The Parenting Podcast

Summary Some friendships become such a natural part of our lives that we hardly stop to think about them. But as we grow and change, we may begin to see those relationships a little differently. What do we do when we still value the friendship, but aren’t quite sure it should stay the way it’s always been? Talk Notes The subtle influence friendships have on who we’re becoming. Recognizing when negativity, gossip, or criticism becomes part of a friendship. Why our desire to belong can make dif...

SUMMARY There’s something special about having women in our lives who really know us. Yet even when we long for those connections, friendships can slip to the edges of our busy lives. Maybe it’s time we gave a little more thought to just how much they matter. TALK NOTES Why making friends as an adult can feel surprisingly difficult. The loneliness moms can experience, even when surrounded by people. How friendships change through different seasons of motherhood. Why friendship requires vulner...

Summary They did something wrong. You know it has to be addressed. But in that moment, how do you correct without losing the connection you’ll need to walk through what comes next? This is one of those stories that stays with you. Talking Points When a child makes a choice that is clearly wrong Correcting without making shame the whole story What empathy can change in a hard parenting moment Why honesty from a parent can open the door to honesty from a child Separating a bad choice from a chi...

Some parenting questions have clear answers. These were not those questions. We put a few of them on the table—and discovered how different they look from the other side of raising children. Talk Notes The parenting rules we swore we’d never break What never came naturally to us Battles we eventually decided weren’t worth fighting What we think we actually did well The parenting jobs we’re happy to leave behind Where Mom and Dad handled things differently What we wish we’d been more consisten...

As our kids grow up, who pays for what gets surprisingly complicated. Generosity is good. So is responsibility. Figuring out when the bill belongs to us—and when it belongs to them—is where things get interesting. Talk notes: The changing financial relationship as kids move toward adulthood Generosity, responsibility, and knowing when each is appropriate Looking at patterns: Is this a genuine need or ongoing irresponsibility? What is our financial help producing? Giving young adults real expe...