The Parent Empowerance Podcast

Episode 12: Kindergarten readiness and the decision to home school with former kindergarten teacher and home school Mama of 2, LE Wolfram

This week on the podcast I welcomed my first guest - LE Wolfram, a former kindergarten teacher of 7 years and home school mama of 2. We talk all things kindergarten readiness and the decision to home school. This included: Kindergarten readiness: * Why this is important * How behavior/regulation plays a role * The importance of soft skills and social-emotional learning * Realistic expectations from a kindergarten teacher * Expectations for kindergarteners in our society (the good and bad) Home school decision: * Why LE chose to homeschool her son * Why parents make this choice in general * The pros and cons of homeschooling How to prepare your preschooler for kindergarten * LE’s top 5 things for parents to work on with their child Follow LE on Instagram @wildandhoneyb Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 11: Being a secure base: What attachment is and how to form a secure one with your child

You are your child’s safe place, you’re their home and their comfort. This attachment you form with your child plays one of the biggest roles not only in your relationship with them, but in their development and future relationships as well. This episode focuses on what attachment is and how it influences your child’s development. This included: Reviewing research on: * What attachment is * The four types: * Secure * Insecure - avoidant * Insecure - ambivalent * Insecure - disorganized * Why it’s important for parenting * How attachment influences your child’s development and future outcomes Providing examples on: * What attachment is and isn’t Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Respond consistently with sensitivity and warmth * Respond to your baby asap when they cry or make a bid for your attention * Respond to your toddler/preschooler as much as you can * Co-regulation is key! * Engage with your child - sing songs, read books, PLAY * Read their signs of overstimulation, overwhelm, distress, etc. and meet their needs * REPAIR as soon as you are calm enough to and do it often * Promote exploration by being your child’s secure base - don’t push them away if they get clingy in a new place or around new people Suggesting books: * “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn * “Monkey Puzzle” by Julia Donaldson * “In my heart: A book of feelings” by Jo Witek * “Raising Securely Attached Kids” by Eli Harwood * “Parenting from the Inside Out” by Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 10: The Daycare Dilemma: How to choose a place or person to care for your young child by age and care type

Leaving your child is never easy! And deciding where to take your child and who to leave them with is one of the biggest (and toughest) decisions parents make in early childhood. This episode focuses on strengths and limitations to each care type, as well as strategies for choosing one. This included: Reviewing research on: * Why the quality of care matters more than the type of care * The strengths and limitations for: * In-home daycare * Center daycare * Preschool * Nanny * What to look for by the age of your child Providing examples on: * Experiences teaching in preschools, daycares, and working as a nanny * Choosing a care type for my own child Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Drop in! * Prioritize caregiver interaction, warmth, responsiveness * Want a focus on social-emotional learning and play * Look for low caregiver-child ratios * Want clean environment, toys available on shelves to play with, art and decorations at child level * Want good interaction quality, emotional safety, consistency * It helps to talk to other parents online, drop in more than once, read reviews * Bring your children with you to tour places or have them present when interviewing nannies Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! Work with me! Find my parent coaching service guide at the link on my Instagram, fill out the Inquiry page, or DM me with questions or concerns! I include preschool/daycare vetting as a part of my coaching services. Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 9: Positive, age-appropriate “discipline” and behavior management for toddlers and preschoolers

“Is this okay?” “I get impatient with my children and don’t know what to do.” “My child has been biting their sibling every day and I can’t get them to stop.” All of these are completely normal questions I’ve gotten from parents about handling their children’s behavior. It can be so difficult to know what to do in the moment or how to implement behavior management strategies. That’s where I come in! This episode focuses on what positive, age-appropriate discipline looks like in early childhood. This included: Reviewing research on: * The impacts of common discipline and behavior management strategies (time out, spanking, redirection, offering choices) * How biting/hitting/throwing is normal for young kids * The importance of repair and connection during conflict or “discipline” Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Do not focus on control, focus on guidance and connection! * During behaviors/conflict: * Connect first * Validate emotions and be their calm * Clear limits with redirection * Take a break and ask for help - keep your child safe * Especially for toddlers: * Ignore and redirect * Use your attention to reinforce behaviors * Remove or block and redirect * Repair asap * Model how you regulate and repair * Label your emotions and how they feel/look * Explain how parents also have meltdowns * It’s ALWAYS okay to start over (whether it’s because of you or your kids) * After * Use storytelling or pretend play to process experiences and emotions * Teach children tools to handle their behavior * Prevention * Use play, singing, changing location to change energy or end power struggles * Give yourself more time or change how you approach parts of your routine that often cause you impatience or frustration * Offer choices to give control * Maintain a routine and use visual schedule to help * Create boundaries/limits that prevent power struggles Suggesting books: * It’s ok: Being Kind to yourself when things feel hard by Wendy O’Leary * Breathing makes it better by Christopher Willard and Wendy O’Leary * Roaring Mad Riley by Allison Szczecinski * That’s My Truck by Dr. Becky Kennedy * The whole brain child by Dan Siegel and Tine Payne-Bryson * Parenting from the Inside Out by Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!

Episode 8: Balancing Bluey and Boredom: The impact of screens on young children and how to set boundaries around technology

Screens can be such a useful parenting tool, but they are frequently used too often, to the detriment of your child’s behavior and language development. This episode focuses on the impacts of screen time on children under the age of 5, the recommended screen time and how to implement this with your child, as well as how to set and maintain boundaries around screen time. This included: Reviewing research on: * How screen time impacts child development * Recommended limits and why they are important * How screens affect dopamine and why they are so addictive for children Providing examples on: * How screen time leads to language delays in children * How I have set and maintained boundaries around screens with my own children Describing strategies to use in your own parenting: * Limit screen time to 45 minutes to 1 hour per day MOST days of the week after 2 years old - and none before 2! * Try to stick to educational programming or less addictive shows * Set up play during nap or bedtime to encourage independent play  * Pay it forward - sit and play for 5-10 minutes before you need time for something * Save screen time for when you need it most * Limit screens an hour before bed * Give multiple warnings before ending screen time and have a redirection planned * Don’t introduce screens outside of the home for as long as possible * Set boundaries, BE CONSISTENT and INTENTIONAL with screen use * Encourage creativity through boredom * Pay attention to background noise Suggesting books: * Bearenstein Bears Too Much TV * Polly and Screentime Overload by Besty Childs Howard * Screen Time is Not Forever by Elizabeth Verdick * The Couch Potato by Jory John Support my show! I’d love it if you would subscribe, rate, and review my podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to show your support of the show. Share to your stories and tag me so I can see you tuning in! Connect with us on Instagram: @parentempowerance for tips, tools & real-life parenting @parentempowerancepodcast for the podcast!