I was invited to keynote the Florida Foster and Adoptive Parent Association Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida a few years ago. It is always a special privilege to share with families who are in the trenches. I love meeting them, hearing their stories, and being able to share information and experiences that can help them [...]
Appleās āThink Differentā campaign was launched 6 weeks after Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997. He left the company in 1985 and in the intervening decade or so, Appleās financial fortunes declined a great deal until the board decided to bring him back. Apple became the first American company valued in excess of 1 Trillion [...]
If youāre from the same generation as I am (Iām 42), then you probably heard this phrase many times growing up. āDo as I say and not as I do.ā While I imagine it feels good to say it, itās not really great parenting. Hereās why. Our kids learn way more by watching what we [...]
Some of our kids have big emotions. Chris talks with Ryan and Kayla about how we deal with drama when the emotions go from big to bigger to biggest. [podbean resource="episode=mjufj-97d457" type="audio-square" height="400" skin="8" fonts="Helvetica" auto="0" download="1" rtl="0"] Resources Mentioned in the Episode Harry Chapin - The Cat's in the Cradle One Big Happy Home [...]
I can still remember all of the babies we cared for over the years. While they were all unique, they all had one thing in common; being swaddled tight helped them sleep well. They loved the security that being wrapped tightly in the blanket provided. But it wasnāt only the swaddling that helped them sleep, [...]
Whether we admit it or not, it's a thought adoptive and foster parents have at least once: how do I love my child when I don't like them? Chris, Kayla, and Ryan explore this in detail, starting with the need to continually remember behavior is an expression of a need. We need to do the [...]
I truly believe that parenting is a leadership exercise. We are responsible for teaching and mentoring our children, we are their leaders. The mentoring part is so important because they learn more by watching what we do than they do from us instructing them. Some behaviors are taught, but most of them are caught. There [...]
Connected parenting would be so much easier if there weren't so many kids. I often find myself handling one meltdown only to have another kid meltdown. Or worse yet...two melting down at the same time! I have always wanted a big family. In fact, I told Ryan before we got married that I wanted six [...]
Ryan and Kayla join Chris to talk about mealtime struggles. TheĀ team discusses the typical concerns parents of adopted and foster kids see at meals: food sensory issues; eating too much; before-meal snacking; not wanting to eat what is being served, and actually getting kids to the table! They talk about setting expectations and using transitions, [...]
Leadership is important, very important. It is a highly valued commodity in the corporate world. So much so, that according to a study by Deloitte, American companies spent $14 billion on leadership development in 2012. I can only imagine what the 2017Ā number looks like. But leadership isn't only valuable in offices and boardrooms across the [...]