Sunshine Parenting

Walton’s Grizzly Lodge Summer Camp “Our kids are all there [at camp] with different needs…and we really need to meet them right where they are.” (Julie Walton) Julie Walton Video of the Walton’s Grizzly Lodge interview with Julie Walton A Day At Walton’s Walton’s Grizzly Lodge Summer Camp “Our kids are all there [at camp]… The post Happy Campers: Walton’s Grizzly Lodge (Portola, CA) appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

Cheley Colorado Camps “They [Campers] are always building this really magical community because they are all striving to be the best person they can be.” (Brooke Cheley-Klebe) Brooke Cheley-Klebe & husband Kurt Video of the Cheley Colorado Camps interview with Brooke Cheley-Klebe The Cheley Experience Cheley Colorado Camps “They [Campers] are always building this really… The post Happy Campers: Cheley Colorado Camps (Estes Park, CO) appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

Bar 717 Ranch “So we take the middle high school and younger kids in separate groups and talk about: WHAT IS COMMUNITY? How are we going to live here? This is our home for these two weeks we are together. We talk about what that looks like, it terms of how we treat people.” (Gretchen… The post Happy Campers: Bar 717 Ranch (Hayfork, CA) appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

In Episode 82, I'm chatting with my friend Sara Kuljis, the owner and director of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp. Sara is a 20-year veteran camp director and parenting trainer who has great insights and ideas about parenting and counseling kids. We're starting a new series, about sibling conflict and sibling rivalry, and today we're talking about how to manage the conflict that naturally occurs between siblings. Listener Questions "I’m a mom of 2 kids, an almost 13-year-old girl and a just turned 8-year-old boy. My husband and I have both taught in public and private schools and we’ve been youth leaders in churches. Our current challenge is to help our kids with conflict resolution since it seems they tend to be in conflict fairly often at school and at home. Can’t we just all get along?! The difference in age, personalities, and sexes has made it extra difficult." "My biggest parenting struggle at the moment is sibling rivalry, bickering, one-upping, putting down, etc. I’ve read books

Camp Champions is located in Marble Falls, Texas, and is a camp for boys and girls from kindergarten through 12th grade.  Sessions range from one through six weeks. This Happy Campers Interview is with Camp Owner/Director Susie Baskin.   Video: Happy Campers Interview with Susie Baskin, Owner/Director of Camp Champions Camp Champions – A Summer… The post Happy Campers: Camp Champions (Marble Falls, TX) appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

Carmel Valley Tennis Camp is located in Carmel Valley, California and is camp for boys and girls ages 10-18. Sessions are one or two weeks. This Happy Campers Interview is with Susan Reeder and Steve Proulx, the owners and directors of Carmel Valley Tennis Camp. Video of the interview   Carmel Valley Tennis Camp is… The post Happy Campers: Carmel Valley Tennis Camp (CA) appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

Camp Chippewa for Boys is located in Cass Lake, Minnesota and is camp for boys ages 8 – 17. Sessions are four or eight weeks. This Happy Campers Interview is with Camp Directors Mike and Mary Endres, who have a long history with Camp Chippewa.   Video of the Camp Chippewa interview with Mike &… The post Happy Campers: Camp Chippewa for Boys (Cass Lake, MN) appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

“My great passion around camp is to get more kids there, because I really believe that every kid should go to summer camp.” In Episode 81, Travis Allison and I discuss the power of one person to make a huge impact on a child’s life, not only at summer camp but also in the home.… The post Ep. 81: The Power of One with Travis Allison appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

In Episode 80, I’m chatting with Maureen Healy, author of The Emotionally Healthy Child: Helping Children Calm, Center, and Make Smarter Choices We talk about embracing the discomfort of handling challenging emotions and raising emotionally healthy and happy kids. BIG IDEAS It’s okay to be uncomfortable with a feeling. We need to learn how to… The post Ep. 80: The Emotionally Healthy Child with Maureen Healy appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

In Episode 78, I'm chatting with Jessica Joelle Alexander, author of The Danish Way of Parenting. We talk about how the Danes raise happy kids who become happy adults. Big Ideas Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. Danish people are happy because of the way they're raising their children. Happy children become happy adults. Free play is really important for children. The Danish way is simple and common sense. It's really important for students to have a feeling of belonging and connectedness. Quotes Jessica: "I have always actually been living in different countries and interested in cultural differences and studying cultural differences. My background is psychology." Jessica: "When my kids were born I became really fascinated by Danish children." Jessica: "I was reading the newspaper and I saw that Denmark had been voted as one of the happiest countries in the world- again. And that it had been for forty years in a row always in the top three." Jessica: "I had this lightbulb go off in my

Human beings are not designed to be excellent at everything. -Sara Kuljis Show notes at https://sunshine-parenting.com/2019/03/ep-77/ In Episode 77, I’m chatting with my friend, Sara Kuljis, as we continue our series Encouragements for Parents. You can listen to our previous episode, Ep. 75: Begin with the (Parenting) End in Mind here. Big Ideas Human beings… The post Ep. 77: Comparison is the Thief of (Parenting) Joy appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

One of the things that parents need to recognize is, just like with their school, it needs to be a partnership, and not every day is going to be great. – Audrey Today’s podcast, Episode 76, was recorded live at the American Camp Association National Conference, in Nashville, Tennessee on February 18, 2019. The panel… The post Ep. 76: Partnering with Your Child’s Camp Director appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

In Episode 75, I'm starting a new parenting series with my friend, Sara Kuljis. We're tentatively titling our series "Encouragements for Parents." In this first episode, we talk about reframing how we view success for our children and the concept of "beginning with the end in mind." Big Ideas: There are many different paths to success. It's important to be clear about your end goal and about what success looks like for you and your family. What success looks like for you will probably not match the messages that are coming in. Our relationships and our social connections are most important. We need to be able to be vulnerable and share with the people we're getting close to, in order to develop deep relationships. Having a faith of some kind is very meaningful and valuable for a flourishing life. And having core values that you stay consistent with is an essential part of faith. It's a good idea to build faith into the daily flow of family life. Quotes: Sara: "Sometimes with parenting, when I have felt over

Why do parents send their kids to summer camp? Is your kid going to camp this summer? Congratulations! You’re giving them an experience that may have many life-long, positive benefits. You are giving them the opportunity to grow and develop skills and character traits that are often hard to develop in the comforts of home.… The post Ep. 74: Why Summer Camp? appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.

That was my aim in writing the book-  was both to offer reassurance, and then practical strategies for managing the stress and anxiety that will, invariably, come up. -Lisa Damour In episode 73, I'm chatting with Lisa Damour, Ph.D., the New York Times best-selling author of Untangled- Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood. In this episode, we talk about Under Pressure- Confronting The Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. Lisa is a clinical psychologist, in private practice. She shares some really encouraging insights about reframing the way that we think about stress and anxiety in ourselves and in our daughters and she also discusses ways that we can help ease the anxiety levels of our girls at home, at school, and in their social lives. Big ideas Both stress and anxiety are normal and healthy functions that are actually beneficial to us. Anxiety is a normal system that keeps us safe. It's an alarm that alerts us to pay attention and notice what's going on around us, or in

In this episode, I am talking with Brett Grayson, author of What Could Go Wrong?: My Mostly Comedic Journey Through Marriage, Parenting, and Depression. Grayson takes on many of the tough issues faced by parents during the first few years of family life with a great deal of humor and vulnerability. We discuss what led him to write his book, start his blog and how he has enlarged the discussion by sharing from a dad's point of view. Grayson is a father of two young children and resides in New Jersey. Big Ideas Humor helps us move forward, especially when discussing difficult subject matters. Even though pregnancy is primarily a woman's experience, a man also goes through his own set of struggles and emotions when becoming a father, which aren't often discussed. Quotes Audrey: "In this book, I think you have been able to combine difficult topics with humor and I’m guessing that is resonating with people." Brett: “We’ve been through some rough things: my wife’s first pregnancy, postpartum issues, topics that w

"The neuroscience is saying that when kids miss these developmental milestones, their brains aren't as interconnected as they would have been had they been actively participating in a wide variety of activities. They need a full sensory upbringing, not doing too much of any one thing." -Jenifer Joy Madden In Episode 71, I'm chatting with Jenifer Joy Madden about the latest research on brain development and ways we can help our children grow healthy and "durable" brains. Jenifer Joy Madden is an award-winning health communicator, author, and educator. She founded DurableHuman.com to encourage all people to cherish and maximize the curiosity, creativity, compassion, and so much else they alone possess as human beings. Big Ideas Jenifer defines durable as being "effective and strong in body, mind, and spirit for as long as possible." The "Bushy Broccoli Brain" -- Jenifer uses the Broccoli vs. Broccolini metaphor to show how the brain develops more interconnected, as synapsis fire from rich stimuli, whereas

"It is not about creating some outcome for the kids. It's just about us coming together to figure out what values are really important to us, what type of adult we would like to launch, and how we can help them to get to that place." Amy Carney In Episode 70, I'm chatting with Amy Carney, author of Parent on Purpose: A Courageous Approach to Raising Children in a Complicated World. In the course of raising triplets and another daughter just one year younger, Amy found herself simply "surviving" motherhood and came to the realization that she needed to be more proactive, instead of reactive, as a parent. Her intentional parenting philosophy contributed to her family's courageous decision to disconnect from their busy lives and travel around the U.S. in an RV for seven months. With their children approaching ages 13 and 11, Amy and her husband felt that life was speeding by and an overhaul was needed. Their goal was to reclaim time together, to solidify the foundation of their relationships, and connect with t

In Episode 69, I'm chatting with Karen Lock Kolp of the We Turned Out Okay website and podcast. We talked for the first time back in Episode 38: We Turned Out Okay with Karen Lock Kolp. Karen is an early childhood development expert and parent coach. On her website and podcast, Karen helps worried and hovering parents by bringing reassuring, helpful advice and conversations. Her new book, 10 Secrets Happy Parents Know: How to Stop the Chaos, Bring Out Your Child's Good Behavior, and Truly Enjoy Family Time. The Amazon description of 10 Secrets says: "Often parents feel so lost. We want to say and do the right things in the moment to connect with our young children, but sometimes we can't even get them to just listen, and respect us. 10 Secrets Happy Parents Know helps with that, and more.  This book shares what author Karen Lock Kolp has learned over many years working with parents and kids. She wrote it to give hope, encouragement, and useful tools to parents of young children. If you are the mom or dad of

Learn how to be your own Life Coach by understanding what’s working in your life – and what’s not – and become consistently proactive about making positive changes. As you become the Expert of You, you’ll gain clarity over your bigger picture dreams, and have ongoing support for making them happen. Kelly Pietrangeli   In Episode 67, I’m talking… The post Ep. 67: Working Together to Find a Happier Life Balance – Project “We” with Kelly Pietrangeli appeared first on Sunshine Parenting.