Your Parenting Mojo

If you want your kid to solve problems creatively instead of waiting to be told the answer, this episode is for you. I\'m talking with Sara, whose four-year-old started asking permission for things he used to just do on his own, like grabbing the markers off his own shelf. In this episode, Sara talks about the drone that showed up out of nowhere and the fifteen minutes her son spent working out how it worked, using nothing but a toy helicopter he already understood. She also talks about the perfectionism she didn\'t realize she was carrying into their explorations, until a coaching call helped her name it. https://yourparentingmojo.com//creative-problem-solving Key chapters: 00:00 — Can Your Child Be Your Teacher? 03:09 — The Pressure of Growing Up With “Be the Best” 10:14 — “Who Is the Child in Front of You?” 12:27 — How Perfectionism Affects Parenting 20:59 — The Simple Rule: Don’t Give Your Child the Answer 25:45 — How to Know If You’re Actually Teaching Your Child 27:11 — Is It OK If Your Child Gets the Wrong Answer? 33:39 — Turning Everyday Problems Into Learning Opportunities 41:13 — The Power of Saying “I Wonder” 50:20 — Can Working Parents Actually Do This? 51:36 — The Most Important Skills Kids Need to Learn Connect with us: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourparentingmojo/ Join our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2174808219425589 Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YourParentingMojo Read my blog: https://yourparentingmojo.com/blog/ Check out past audio episodes: https://www.yourparentingmojo.com/episodes #ChildLedLearning #InterestLedLearning #Parenting #ChildDevelopment #PositiveParenting

Re-release: Raising an Entrepreneur (Without Taking Over Their Business) If you want your kid to build real skills like reliability and clear communication, and you\'re wondering whether starting a business could be the way to do it, this episode is for you. My daughter Carys started a pet sitting business at 10 years old, and I didn\'t expect how much she\'d learn from it. In this episode, I talk about the alarm that went off twice before Carys figured out how to remember the client\'s security code. I also talk about the client who wanted a regular early morning walk. Carys told him no, and a well-paying job sat right there while part of me wanted her to take it anyway. For links to references mentioned in this episode, go to https://yourparentingmojo.com/raising-an-entrepreneur Key chapters: 00:00 A shocking financial gift for kids (it\'s NOT a college fund) 01:26 Why kids should earn real income before middle school 03:08 The life skills every child learns from running a business 05:31 How entrepreneurship teaches organization naturally 07:13 Teaching healthy boundaries through business 08:07 Raising kind kids—not profit-obsessed entrepreneurs 09:35 Why difficult clients build resilience 11:11 How responsibility becomes self-motivation 12:50 Why entrepreneurship can be especially powerful for neurodivergent kids 13:59 Why ages 8–12 are the perfect time to start 17:50 Best businesses kids can actually start 20:24 The surprising power of starting young 22:05 Financial freedom vs. chasing money 25:02 How to support your child without taking over 31:54 Biggest concerns parents have (and the truth) 39:29 What running a kid\'s business actually looks like 47:31 A healthier alternative to screen time 48:38 How to help your child discover a business idea 52:05 Introducing Mind Your Own Business for Kids 53:13 The real goal isn\'t raising entrepreneurs Connect with us: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourparentingmojo/ Join our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2174808219425589 Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YourParentingMojo Read my blog: https://yourparentingmojo.com/blog/ Check out past audio episodes: https://www.yourparentingmojo.com/episodes #Parenting #ParentingTips #Entrepreneurship #KidsBusiness #FinancialLiteracy #RaiseIndependentKids #PositiveParenting #MoneyMindset #LifeSkills #YourParentingMojo #ChildDevelopment #Homeschool #Unschooling #EntrepreneurKids #ParentEducation

If you’re feeling exhausted, and overwhelmed and you aren’t sleeping - and you wonder if you might be depressed, this episode is for you. Bob Whitaker is a journalist who has spent decades investigating psychiatric treatment in the U.S. He won a George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His book Anatomy of an Epidemic is a New York Times bestseller. And he has a lot to say about why so many mothers are being handed a diagnosis when what they actually need is support. In this episode, Bob traces how women\'s distress has been medicalized instead of treated as a reasonable response to impossible circumstances. He describes psychiatry as a form of social control - because the entire system directs attention toward individual brains and away from the situations we’re living in. And he shares the results of a New Zealand study on postpartum depression that should have changed how we support new mothers - but it didn’t. For links to references mentioned in this episode, go to https://yourparentingmojo.com/adhd-without-medication Key chapters: 00:00 Why Depression Diagnoses Are Rising in Mothers 01:25 Is Burnout Being Misdiagnosed as Depression? 03:29 Psychiatry as a Form of Social Control 04:26 Why Women\'s Distress Gets Medicalized 06:47 From Valium to Antidepressants 07:34 Are We Treating the Wrong Problem? 10:49 Depression or a Response to Your Environment? 12:05 The Postpartum Depression Study That Changed Everything 13:33 What Actually Prevented Postpartum Depression 14:33 Is the Problem Your Brain—or Your Situation? 15:00 What Every Burned-Out Mother Needs to Hear Connect with us: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourparentingmojo/ Join our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2174808219425589 Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YourParentingMojo Read my blog: https://yourparentingmojo.com/blog/ Check out past audio episodes: https://www.yourparentingmojo.com/episodes #MomBurnout #MentalLoad #Motherhood #BurnoutVsDepression #MaternalMentalHealth #ParentingPodcast #YourParentingMojo #WorkingMoms #PostpartumDepression #MentalHealth #ParentingSupport #MomLife

If ADHD Medication Doesn\'t Help Kids Learn, What Does? Most parents medicating their child with ADHD in the U.S. are doing it because they want their child to learn and succeed in school (social concerns are seen as more important to parents in the U.K.). But the largest ADHD treatment study ever conducted followed 538 children for six to eight years - and found no difference in academic achievement, grades, or test scores between kids on medication and kids who weren\'t. There were no significant differences even after the medicated group increased their average daily dose by 41%. Medication changes kids’ behavior. It doesn\'t improve learning. And once you understand what the research shows really helps kids with ADHD in the classroom - and why most kids stop taking medication within a few years - the conversation about treatment may look very different. You\'ll hear what kids say about being on stimulant medication in their own words, why the majority stop taking it within a few years, and what evidence-based classroom approaches actually produced real learning gains in a controlled study. For links to references mentioned in this episode, go to https://yourparentingmojo.com/adhd-without-medication Key chapters: 00:00 Where We Left Off: ADHD Medication as the Answer 01:21 Does the Medical Model Hold Up? 02:57 Dr. Barkley’s ADHD Contradiction 05:45 Who Gets to Define ADHD Symptoms? 07:21 Parents vs. Children: Whose Voice Counts? 10:17 When ADHD Disappears in the Right Environment 12:24 If Medication Works, Why Do So Many Kids Stop Taking It? 13:00 Does ADHD Medication Improve Learning? 16:02 Good Teaching vs. Medication 18:02 What Actually Helps Kids Learn 20:00 What Kids Say Medication Feels Like 20:32 Should Children Have a Voice in Treatment Decisions? 22:02 Why Most People Quit ADHD Medication 23:23 What Kids Really Need to Thrive 24:16 Coming Next: Is ADHD the Problem—or the Environment? Connect with us: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourparentingmojo/ Join our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2174808219425589 Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YourParentingMojo Read my blog: https://yourparentingmojo.com/blog/ Check out past audio episodes: https://www.yourparentingmojo.com/episodes #ADHD #ADHDMedication #ADHDParenting #ParentingPodcast #YourParentingMojo #ChildDevelopment #Neurodiversity #Education #ParentingTips #ADHDResearch #ChildBehavior #EvidenceBasedParenting

Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Kids Learn Best If you\'ve ever stood in the toy aisle wondering which educational toy will actually help your kid learn - or signed them up for another enrichment class just to make sure you\'re not missing something - this episode is for you. Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek has spent more than 20 years studying how children learn. She\'s a psychology professor at Temple University, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and co-author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards - just updated for the age of AI. And her answer to the question of what actually helps kids learn best is probably not what the toy aisle is selling. In this episode, she breaks down what playful learning actually looks like - with real examples from real classrooms and from the everyday things you\'re already doing at home. She explains the difference between free play, guided play, and direct instruction, and when each one actually serves kids. And she makes a case that the push to start earlier and do more may be working against what parents say they want for their kids. There\'s also a moment at the end of the conversation where Jen asks Dr. Hirsh-Pasek two questions about research and culture that don\'t usually get asked in interviews like this one - and her answers are worth hearing. For links to references mentioned in this episode, go to https://yourparentingmojo.com/einstein-never-used-flash-cards Key chapters: 00:00 Why Play Matters More Than Ever 01:05 The Pressure Parents Feel Today 03:34 “Stop Micromanaging Childhood” 05:24 The Science Behind Playful Learning 06:24 Why Modern Schooling Isn’t Working 07:40 What Playful Learning Actually Looks Like 11:53 Skip the Flashcards? 12:21 Real Learning Happens at Home 15:30 Are We Pushing Kids Too Hard? 16:55 Why Kids Need More Downtime 17:55 The Problem With Early Achievement Pressure 19:23 Why Researchers Avoided Studying Play 22:22 What Schools Should Really Teach 25:03 The Questions Parents Still Need to Ask Connect with us: Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourparentingmojo/ Join our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2174808219425589 Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YourParentingMojo Read my blog: https://yourparentingmojo.com/blog/ Check out past audio episodes: https://www.yourparentingmojo.com/episodes #PlayBasedLearning #LearningThroughPlay #ChildDevelopment #ParentingPodcast #ParentingPodcast #PlayBasedLearning #ChildDevelopment #GentleParenting #PositiveParenting #LearningThroughPlay #EarlyChildhoodEducation #YourParentingMojo #RespectfulParenting #ParentingTips #KidsLearning #PlayIsLearning