We talk about helping kids develop a variety of different skills that will make the transition to adulthood as smooth as possible. Let's be honest: it takes years to prepare a child for the launch. It is not something that happens overnight or in the months leading up to high school graduation. And sometimes, parents lose sight of the forest over the trees. (I have been there!) It is easy to get caught up in the concerns of the moment and forget about the end goal: raising responsible adults. But have no fear, my friend. That is where we come in to help. Today, we are sharing our very own VESL framework that will help you raise confident and competent children. It is a comprehensive training plan that focuses on teaching children values, emotional skills, social skills, and life skills. Armed with skills in all four areas, kids will be more likely to transition into adulthood with grace. CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: Assess your child's overall p

I remember running to answer the phone, practically tackling my siblings to get there first. Those days are long gone because most kids have their own phones. They don't make many calls with those phones, though. Most of their communication is through texting, social media, and video chats. Because of that, many young people have not learned the art of telephone etiquette. Or, in other words, they are not skilled at answering calls, carrying on conversations on the phone, or taking proper telephone messages. In this episode, we tell a hilarious story about one of our kids whose lack of phone manners got our family into a highly embarrassing situation. We also dive into the ins and outs of telephone etiquette, why it is a vital skill, and how to teach it to kids. CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: For younger kids:  Help your child memorize your phone number and practice calling it. Then, call them and have them practice answering. For older kids/teens: Have your child call a place of business and ask a question using the

Every parent's worst nightmare is for their child to get abducted. With the instant availability of news (especially bad news), it sometimes feels like it is only a matter of time before something awful happens to our kids. I understand that there are bad people in the world who do horrible things to children. I am not downplaying that in any way, and we do need to teach our kids to be cautious. The reality is, however, that strangers abduct only .01% of all missing children. The other 99.99% of kids reported missing have been taken by family members, run away, discarded (meaning their families did not want them), or reported missing by error. (“Chapter 1.” How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, by Julie Lythcott-Haims, St. Martin's Griffin, 2016, pp. 14–15.) A vast majority of strangers are good people. Teaching our kids that they should never talk to strangers is denying them the needed opportunity to learn vital communication skills. Listen in for all

The three most sought-after skills for 9 out of 10 jobs are: Critical thinking Complex problem solving Judgment and decision making However, the world we live in erodes our problem-solving abilities. We consume a massive amount of surface-level information, but often fail to process. We go wide but not deep. So how do we raise problem solvers? Listen in for a few practical suggestions.   Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook   Thank you for the ratings and reviews! Please keep them coming!

Julie Lythcott-Haimes, former freshman dean at Standford University, noted in a 2016 TED talk that  "professional success in life, which is what we want for our kids...comes from having done chores as a kid." But, man alive, it is not easy to get kids involved in household work! It is one million times easier for parents to do the work themselves, especially when the kids are young and inexperienced.   If you, like me, sometimes struggle to get your kids involved in chores, you are in the right place. This short and power-packed episode dives into the why, what, and how of chores. It also provides simple and practical suggestions for how to handle pushback or failure to follow through on tasks.   Weekly Challenge: Teach your child one new skill and make it their chore for this month or this week. To make it easier, download a free guide that will help you determine what skills you can reasonably teach at what ages.   Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook   And THANK YOU for y

For a child to be prepared to leave home at age 18 confidently, they must master a variety of skills. As a parent, it can be overwhelming to think of all the things you must teach your kids in the years leading up to the launch. Over the next several weeks, we will be teaching you simple and practical ways to arm your kids with essential life skills and faith skills. In each short episode, we will tackle one skill and leave you with an actionable challenge to help you implement it in your family.  This week, we are laying the groundwork by giving you a simple formula that will help you teach your child just about any skill: Tell - Show - Do Listen in to learn how it works. Weekly Challenge: Make a list of skills your child will need to master before age 18 and highlight the ones that are most pressing. We will use this list as a foundation as we build upon existing skills. To make it even easier, we have compiled a list of skills and when it makes sense to teach them (between the ages of three and eighteen) i

How do we raise resilient children who believe they can do hard things? What characteristics do parents of gritty kids have in common? What do Steve Young, Latter-day Saint missionaries, and 50-mile hikes teach us about raising overcomers? This episode is packed full of real-life stories and useful information for parents who are striving to teach their kids how to rise above challenging circumstances. Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook

What should you do when your teen decides to disregard what you have taught them and wander down uncertain and possibly dangerous paths? That is one question most parents hope they never have to answer. Today's guest, Mindy Meyersick, came face to face with a harsh and unexpected reality when her 14-year-old son was caught smoking marijuana behind the seminary building. That discovery led to years of challenges with that son and another who followed closely in his footsteps. In this episode, Mindy tells her story of heartache - a journey that taught her what unconditional love for herself and her children looks like in action. It is a story of perceived failure and ultimate triumph. It is a story of drawing upon faith while in the depths of sorrow. It is a story of how love wins - one that every parent needs to hear.  Whether you are currently struggling with wayward teens (or young adults) or not, you will gain an invaluable perspective by listening to Mindy's vulnerable journey. It provides evidence that we

With the COVID-19 pandemic taking the world by storm and disrupting many aspects of our lives, dental care has become tricky. Most, if not all, dentists throughout the country (and world) have been forced to shut their doors due to supply shortages and government mandates. In most cases, they are authorized to treat dental emergencies, but other procedures have been temporarily suspended. So what does that mean for parents and their kids? Our resident pediatric dentist, Dr. Gregory Sheppard, is here today to answer that question and many others like it. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: What the Center for Disease Control, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has recommended for dental care in the midst of COVID-19 Why most dentists have temporarily closed their practices What to do if your dentist is closed and your child is experiencing tooth pain How to determine if the symptoms your child is experiencing constitute a dental emergency What to look for to determine if your ch

With the cloud of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, many of us may be feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed. We have been thrown into a homeschool environment for which we were not prepared. We are isolated from other people. Many of us are facing economic threats. Significant events and vacations have been canceled or postponed indefinitely. And, on top of all of that, we are dealing with feelings of anxiety, grief, or disappointment while trying to help our kids work through their emotions. Today, my guest, Ceri Payne, is teaching some skills and mindsets to help each of us stay grounded and productive amidst the growing tide of uncertainty and chaos. She is wise and experienced, and her words are reassuring and hopeful. She is a heaven-sent guest at this time. Find show notes here  Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook   Connect with Ceri Instagram: @organizedlife.coach Facebook: Ceri Payne Coaching Website: www.organizedlife.coach

It has been one year since we launched the podcast. It has been a year of learning and growth and evolution. In that time, we have recorded 50 episodes and met some awesome people. Today, we are sharing some of our favorite clips from a year's worth of episodes. These short snippets will make you laugh, make you think, and help you to be better parents. We hope you enjoy them! Clip one: Episode 2 - Courageous Parenting Clip two: Episode 30 - Raising Indistractable Kids with Nir Eyal (my personal favorite!) Clip three: Episode 10 - What Teens Wish Their Parents Understood, with Elise Sheppard Clip four: Episode 31 - God's Parenting Blueprint Clip five: Episode 5 - Help! My Kids Won't Listen (The most downloaded episode of the year!) Also...we are doing a GIVEAWAY to celebrate our birthday! We will be giving away two boxes of goodies to two lucky winners: The first box contains: The book, How to Raise an Adult, by Julie Lythcott-Haimes The game Cover Your Assets The game Telestrations The second box contains:

This week has been straight crazy! Circumstances that we could not have foreseen a month ago have now become a reality: school and church closures, quarantines, empty shelves at the grocery store. Fear. Panic. A week ago, I was wondering what all the COVID-19 hype was about. Now Greg cannot even get masks at his dental office because all the suppliers are out of stock. Unless some miracle happens, he will likely have to close his doors by week's end. Reality is a beast these days. In light of that, I recorded a message of hope and encouragement that was initially meant for the sisters in my ward. Given current circumstances, however, I wonder if others might benefit from it also. Yes, we live in turbulent times, but all is not lost. God is at the helm and, through Him, we can find peace. Find show notes here Follow along on Facebook Follow along on Instagram

Over the course of raising five very different children, we have explored several different educational options, including neighborhood public schools and a handful of charter schools. For many years, we chased after the best education, playing musical schools in search of the perfect fit. By the time our oldest child was in the seventh grade, he had attended six schools. In the process of trying a variety of schools that offered different types and qualities of education, we have learned a thing or two that we are excited to share with you. Now that our oldest two kids have started college, we are seeing the results of their educational journies. If we had it to do over again, we might choose a slightly different path, but learning is always a winding road of self-discovery. Today, we are thrilled to share our hard-won experience and perspective with you. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: Why we left the neighborhood elementary school in search of a different educational option How we landed in the charter school system

As a child, teenager, and even a young adult, I did not have a firm grasp of my strengths. I felt like I did a lot of things OK, but nothing really well. When I got to college, I had a tough time figuring out what to study in part because I did not understand where I was strong. I mean, I knew to avoid any career that focused heavily on math. But other than that, I was pretty clueless. Today's guest, Heather Glenn, specializes in helping teens and young adults discover their strengths and match them with their interests to find the perfect career. In this interview, she and I explore how we, as parents, can help our kids discover and nurture their strengths throughout their lives. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: How developing an understanding of their strengths (and weaknesses) can help kids, teens, and young adults to live with more intention and joy The relationship between strengths and weaknesses, and why weaknesses are not a bad thing How to recognize and nurture your kids' strengths from a young age even (and es

The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. We have been hit by some unexpected parenting challenges that have thrown us for a loop, and we are working to gain our equilibrium. While we certainly do not have everything figured out at this point, listen in to hear how our faith is keeping us grounded. SCRIPTURES WE MENTION: 2 Nephi 9:20: "O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it." D&C 100:1: "...for in me is there all power." D&C 101:16: "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion, for all flesh is in mine hands. Be still and know that I am God." QUOTES: When you come to the end of everything you know, and the next step is into the darkness of the great unknown, you must believe one of two things: either you will step onto firm ground, or you will be taught to fly. Unknown TO HELP THE PODCAST: If you are enjoying the podcast, please consider subscribing or reviewing it on iTunes or wherever you listen to your podca

When our son, Andrew, was halfway through his junior year of high school, he started to have thoughts of self-harm that caught him completely off-guard. After meeting with a counselor a short time later, he determined that the unwelcomed thoughts were a manifestation of anxiety. In the years since then, Andrew has learned how to manage his anxiety in healthy ways. Today on the podcast, he is telling his story, what he has learned from it, and what he believes parents can do to support their kids through anxiety and depression. If you have a child or anyone else in your life who struggles with mental illness, you won't want to miss this. Find show notes here: http://www.lynnettesheppard.com/45/ YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY: Episode 10: What Teens Wish Their Parents Understood with Elise Sheppard Episode 042: From Strong Will to Strong Leadership with Jordan Sheppard  

For as long as I can remember, I have loved spending time in the kitchen. It is a form of therapy for me to chop vegetables and create delicious meals out of seemingly boring ingredients. But, even more than therapy, food is about connection, tradition, and creating memories. Today I am excited to introduce you to my dear friend, Bobbi Wood. She and I go way back to the days when our husbands were in dental school/residency together. Today, they have practices right next door to each other, and Bobbi and I are practically sisters. A few years ago, she and I decided to take a six-month-long French cooking class together. Every Friday, we would meet at the Park-n-Ride and carpool to Scottsdale to learn how to cook with loads of butter, cream, and wine. While neither of us cooks that way often, it was so much fun to learn the techniques together. After our experience, we almost started a food blog together, but it never quite came together. I am not ruling that out entirely, however! Perhaps, we have a future to