Episodes

This week, I interview Leonard Sax, author of "The Collapse of Parenting," about how we hurt our kids when we treat them like grownups. I also interview Andrew Hacker, author of "The Math Myth," about the false promises and delusions behind STEM education. The post The Math Myth appeared first on Mr. Dad.

This week, I interview Leonard Sax, author of "The Collapse of Parenting," about how we hurt our kids when we treat them like grownups. I also interview Andrew Hacker, author of "The Math Myth," about the false promises and delusions behind STEM education. The post The Collapse of Parenting + The Delusion of STEM appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Whit Honea, author of The Parents’ Phrase Book. Topic: Easy, useful phrases, scripts, and techniques for every situation. Issues: Words to help you discipline and enforce limits; build a child’s self-confidence; handle questions about life and death; talk to your kids about friends, bullies, and playing by the rules—or not. The post Useful Phrases, Scripts, and Techniques for Every Situation appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Richard Eyre, co-author of The Turning. Topic: Why the state of the family matters and what the world can do about it. Issues: Everything starts with the family—and ends with the family; social problems that are crushing society; making your own family stronger than the competing cultures; how parents’ perspectives are distorted by false paradigms. […] The post The State of the Family + The Parents’ Phrase Book appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Timothy Wilson, author of Redirect. Topic: Changing the stories we live by. Issues: Why so many self-help programs, drug use prevention programs; teen pregnancy prevention programs, and crime reduction programs (like “scared straight”), don’t work—and may even do more harm than good; how, by making small changes to the narratives we tell ourselves, we can […] The post Changing the Stories We Live By appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Tammy Gold, author of Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer. Topic: Finding and achieving the gold standard of care for your child. Issues: The truth about nannies—what they do and how they think; identifying your family’s needs; conducting interviews, reference checks, trial periods, and work agreements; understanding “nanny speak”; troubleshooting to avoid drama, resolve problems, and […] The post The Gold Standard of Childcare + Redirecting Our Personal Narratives appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Tim Jordan, author of Sleeping Beauties, Awakened Women. Topic: Understanding and guiding the transformation of adolescent girls Issues: There has been a lot of attention paid to the rising levels of depression, anxiety, cutting, and relationship aggression in girls over the past few decades. But what if those issues aren’t the problem? What if we […] The post Sleeping Beauties, Awakened Women appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Richard Greenberg, author of Raising Children That Other People Like to be Around. Topic: Five common-sense musts from a father’s point of view. Issues: The S-M-A-R-T approach to parenting: Set an example; Make the rules; Apply the rules; Respect Yourself; Teach in all things. Tim Jordan, author of Sleeping Beauties, Awakened Women. Topic: Understanding and […] The post The SMART Approach to Parenting + The Transformation of Adolescent Girls appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Meghan Cox Gurdon, author of The Enchanted Hour. Topic: The miraculous power of reading aloud in the age of distraction. Issues: What reading to children does to their brains; reading together strengthens the bonds of love; turbocharging child development with picture books; rich rewards of a vast vocabulary; the power of paying attention; why reading […] The post The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Dan Mager, author of Roots and Wings. Topic: Mindful parenting in recovery Issues: Types of recovery; growing beyond how you grew up; our children are not us; the mind as storyteller; meditation and other mindfulness practices; connecting through communication; reconciling and the limits of love. Meghan Cox Gurdon, author of The Enchanted Hour. Topic: The […] The post Parenting in Recovery + The Power of Reading Aloud appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Hillary Frank, author of Weird Parenting Wins. Topic: Hacks from the parenting trenches. Issues: soothing a screaming child; getting your child to eat stuff; getting yo8ur kid to act like a person; making monsters less scary; tricking your child into self-babysitting; making the world less scary; getting your kids to tell you things; much more. The post Weird Parenting Wins appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Erik Orton, co-author of Seven at Sea. Topic: Why a New York City family cast off convention for a life-changing year on a sailboat. Issues: Life is what we make of it, regardless of what society dictates; how it’s possible to imagine more boldly than we usually allow ourselves and dare to dream of a […] The post Parenting on a Sailboat + Parenting Hacks appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Carl Pickhardt, author of Who Stole My Child? Topic: Parenting through the four stages of adolescence. Issues: What is an adolescent? Early adolescence (ages 9-13), which is marked by resistance and conflict, disorganization, and distractibility; Mid-adolescence (13-15), marked by puberty, vulnerability, peers, intense friendships, and social life; Late adolescence (15-18), marked by risk-taking, dating and […] The post Who Stole My Teen? appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Maureen Healy, author of The Emotionally Healthy Child. Topic: Helping children calm, center, and make smarter choices. Issues: What makes an emotionally healthy child? Three simple steps that have the power to change everything when it comes to emotional health; how children can use their experiences as fodder for positive emotional health; why wholeness is […] The post Helping Children Make Smarter Choices + Four Stages of Adolescence appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Jason Freedman, coauthor of The Dream Feed Method. Topic: Getting babies to sleep through the night by month 4, without crying it out. Issues: How to get your baby to sleep from dusk ’til dawn by four months by using top-up bottles (or feedings) and dream feedings (feedings given while the baby is mostly asleep). The post Getting Babies to Sleep Through the Night by Month 4, Without Tears appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Christine Crockett Smith, author of 18 Master Values. Topic: Be the parent you wish you’d had. Issues: Love, positive attitude, work ethic, gratitude, curiosity, pride, humility, and many other important values. Jason Freedman, coauthor of The Dream Feed Method. Topic: Getting babies to sleep through the night by month 4, without crying it out. Issues: […] The post 18 Master Parenting Values + The Dream Feed Method appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Amy Serin, author of The Stress Switch. Topic: The truth about stress and how to short-circuit it. Issues: What stress is, when it’s good, and when it’s not; coping with stress vs. curing it; how stress interferes with our lives (physical/health problems, memory and cognition problems, relationship problems, etc.) The post Coping with Stress vs. Curing It appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Bethany L. Johnson and Margaret M. Quinlan, coauthors of You’re Doing it Wrong. Topic: Mothering, media, and medical expertise. Issues: The history of mothering advice in the media, from newspapers, magazines, doctors’ records, and personal papers from the 19th century to today’s websites, Facebook groups, and Instagram feeds; potential health crises from infertility treatment to […] The post The History of Mothering Advice + Short Circuiting Stress appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Darria Long Gillespie, author of Mom Hacks. Topic: Science-based shortcuts to reclaim your body, raise awesome kids and be unstoppable. Issues: Building blocks of a healthy diet; what not to eat; making good nutrition easier; the basics of exercise; finding the time for exercise; making it fun; getting motivated and building the habit; sleep; sleep […] The post Science-Based Parenting Shortcuts for Moms appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Kathy Chlan, author of Maternally Challenged. Topic: How a mom learned to laugh and enjoy life from her special needs child Issues: Coming to terms with having a child with special needs; life will throw many curveballs, so you’d better get a bigger bat; laughter will be your best friend; lower your expectations for perfection. […] The post Mothering Special-Needs Kids + The Science of Mothering appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Lisa Damour, author of Under Pressure. Topic: Confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls. Issues: Coming to terms with stress and anxiety; girls at home; girls among girls; girls among boys; girls at school, girls in the culture The post The Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Elaine Fogel Schneider, co-author of Confidence and Joy. Topic: Success strategies for kids with learning differences. Issues: What learning differences are what they’re not; how differences are different from disabilities; what signs to look for that reveal a learning difference; strategies to employ for promoting a child’s confidence and joy; how to build an advocacy […] The post Strategies for Kids with Learning Disabilities + Girls Under Pressure appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Ron Lieber, author of The Opposite of Spoiled. Topic: Raising kids who are grounded, generous, and smart about money. Issues: Why we need to talk about money; how to start the conversation; the allowance debate; the smartest ways for kids to spend; how to talk about giving; why kids should work; how much is enough? The post Raising Grounded, Generous Kids appeared first on Mr. Dad.

Vicki Hoefle, author of The Straight Talk on Parenting. Topic: A no-nonsense approach to growing a grown-up. Issues: Creating a blueprint of where you want to be; understanding that parenting is more about on-the job training and less about being perfect; bedtime bedlam, morning meltdowns; sibling squabbles; sass and backtalk; the trouble with tech. Ron […] The post No-Nonsense Parenting + Opposite of Spoiled appeared first on Mr. Dad.