Positively Dad

Your kids are home from school, most of their after school events are cancelled, they don't get to play with their friends as much, so what do you do? Many parents are worried about kids over-using technology and spending too much time on screens. We talked with https://www.jordanshapiro.org/ (Dr. Jordan Shapiro), author of https://www.amazon.com/New-Childhood-Raising-Thrive-Connected/dp/0316437247 (The New Childhood) about screen use right now. Is it the big issue many parents think it is and how do our rules around tech change right now? It's a follow up to a conversation we had with him last year on the idea of screen time and we believe it will help you right now.

Let’s talk about our kids, their behavior, their decision making and how we’re helping them and holding them back. The days of, “because I’m the dad” are over. The research shows that style of parenting just doesn’t work. Spanking, screaming – even the time out – are out. So what do we do? How do we as parents teach our kids to grow into great people, how do we set the expectations of what’s acceptable and what isn’t, how can we begin to remove the stress of helping our kids grow up? Those are the answers we intend to get from https://www.katherinerlewis.com/ (Katherine Reynolds Lewis.) She’s an author and journalist – and a parent educator with the Parent Encouragement Program in Maryland. She wrote the book https://www.katherinerlewis.com/book (The Good News About Bad Behavior: Why Kids Are Less Disciplined Than Ever – And What to Do About It.)

You already know, family life is very different right now. More people are working from home, nearly every American child is out of school, families are making massive adjustments to make it all work. It turns out the adjustments we're being forced to make may actually be good for our families. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/economy/childcare-gender-equality-coronavirus/index.html (Dr. Matthias Doepke from Northwestern University and a team of researchers is looking at how our response to stopping COVID-19 is impacting family life.) While it will be several years before they know the true results, they believe there are some benefits for moms and dads and some challenges for some families.

We’re in challenging times People are losing jobs at a record rate, small businesses are closing, your kids are away from their friends. You may be nervous, uncertain or scared. You may be wondering when it will “go back to normal.” Your faith may be tested. Today we're talking with Pastor Willy Rice from Calvary Church in Clearwater, Florida, on how you keep faith in times of doubt.

90% of children across the world are out of school. No recess, no PE, no extracurricular activities. That means we get to work together as a family to stay fit and healthy. We talked with Chris Wright of the Youth Sport Trust in the UK about why it's important that we keep moving. He shared some great resources that will help you and your family.

It was a message in our group chat, "How are you doing?" A friend wanted to know how we were coping through life today. It was a great question and one we figured we could answer together. Today we talk with two great dads, Scott Stevens and Robert Eaton about how they're living during Coronavirus.

Our lives have been thrown upside down. It's been tough for many families and you may be a bit more stressed. How can we help our kids, teens and family cope? We talked with Dr. Kelly Tu from the University of Illinois about how we can get through this and how to manage the feelings and stress our entire family may be experiencing.

It's a different time. We're all being asked to make sacrifices as we look to battle COVID-19. School is out, you're working from home, events are cancelled. It' kinda stinks. Our view of this situation has changed over the last couple weeks and we thought we'd share how we're looking at it as a family. We trust that you are making the best choices for you and your family and also thought you may be open to the conversation on how we got where we are. Terri and Naomi join me for a special episode of Positively Dad.

Nearly every school system in the country is closed and now you're a home school parent. Some parents are worried about how to make it work or what the day should look like. Others are nervous about their child getting behind or not doing enough learning during the day. We asked a 12 year elementary teacher to help us set up our kids and families for success.

We're entering a new normal. Schools closed, sports suspended, concerts rescheduled. Life as we knew it is hitting the pause button and we're in new times. How can we help our kids and ourselves during the Coronavirus outbreak? Dr. Rebecca Schrag Hersberg is an expert on parenting and https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/little-house-calls/202003/parenting-during-covid-19 (she shares some things we can think about) that will help our families move forward.

Nearly 5 million American kids are out of school as the government looks to stop the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. How can parents make this extended time at home work? Educator and author Dave Schmittou joins us in a special edition of Positively Dad to help parents make the most of this time.

Life gets busy and keeping things moving with the family is tough for many. That's why some American families turn to an au pair for help. That's what Chris and Nicole Lessard decided to do to help with their three children and their busy schedules. There are so many misunderstandings about an au pair does and how the process works. Chris shares how having one is helping their family and how it's helping him stay connected to his kids.

We all desire a dynamic relationship with our family. It's not easy. Truly having strong and healthy relationships can come with challenges. http://www.matttownsend.com (Dr. Matt Townsend) is an expert on relationships and his book https://www.amazon.com/Starved-Stuff-Feeding-Healthy-Relationships/dp/0615351700 (Starved Stuff) shows us how we can have great ones with our partner, children, friends - just about anyone. He'll share the seven basic needs of healthy relationships and tips to help you connect at a higher level with those you care about.

Shawn Watson was addicted to meth. His life was spent in and out of jail until he made a decision to put that life behind him. Now Shawn is a single dad raising his 11 year old daughter. He shares his story of fatherhood and his road to recovery and redemption.

Our kids, especially our daughters, are more stressed than ever. Some of that stress is good, it helps them grow and learn - like the stress over taking a test or learning something new. So when can it move past the good and into something where we should be concerned? How can we support our daughters in getting through the normal anxieties of life? Our guest will help us with that. Dr. Lisa Damour is an expert on young people and helping them through their stress. https://www.drlisadamour.com/under-pressure/ (In her latest book Under Pressure) she shares how we can be there for our daughters and help them when they need us.

It's our one year anniversary and it's time to celebrate! Thank you for supporting Positively Dad and our mission to help you become a better parent, partner and person. We thought we'd celebrate today by going back to the beginning and sharing an encore of our first episode. A Dad's role is changing. You’re spending more time with your family, helping out more at home and more engaged with your children. There are more single dads than ever, more stay at home dads than ever and more two dad families than ever. We talk with Dr. Kevin Shafer of Brigham Young University about his study of fatherhood, how dads role is changing and what it means for you.

Michael Flores' dad wasn’t around when he was growing up. In fact, Michael says that his dad "left and never looked back." Unfortunately, that’s the story for many kids in the country – dads who, for some reason or another, just aren’t there. We’ve talked to several dads who have similar stories and every single one of them tells me it’s their goal to break that cycle. Michael is doing that and he’s going to share that story with you today.

Yes, we just want to help. We want our kids to realize things aren’t as bad as they think. We have so much more experience… if they would only listen. It’s something we think often and it’s making us struggle in connecting with your kids. And then the older our kids get, the less effective this type of parenting can be. https://hdfs.illinois.edu/directory/ktfrantz (Dr. Kelly Tu from the University of Illinois) did the research on what’s stressing kids out and how parents are sometimes contributing to that stress. She says that as kids grow up and begin puberty, we sometimes do more harm than good. This is an important conversation for parents who intend to support their kids and help them navigate all that comes with growing up.

Mark Solomon is a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves and he’s getting ready for a year away from his family in service to our country. That means he’ll be away from his wife and two teenage boys for a year of school, holidays and moments. It's the story nearly two million American families experience. What does that look like? How do you share with your kids you’ll be gone, how do you set up your family so they are prepared and how can we help military families while mom or dad are gone? 

Do you ever feel like life is the same story – different day? Day after day after day is the same – with no real sense of direction or purpose. Or maybe you do feel like you’re living on purpose and even more clarity or direction could help you. Think about what life is like for your kids when they know why they’re here and what their life should be about. This week we talk with http://www.simontbailey.com (Simon T. Bailey). He’s an author, speaker and dad. https://www.success.com/author/simon-t-bailey/ (You may have seen his work in Success magazine). His latest book is “Be The Spark” and we talked about how we, as dads, can get clarity around the purpose of our life and how we can share that with our kids. He’ll share some powerful questions you can ask yourself and your family so you are truly have a life worth living.