Zen Parenting Radio

We speak with the Founder of Changing The Game Project John O'Sullivan. Their mission is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children, and put the ‘play’ back in ‘play ball.’ For every Tiger Woods and Andre Aggassi, there are thousands of others who are in it for the fun (until the adults take the fun out of it.)

Cathy and Todd discuss a New York Times article that makes a case for “free-range parenting”.  Why are we so fearful to let our kids roam free and have their own adventures, and do the statistics reinforce or dispute our fear? Parents have started calling the police when they see a child at the park unaccompanied – is this helpful or harmful to our way of living? They also discuss how to talk and stay connected to your child when they make a decision that disappoints you. The name of the article is The Case For Free Range Parenting by Clemens Wergin Other Resources Parent/Daughter date night!!!  Next in  is our ZPR community screenings is a documentary called The Empowerment Project.  This film documents ordinary women doing extraordinary things.  It's on Monday, May 18th @ York Theater in Elmhurst.  Click here for tickets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIogIwn8U0 Cathy's 3rd book, Living What You Want Your Kids To Learn- The Power of Self-Aware Parenting, is now on sale! Go here to order your book.

You’ve been let down, put down, you’ve failed, and you’ve had your heart broken. Once we reach a certain age, it’s a given that we will have dealt with lots of life’s challenges. But then what do we do?

On today’s show we discuss Interruption Science, the study of the effects of interruptions on job performance. Not only do interruptions challenge our job performance, but they challenge our parenting skills and our ability to feel calm and happy.

We speak with Dr. John Duffy the author of The Available Parent- Radical Optimism For Raising Teens and Tweens. He talks to us about how to minimize conflict and maximize satisfaction in your relationship with your child.

Cathy and Todd discuss why boys and men can experience emotional isolation and loneliness due to a lack of meaningful relationships with male friends.

Agression. British theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking believes that the greatest threat facing us today is our inability to “correct our aggression”.

We discuss the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential, specifically the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset by Carol Dweck.

We speak with Author Annie Burnside about her book "From Role to Soul: 15 Shifts on the Awakening Journey" From her work with many who have awakened, Annie has learned that what it takes for us to finally quit trying to awaken, and simply awaken, is highly individualized.

Cathy and Todd discuss the Oscars, specifically all of the amazing speeches and shout-outs for social change. They answer a listener’s question about a son that doesn’t want to be involved in extracurricular activities, and another question about how to parent together with different philosophies.

We discuss Cindy Crawford’s non-photoshopped picture that went viral and how women were normalized by its authenticity. We also discuss how to see situations from a child’s perspective and why it made sense when our youngest daughter ate a sleeve of Hershey kisses – instead of insisting that our kids listen to us, we can make sure we are listening to them. A listener appreciates how his partner tells him the truth, and we discuss the importance of being thoughtful when offering feedback to someone you love.

Cathy and Todd talk to Tara Mohr, an expert on women’s leadership and well-being. She is the author of Playing Big: Find Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message, and she’s the creator of the Playing Big leadership program for women. Cathy first heard Tara Mohr at an Emerging Women conference, and she fell in love with her message and book. Listen as Tara talks about why women get blamed for not playing big, the two kinds of fear that hold us back, and why our inner mentor is our greatest guide. Find Tara at http://www.taramohr.com/ and read her viral blog post, 10 Rules for Brilliant Women.

And not everything that can be counted counts." Albert Einstein Today we discuss our workshop with Dr. Daniel Siegel, Psychiatrist and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, where we learned more about mindfulness and how it can change every aspect of our lives AND our children’s lives.

Todd and Cathy discuss a blog that offers 5 ways to raise kind children. They also talk about “dementia of the pre-occupied”, not a true diagnosis, but a great description of what it feels like when you begin forgetting why you walked into a room or what you planned to say next.

This week Todd and Cathy bust open these so-called “facts” to recognize how these negative belief systems slow us down or keep us stuck. They also discuss “mini freedoms” and why they are so important to busy parents.

We speak with Darius A. Loghmanee, MD Attending Physician, Sleep Medicine; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We cover all the bases from infants to adults.

Todd and Cathy discuss why our actions dictate our priorities (a Gandhi quote), and how investigation into our priorities tells us a lot about what we think and believe. They also discuss Rob Bell’s new podcast (The Robcast) and his teaching about why “good can be the detriment of best”.

On today’s show Cathy and Todd talk about why connection is essential if we want our children to listen and cooperate. If we are seeking changes in our children’s behavior, we need to we focus our attention on deepening the relationship and creating daily connection.

A listener shares how her husband has her back – he tells the kids that he loves them, but he loves their mom the most. We also discuss how negative behavior from your children is a method of communication – instead of yelling or punishing, consider asking questions and offering some attention.

They sound the same, but there is a distinct difference between detachment (giving up) and non attachment (opening up). If you learn the difference, forgiveness will become easier and you will inevitably experience more love in your life.