Aug. 11, 2021
Meghan Leahy on Parenting Outside the Lines
Meghan Leahy is one of our favorite parenting experts. - Her advice is grounded in experience (she's got 3 kids and is a parenting columnist for the Washington Post), understanding (again: she's got 3 kids!), and compassion (like the rest of us,
Meghan Leahy is one of our favorite parenting experts.
Her advice is grounded in experience (she's got 3 kids and is a parenting columnist for the Washington Post), understanding (again: she's got 3 kids!), and compassion (like the rest of us, she's exhausted and overwhelmed). She's honest, engaging and an absolute hoot.
Her latest book, Parenting Outside the Lines: Forget the Rules, Tap Into Your Wisdom and Connect with Your Child, was published just over a year ago -- so we thought this would be a good time to re-visit our conversation with her, which we originally released in September 2020. (You know, just as most of us were freaking out over the beginning of a very unconventional school year.)
Some gems:
“I haven’t yet found a parent who’s really changed their parenting based on ‘studies say,' I’ve never told a parent, ‘Well, studies say if you don’t yell, your kid will be happier,’ and had the parent say, ‘oh my god, I didn’t know that! Now I’ll stop yelling.'”
and
“Strategies are neither here nor there. One may work; one may not. But if the underpinning of compassionate, boundaried connection isn’t there, it doesn’t matter.”
In this episode, Jen, Janet & Meghan Leahy discuss:
* The importance of connection
* Learning to trust yourself
* How modern culture has made parenting more difficult
* Why it’s OK to not know what to do
* What to do when your son doesn’t want to do an activity he once loved
* Parenting during the pandemic
* The link between kindness and resilience
* Screen time (and why you need to look at your screen habits before tackling your kids’ screen time)
* How to enjoy parenting
Links we mentioned (or should have) in this episode:
Parenting Outside the Lines: Forget the Rules, Tap Into Your Wisdom and Connect with Your Child — Meghan’s book
Meghan’s Washington Post On Parenting columns
mlparentcoach.com — Meghan’s website
How to Raise a Boy with Michael C. Reichert — ON BOYS episode mentioned at 07:11
The Neufield Institute — courses, events and resources from Gordon Neufield, PhD (mentioned at 8:47)
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids, by Kim John Payne and Kim Ross — book mentioned at 16:07
My Suddenly Sedentary Teen Seems Stuck. How Much Should I Push Him to Move? — Meghan’s column about the soccer player (mentioned at 17:24)
Sponsor Spotlight: Hiya Health
HEALTHY children’s vitamins — no sugar or “gummy junk” included! Made from a blend of 12 farm-fresh fruits & veggies, Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Her advice is grounded in experience (she's got 3 kids and is a parenting columnist for the Washington Post), understanding (again: she's got 3 kids!), and compassion (like the rest of us, she's exhausted and overwhelmed). She's honest, engaging and an absolute hoot.
Her latest book, Parenting Outside the Lines: Forget the Rules, Tap Into Your Wisdom and Connect with Your Child, was published just over a year ago -- so we thought this would be a good time to re-visit our conversation with her, which we originally released in September 2020. (You know, just as most of us were freaking out over the beginning of a very unconventional school year.)
Some gems:
“I haven’t yet found a parent who’s really changed their parenting based on ‘studies say,' I’ve never told a parent, ‘Well, studies say if you don’t yell, your kid will be happier,’ and had the parent say, ‘oh my god, I didn’t know that! Now I’ll stop yelling.'”
and
“Strategies are neither here nor there. One may work; one may not. But if the underpinning of compassionate, boundaried connection isn’t there, it doesn’t matter.”
In this episode, Jen, Janet & Meghan Leahy discuss:
* The importance of connection
* Learning to trust yourself
* How modern culture has made parenting more difficult
* Why it’s OK to not know what to do
* What to do when your son doesn’t want to do an activity he once loved
* Parenting during the pandemic
* The link between kindness and resilience
* Screen time (and why you need to look at your screen habits before tackling your kids’ screen time)
* How to enjoy parenting
Links we mentioned (or should have) in this episode:
Parenting Outside the Lines: Forget the Rules, Tap Into Your Wisdom and Connect with Your Child — Meghan’s book
Meghan’s Washington Post On Parenting columns
mlparentcoach.com — Meghan’s website
How to Raise a Boy with Michael C. Reichert — ON BOYS episode mentioned at 07:11
The Neufield Institute — courses, events and resources from Gordon Neufield, PhD (mentioned at 8:47)
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids, by Kim John Payne and Kim Ross — book mentioned at 16:07
My Suddenly Sedentary Teen Seems Stuck. How Much Should I Push Him to Move? — Meghan’s column about the soccer player (mentioned at 17:24)
Sponsor Spotlight: Hiya Health
HEALTHY children’s vitamins — no sugar or “gummy junk” included! Made from a blend of 12 farm-fresh fruits & veggies, Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy