Your Child Explained

Why does my child ask the same questions over and over? | Podcast Episode 269

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Child development, Your Child Explained

Last summer, the two-year-old son of a Ninja Parenting Community member was in a car accident. Thankfully no one was injured. But the car was totaled.

And this little boy kept asking the same question, over and over:
“Why did Daddy crash Daddy’s car?” The accident was not Daddy’s fault. But you couldn’t convince the boy of that!

Everyone just wanted to move on.

But this little boy struggled to do that.

Maybe your child hasn’t recently been in a car accident, and so this isn’t the question that keeps getting asked.

But I bet, if you’ve got a toddler or preschooler, or even an elementary school kid, you know this phenomenon very well.

Today: what to do about it, when your child asks the same question again and again!

Go to weturnedoutokay.com/269 for:

  • A cheat sheet on how to handle it when your child keeps asking the same question over and over, and it’s driving you nuts
  • Key links from today’s episode
  • The video of the week: Off this week, returning March 28

And thank you so much for listening!

How to Get Quality Childcare: Free Online Class!

Learn:
– The keys to finding the best child care for your young child
– To avoid one crucial factor that can derail your efforts to find good childcare
– Which questions to ask – and which not too – to assure your child thrives in others’ care

We cover this and more in the FREE online class I’m teaching on Thursday, March 28!
Sign up today – even if you can’t be there live, the replay will be available for several days after.

Get the best child care for your kiddos by taking this class, for free! Sign up here and I will see you on March 28: )

Continue reading “Why does my child ask the same questions over and over? | Podcast Episode 269” →

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Your questions – about dealing with intolerance, surviving crummy daycare, shoe-throwing, and more – answered with veteran preschool teacher Tricia Tomaso | Episode 267

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Child development, Your Child Explained

Wondering what to do when:
– Your child fills the pull up or leaks through, every single night, despite being potty trained during the day?
– You are stuck – at least for a little while – with subpar childcare?
– Your child is being picked on due to intolerance?

We answer these questions and more, in today’s episode!
I’m so excited to bring you another round of Ask the Experts with Tricia Tomaso!

[FYI: in the break I mention having One Question for you… Click here to hear the bonus episode about the question, and click here to answer the question!]

Go to weturnedoutokay.com/267 for:

  • A cheat sheet on the questions and answers we share in this episode
  • Key links from today’s episode
  • The video of the week: “How to help your child if they’re being picked on or bullied”

And thank you so much for listening!

Temper Tantrums and Potty Training:

During today’s break I share about two helpful free guides I offer.
While the podcast is long-form – your opportunity to look into the mind of a child development expert – the free guides are super quick.

You can watch the video, read the checklist, and immediately handle the temper tantrums or get started with potty training (depending on which guide you choose : )

  • Click here for the FREE video and checklist to handle every temper tantrum
  • Click here for the FREE video and checklist to successfully potty train your child
  • Want to receive valuable ideas and tips on parenting, without either free guide above? Click here for my weekly parenting newsletter!

Continue reading “Your questions – about dealing with intolerance, surviving crummy daycare, shoe-throwing, and more – answered with veteran preschool teacher Tricia Tomaso | Episode 267” →

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4 Ways Kids Aren’t Like Submarines – The problem with Zero Tolerance | Podcast Episode 266

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Bad Behavior, Your Child Explained

What’s your biggest parenting challenge?
I really want to help you with it! (For context, listen to this recent quickie bonus episode : )
Click weturnedoutokay.com/contact to go to my contact page and share what’s toughest for you as a parent. Thank you sooooo much!

How do you react when your child makes a mistake, does something wrong, mouths off?

If you respond to bad behavior with lesson-teaching/consequences mode engaged – in other words, if you have “zero tolerance” for your child’s transgressions – you’re doing your child a disservice.

Even worse, you’re doing your relationship with your young child a disservice.

That’s what this episode posits, anyway. Take a listen and see if you agree!

PS The title and subject of today’s episode came from conversations with my therapist.

“We can’t have zero tolerance when we’re talking about kids,” he often says; “zero tolerance is for submarines.”

If these two concepts seem completely unrelated to you, and your daily life with your young child, I encourage you to listen in to today’s episode! All will become clear : )

Go to weturnedoutokay.com/266 for:

  • A cheat sheet on the 4 ways kids are not like submarines – and what works better than “zero tolerance” when they do something wrong
  • To share your biggest parenting challenge, and/or sign up for one of our free guides
  • The video of the week: “How to handle your child’s bad behavior”

And thank you so much for listening!

Continue reading “4 Ways Kids Aren’t Like Submarines – The problem with Zero Tolerance | Podcast Episode 266” →

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“Is it shyness or bad manners?” 12 Ways to handle your child’s stranger anxiety | Podcast Episode 254

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Bad Behavior, Your Child Explained

HEADS UP: At the top of the show, we say we’re going to tell you if we go into PG-13 territory. In the second half of this episode, I share about being sexually abused at age 7. You may want to listen away from your littles, or with headphones.

“Is it shyness or bad manners?” When a member of our private coaching community asked this question during a live members-only call recently, I knew I needed to get you a show about handling stranger anxiety.

We’ve got 12 ways for you to handle your child’s stranger anxiety… and we talk about how stranger anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I hope this is a helpful episode as you head into the holiday season, and your young child is meeting lots of new people!

Temper Tantrums and Potty Training:

During today’s break I share about two wonderful free guides I offer.
While the podcast is long-form – your opportunity to look into the mind of a child development expert – the free guides are quick-and-effective.

You can watch the video, read the checklist, and immediately handle the temper tantrums or get started with potty training (depending on which guide you choose : )

  • Click here for the FREE video and checklist to handle every temper tantrum
  • Click here for the FREE video and checklist to successfully potty train your child

Go to weturnedoutokay.com/254 for:

  • A cheat sheet on the 12 ways to handle stranger anxiety
  • Links to the articles I quote from today
  • The link to the WTOO Facebook page where Wednesday 12/12 I’m doing a Facebook live Ask Me Anything to kick off the launch of my latest book, 10 Secrets Happy Parents Know, officially out today!!
  • The video of the week: “My child is anxious around new people”

And thank you so much for listening! Continue reading ““Is it shyness or bad manners?” 12 Ways to handle your child’s stranger anxiety | Podcast Episode 254″ →

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Ask the child development experts! Your questions answered on today’s Your Child Explained Episode | Podcast Episode 248

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Child development, Your Child Explained
This time of year, kids have lots of opportunity to misbehave. This episode gives you tools to get good behavior from your littles, enjoy regular family time – and extended-family time too.

I am SO excited to bring you today’s show!
I have good friend and colleague, Tricia Tomaso, a veteran preschool teacher and holder of a master’s degree in special education.
And she has graciously agreed to come on the show and answer YOUR questions.

So! Today we take questions on:
– What to do if your child hits you, especially repeatedly
– How to handle it if you are a relatively low energy parent, and your child is a high-energy kid
– If you’re worried that you are overinvolved with your kids
– And more!

Buckle in, this is a really fun and useful ride today!

Go to weturnedoutokay.com/248 for:

    • A summary of each “ask the expert” question and answer
    • What’s up in the We Turned Out Okay universe, including tons of free resources : )
Today’s show is all about getting to moments like this, where everybody is smiling.
  • The video of the week: “I’m exhausted from doing too much for my kid”

And thank you so much for listening! Continue reading “Ask the child development experts! Your questions answered on today’s Your Child Explained Episode | Podcast Episode 248” →

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Helping your child understand money – A Your Child Explained Episode (podcast episode 217)

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Kids & Money, Your Child Explained

Welcome! To listen to today’s episode, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and click the triangular “play” button. Enjoy the show!

We live in a complicated world, financially speaking, which can seem completely shrouded in mystery to us parents – never mind the kids!

What with credit cards, bitcoin, Apple pay, swiping, tapping, and sliding, the value of an actual dollar can get completely lost.

And how does a child’s wants and needs fit in with money? How should we expose our kids to financial understanding – with a salary? With an allowance? With exchanging chores for cash?

It’s confusing enough to make your head spin. Which is why today’s episode is so helpful.

It’s all about how to help your child understand this substance that makes the world go round!

Go to weturnedoutokay.com/217 for key links, including to a couple of fantastic books to help you wrap your own head around how to help your child understand money…. Thanks for listening! Continue reading “Helping your child understand money – A Your Child Explained Episode (podcast episode 217)” →

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A Counterintuitive Positive Discipline Ninja Tactic for Today’s Your Child Explained Episode (Podcast Episode 214)

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Bad Behavior, Your Child Explained

Welcome! To listen to today’s episode, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and hit the triangular “play” button. Enjoy the show!

“I HATE to yell at you… But you make me do it. It’s your fault.”
Recently, I spoke with a mom who said that she tells her kids this all the time.

Do you ever feel like this, when your child is giving you crazy attitude ?

Or when your child is whining, or picks a fight with a sibling over absolutely nothing at all?

In short, do you ever feel like you cannot take your child’s bad, embarrassing behavior for one more second?

If so, today’s episode gives you a ninja tactic that will completely change this dynamic!

If you really care about stopping your children’s annoying behavior before it starts, and you really care about not flying off the handle with them… Today’s episode shows you how to do it.

Listen in to find out how to do it right!

 

3 Secrets of Happy Parenting:

You know that fear and dread that you feel can about spending time with your young child?

Those hours that drag on, when paradoxically it feels like there is so much to do but also the minutes just creep by, super slowly, moment by agonizing moment?

I am excited to share the 3 Secrets of Happy Parenting, which give you the power to overcome that fear and dread and truly enjoy the time you spend with your kids.

Learn these 3 Secrets in my Live, Online Class

So, I know in this episode I say “the 3 Secrets of Happy Parenting Minicourse is all ready for you!”
Life interfered this time: I got bronchitis and I’m still recovering…

But what IS ready: the 3 Secrets of Happy Parenting Live, Online Class!

The Minicourse is still in production, but in the meantime learn these three secrets while connecting with me live!

By the end of this live, online 40-minute class, you’ll know how to make the time you spend with your kids really enjoyable time.

Click the link below for details and to register:
weturnedoutokay.com/secrets

Other key links over at weturnedoutokay.com/214 –
Thank you so much for listening : ) Continue reading “A Counterintuitive Positive Discipline Ninja Tactic for Today’s Your Child Explained Episode (Podcast Episode 214)” →

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Podcast Episode 211: How to Beat the Winter Blahs – A Your Child Explained Episode

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in parenting, Podcast Episode, Your Child Explained

Welcome!

Learn exactly how to handle every “Jedi mind trick” your kids toss at you, shout less, and be truly happy at home:

Click here to join the FREE Friendly Mirror 5-Day Challenge!

To listen to today’s show, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and hit the triangular “play” button. Enjoy the show!

Today we’ve got help for you, if you’re feeling extremely cooped up in these dark months of the year (for the northern hemisphere, anyway)!

I went to the members of the Ninja Parenting Community and the We Turned Out Okay Facebook group to find out how they beat the winter blahs…

This episode is a compendium of their best ideas!
Thank you everyone who contributed, there were some new ones in here that even I didn’t know about : )

Key links – including the sign-up for the upcoming FREE Friendly Mirror Challenge – at weturnedoutokay.com/211 – thank you for listening! Continue reading “Podcast Episode 211: How to Beat the Winter Blahs – A Your Child Explained Episode” →

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Podcast Episode 204: Burned out? So am I. Here’s what to do. (A Your Child Explained Episode for Part 3 of the 2017 Holiday Survival Guide)

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in complicated and difficult family stuff, Podcast Episode, Your Child Explained

Welcome! To listen to today’s episode, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and hit the triangular “play” button. Enjoy the show!

On the day I recorded this episode, late last week in real time, I had a moment, at about 10 AM, where I realized I ought to be in about three different places… All at exactly 10 AM.

That’s when my heart started racing.

Then, when I looked around my home and realized all that still wasn’t quite done, or not even started yet… and then I realized I was still in my pajamas… The complete and total futility of the season slammed into my brain.

As I’ve often said on the show, that was “Mom Karen” – Time to go and get some advice from Podcast Karen!

So, I dropped everything and recorded this show about dealing with burnout.

And I just want to give a special thanks in here for thirteen-year-old Jason Kolp (who shares great advice about how to help children with their fears, back in episode 193). He’s the one who really helped me figure out what to focus on first.

He told me to go and help you, which is exactly what I did.

I hope this episode helps you, as much as it helped Mom Karen : )

For a quickie breakdown of the three steps to alleviating burnout, plus key links and to watch the video I made about handling holiday kid craziness, go to weturnedoutokay.com/204. Happy listening!

Burned out? Here are my three steps to alleviating burnout:

1) RECOGNIZE that it’s burnout… This one still gets me at some times of the year. Recognition is the first step to repair.

2) Pare your to do list down to the absolute essentials… You can’t pour from an empty cup. People will understand this – and if they don’t, they were never very good friends, anyway.

3) Do something FUN.… What’s fun for you? Does it involve children, or is it something you do all by yourself? Is it a date with your honey? Whatever it is, make time for it. This will be easier after you have accomplished 2).

Key Links:

KJ Dell’Antonia of the #AmWriting with Jess and KJ Podcast came on the show Tuesday; click here to listen back to our conversation!

Click here for Gretchen Rubin’s awesome new book, The Four Tendencies. I am a questioner; which one are you?

Questions? Get answers on my contact page : )

Join the private WTOO Facebook group, for weekly Facebook lives and more! Click here!

Click here to check out We Turned Out Okay’s How-to Videos menu tab, to learn about how to help your kids eat more fruits and vegetables, how to help them learn to read, and more!

Click here to find out more about the Ninja Parenting Community, the place where I help parents solve their toughest challenges every day.

If you love the show, please rate and review us in Apple Podcasts… That’s how so many people find us. Click here to rate/review, and thanks so much!

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Podcast Episode 201: Helping Kids Manage Even The Biggest Feelings – A Your Child Explained Conversation With Mental Health Counselor Janine Halloran

Posted by Karen Lock Kolp on in Guest Interview, Your Child Explained
Today’s guest is a true play specialist.

Welcome! To listen to today’s episode, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and hit the triangular “play” button. Enjoy the show!

In today’s episode with 3-time returning champion Janine Halloran, the conversation goes in all kinds of useful directions, many of which I did not see coming!

Listen to learn more about:
– Big Feelings, the ones Janine says “feel like you can’t contain them in your body”
– How to stop engaging in the all-too-common and dangerous parenting ploy, “positively invalidating” our kids’ feelings
– Whether your young child is lucky, or unlucky, in the expression of feelings (and the HUGE difference this can make in a child’s life)

The Handle the Holidays FREE 5-Day Challenge, designed to help you cut through the BS and really enjoy this time of year, starts in just over a week!
With daily emails that will give you a series of quick wins beamed into your inbox each day of the challenge, and a Facebook live in our private We Turned Out Okay Facebook group on the last day (Friday, December 22, 2017), you’ll have a whole new outlook on how to really enjoy these last days of 2017!
Click here to participate in one of WTOO’s favorite listener rituals – the challenge – and feel better about the holidays at the same time!

Key links at weturnedoutokay.com/201 – happy listening! Continue reading “Podcast Episode 201: Helping Kids Manage Even The Biggest Feelings – A Your Child Explained Conversation With Mental Health Counselor Janine Halloran” →

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