GEMs Podcast

Good Enough Moms, July 12, 2010: What’s Your Body Telling You? A Conversation with Author Steve Sisgold

Steve Sisgold, author of  "What’s Your Body Telling You?," joins Marti & Erin for a provocative discussion about some of the messages we internalize in childhood that can distort our emotions and undermine our body’s wisdom. Both you and your children will benefit from these practical lessons for living a healthier life.

To find Steve's anti bullying pledge, click here.

Episode: 

GEMs July 12, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, June 28, 2010: Early Childhood Screening: It's Important for Your Child and Mine

Early childhood experts from the Minnesota Department of Education join Marti & Erin to tell you everything you need to know about early childhood screening, what it tells you about your child’s development and what happens if screening shows that your child’s development might not be on track. Marti & Erin share their own stories about screening and why it turned out to be so important in their experience.

Check out the Watch Me Grow Scrapbook!

Episode: 

Good Enough Moms, June 28, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, June 14, 2010: Advantage Mom: Practical Lessons in Effective Parenting

As a child development expert, author and mother of 15-year-old twin sons, Maureen O’Brien (“Dr. Mo” to many) knows how overwhelming it can be to sort through all the expert advice that bombards today’s parents. So she keeps it short and sweet when she joins Marti and Erin from Boston to offer her favorite gems of wisdom.  

Episode: 

GEMs Jun 14, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, May 31, 2010: Minimizing the Pain of Divorce for Parents and Children

Divorce is a painful process for everyone involved, but there are effective ways to manage the pain and ensure better outcomes for all members of the family.  Therapist Jamie Kautz joins Marti and Erin from Tacoma, Washington, to offer practical tips and insights from her practice with divorcing families.   

Episode: 

GEMs May 31, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, May 17, 2010: Love, Limits, Reasons and Consequences: Keys to Raising a Respectful, Responsible Child

How many times have you complained about kids today being spoiled or having a sense of entitlement? And, whether your children are tots or teens, how many times have you found yourself caving into your own child's demands because you were just too tired to hold the line? Well, you're not alone! It takes strength, persistence, and an eye toward the future to provide the kind of consistent guidance children need. And it helps to understand what research has shown about the longterm benefits of what is called "authoritative" parenting. Tune into Marti and Erin's free-flowing discussion (and candid confessions) about the challenges of becoming "authoritative" parents and the importance of uniting with other parents committed to that same, effective approach.  

Episode: 

GEMs May 17, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, May 3, 2010: The Good, the Bad and the Sleepless: Helping Families Embrace the Joys and Challenges of a New Baby  

The arrival of a new baby, through birth or adoption, is usually one of the most exciting and joyful times in a parent's life. But it also is one of the most challenging and exhausting. Too often moms and dads may feel they should be able to handle everything just fine on their own; after all, people have been doing this for centuries, right? But families need and deserve all the help, support and encouragement they can get during this important time of family development. This week's guest, Sara Samuels, Postpartum Care Manager at Promise Care, Inc., draws on both professional and personal experience to offer practical tips and insights in a heartfelt conversation with the Good Enough Moms.

Episode: 

GEMs May 3, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, April 19, 2010: Love, Romance and Sex: Preparing Our Children Now for Healthy, Respectful Relationships in the Future

From early childhood, our children are bombarded with images of romance and sex, but often those images are far from what we parents wish for our children. Yet we often are so uncomfortable discussing these topics with our children that we leave the teaching to pop culture and peers. Drawing on their professional and personal experiences, Marti and Erin talk about the most important things parents and other caregivers can do to help children develop healthy attitudes, values and behaviors about love, romance and sex. Whatever the age of your child, it's not a moment to soon to begin!

To what extent did your parents or other caregivers talk to you about love, romance and sex? What images -- in real life or in the media -- shaped your ideas about romantic relationships and sex? To what extent do you want to handle these topics and issues the same or differently than your parents did? And how is that going for you?  Go to the FORUM and participate in a conversation about this podcast.

Episode: 

GEMs April 19, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, April 5, 2010: Helping Families Through Loss: A Conversation with the Founders of Faith's Lodge

Marti & Erin talk with Mark & Susan Lacek about their journey following the death of their first child, Faith, and how that experience led them to create a beautiful retreat where other families are finding hope and healing in the face of the death or serious illness of a child. Be sure to listen to the end of the podcast to hear "One More Day," Mark's musical tribute to Faith.

For a link to Hope Rocks, a benefit concert for Faith's Lodge featuring Everclear on September 25, 2010, click here.

Episode: 

GEMs April 5, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, March 22, 2010: Helping Your Child Be Safe and Happy in the Water: A Conversation with Swimming Expert Susan Foss

Marti and Erin talk with Susan Foss who, with her husband Jon, is nationally recognized as an innovator in swimming instruction. You will learn what to expect at different stages of development and how to help your child, at any age, strike the right balance between a love of water and a healthy respect for the dangers it can pose. This is information every parent needs

Episode: 

GEMs March 22, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, March 7, 2010:  Promoting Financial Sanity for Your Children and Yourself:  A Conversation with Author Nathan Dungan

From the first moment your child says, "I want ...," you can begin to teach the values and skills that will shape your child's lifelong approach to money.  Nathan Dungan, founder and president of Share, Save, Spend, offers sound advice you won't want to miss, whatever the ages of your children.

Episode: 

GEMs March 7, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, February 22, 2010:  Stress and Young Children: When Is Stress Harmful and What Can You Do About It?

New research sheds light on how children's brains react to stress, what types of stress cause lasting harm, and what parents and other caring adults can do to protect children from toxic stress.  Dr. Megan Gunnar, world-renowned researcher from the University of Minnesota's Institute on Child Development, joins Marti and Erin for a discussion you will not want to miss!

Episode: 

GEMs Feb 22, 2010.mp3

Good Enough Moms, February 8, 2010: Give Yourself a Valentine, Mom - for Your Sake and Your Kids'

When you become a mother, the time you devote to self-care is likely to drop dramatically. And yet caring for yourself is essential to caring for others. Drawing on both research and personal experience, Marti & Erin offer ways to stay healthy and balanced so you can help your kids do the same.

Episode: 

GEMs Feb 8, 2010.mp3

GEMs, January 25, 2010:  The 3 Cs: Keys to Raising Happy, Caring, Responsible Kids (Part 1: Connection)

Research shows that the number one protective factor in a child's life is enduring connections to caring, supportive adults. These essential connections begin in the earliest days of a child's life, ideally in the context of the family where strong, secure attachments to parents and other sensitive, responsive caregivers lay the foundation for later development. Because attachment is Dr. Marti's area of specialization, Erin actually solicits her mom's guidance on this important topic. (And Marti promises to try to keep unsolicited advice to a minimum!)  

Episode: 

GEMs Jan 25, 2010.mp3