The Empowered Parent Podcast

Even if you haven't been to an adoption and foster care conference, such as Empowered to Connect or CAFO Summit, you may have attended a seminar or one-day class that had you coming out of it thinking, "Yes! I can do this! I'm going to change the way I parent my kids!" But the excitement wears off. Motivation falters. And what are we left with? In light of the 2018 Empowered to Connect Conference happening April 13-15, and CAFO Summit coming up in May, Chris, Ryan, and Kayla tackle these issues. We all want to start with correcting behaviors, but we'll have long-term success with connection first. Connection is the foundation for everything else to click together. The team walks through how that might look for parents, offering practical examples to get started. Resources Mentioned in the Episode I Love You Rituals by Becky Bailey CAFO Summit 2018 One Big Happy Home: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Window Decal Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla are joined by Allison Highton. Allison, along with her husband Russ, is an Empowered to Connect parent trainer in New Jersey. Allison works with Miriam's Heart, a non-profit adoption ministry that radically supports families who take action on behalf of adoptive and foster children. The group discusses various schooling options for our kids from hard places, from public to private to homeschooling. Is your adopted or foster child in public school? You should know what an IEP is, and be your kid's biggest advocate. They also talk about being flexible on the home front after kids get home from school. Back to School: Teachers are Important One Big Happy Home: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Email Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy

The team discusses how playing with our kids is a great way to connect with them. Play is fun and disarming and makes us enjoy our kids as much as it makes them enjoy us. Play is the language of children but is sadly something most of us are no longer fluent in. One Big Happy Home: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Email Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy    

Chris is joined once again by Kayla and Ryan North to talk about something that can be quite irritating to all parents: sassy talk. They discuss various ways to counteract it and get our kids to a place where they can talk respectfully not just to parents, but others as well. Baby Owl Lost Her Whoo - Cindy Lee The Frequency and Intensity of Behavior Dictates the Frequency and Intensity of Response - S3E2 One Big Happy Home: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Email Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy

Ryan and Kayla join Chris to talk about mealtime struggles. The 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, as well as other things that have worked in their families. One Big Happy Home: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Email Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris talks with Ryan and Kayla about how the brain processes trauma, and how this affects our kids' relationships with us and the world at large. The Whole Brain Child The Brain with David Eagleman Tapestry's Empowered to Connect Podcast: Lying Join our Facebook Community Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy

With all of the craziness that comes this time of year, Chris, Ryan, and Kayla talk about some ways families can simplify holiday time to reduce stress on moms, dads, and the kids. The team discusses everything from gifts to traditions, holiday travel, extended family, and more. Join our Facebook Community Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla respond to a lister email asking about one-on-one/play time with their children. The team discusses things they have tried in the past and how creating an environment of felt safety changes the way their kids interact with them. Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Listener Tracy writes in asking about an episode devoted to TBRI with kids under the age of 4. How do we use compromise and other tools seen in The Connected Child when our little ones don't always have the words or understanding to utilize them. Chris, Ryan, and Kayla talk about how these concepts can be put into practice for toddlers and preschoolers in our households. I Love You Rituals - Becky Bailey Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla discuss a listener's question, "How important is maintaining biological family relationships for foster/adoptive children? Is this something that we should put a lot of effort into for long-term benefit? Will our children remember visits from when they are very young, and will those be something they look back on an appreciate?" Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris is joined once again by Ryan and Kayla as the team talks about the need for mindfulness. As Curt Thompson says, "You need to pay attention to what you're paying attention to." They discuss why this is especially important with adoptive and foster children. Star Wars | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure! Goo Timer Spiral Timer Liquid Motion Timer Toy Liquid Motion Zig Zag Timer Toy Adorox Liquid Bubble Drop Motion Wheel Zig Zag Desk Toy Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy    

The 2017 Tapestry Conference will feature Curt Thompson, author of Anatomy of the Soul and The Soul of Shame. Dr. Thompson's work is an integral part of the Empowered to Connect Parent Training classes; Anatomy of the Soul is one of the books that parents read as part of the training. The 2017 Tapestry Conference will be held October 20th and 21st at Irving Bible Church, in Irving, TX. Use the discount code PODCAST20 for 20% off your registration. Anatomy of the Soul The Soul of Shame Cindy Lee on Amazon Cindy Lee on the Tapestry Podcast Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla discuss why self-care is an important but overlooked part of parenting. The team offers advice on how to take better care of yourself and why self-care can be effective in 15-minute increments.  Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

We are back from family vacations and the start of the school year with a special episode. Directed at parents of kids from hard places in the Houston area, devastated by Hurricane Harvey, Chris is joined by Ryan and Kayla, and special guest Toni Steere. Toni is the Director of Legacy 685, an Adoption, Foster & Orphan Care Ministry at Houston’s First Baptist Church. She has been caring for orphaned and vulnerable children for the past 17 years. She served for many years as a teacher, house-parent & social worker at a large orphanage in Central America. During her time there she adopted a baby boy who is now 16! As a mom of a child from a hard place, Toni understands both the immense joy and the unexpected challenges of the journey. She leads Empowered to Connect's Spanish Training Team, she is a TBRI Educator, and a Sexual Abuse Prevention Instructor, among many other disciplines involving foster care, adoption, and trauma.    If you would like to help Toni and Houston's First with disaster relief

Chris invites Ryan and Kayla to participate in another game of sharing examples of various TBRI parenting tools. They discuss: Total Voice Control Time-In instead of Time Out Think Before You Consequence Respond to Fear with Connection Who will take this round’s trophy? Listen and find out! Goo Timer Spiral Timer Liquid Motion Timer Toy Liquid Motion Zig Zag Timer Toy Adorox Liquid Bubble Drop Motion Wheel Zig Zag Desk Toy   Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy    

Parenting is hard enough, but add traumatized children, and the difficulties can increase exponentially. Chris, Ryan, and Kayla discuss these hardships, and why it’s so important to build a community around your family that understands trust-based relational parenting and is supportive of your efforts to parent this way. Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Sibling relationships can always be tenuous, and even more so when it comes to kids from hard places. Chris, Ryan, and Kayla talk about strategies for dealing with these rivalries and the struggles of sibling interaction. Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla respond to an email about children who engage in sneaking behaviors. Listen as they discuss if it's developmentally appropriate or trauma related, and why you need to become the world's leading expert in your children. Yes Jar: Video | Article   Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy  

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla tackle an issue in this episode that most of us deal with; bedtime struggles. They discuss the value of routines (structure) and rituals (nurture) at bedtime and why the cause of the issue may or may not be what you think. Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere Engineered and Produced by Dallas Stacy

Chris, Ryan, and Kayla spend some time discussing teenagers. The teen years are difficult for most as identity and power struggles are magnified. TBRI for Teens video Tapestry: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Donate Empowered to Connect: Web | Facebook | Twitter One Big Happy Home | Ryan's Blog Intro/Outro Music: "Home" by Moses Uvere