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Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Coach Arlene Angle owner of the parent coaching practice, Another Angle on Parenting. Arlene has a background as an early childhood educator and directed her own school before pursuing parent coaching with the Parent Coaching Institute. Arlene is also a mom of two and brings her parenting experience to her work with moms and dads in each coaching session. In this podcast, Arlene shares how she and her husband reacted when her fifteen-year old daughter, Cody, was being bullied by “friends” on Facebook. We also hear about her daughter’s mature reaction that helped the situation turn around for the positive in a short time. Gloria asks about the possible reasons for Cody’s mature response and together they focus on what parents do to help teens navigate social media successfully: Taking the time to talk with Cody about how she is perceiving the situation—this meant listening deeply and not showing our fear and rushing in with an untimely solution. Being supportive without being smothering—this is a fine line that requires insight and trust in our teen, along with working hard to understand what our teen needs at the time to make the best choices possible. A focus on developing your teens’ unique talents so that she grows a strong self-identity, acquiring skills for resisting peer pressure. Family rules with devices that all family members participate in so that your teen knows your priorities and that you live them—you don’t just talk about them. With clear boundaries, priorities, and support teens can navigate social media successfully and use it for socializing and for learning about socializing!

Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Lauren Leiker. Lauren is a seasoned parent educator, a college instructor, and owns and operates her parent coaching company, Parenting Aware in the Seattle area. Both as a mother and as a professional Lauren has seen the fruits of teaching children to use their creativity and know-how to become wise, selective, and intentional users of all forms of screen technologies. This podcast is about how parents can empower their children to use their devices as tools and not become habituated, or even addicted to them, as tethers. Gloria and Lauren discuss two major steps for parents in a digital age to empower their kids to be in control of screen technology: 1. Set boundaries, so both children and teens spend time doing other activities—apart from 2-D screen activities—so they know themselves better and can express their creativity in diverse ways. 2. Once kids have a healthy sense of themselves and their talents and love expressing themselves creatively, then it is sure bet they will use screens to do the same. Although the formula is simple, it is not always easy to implement. Gloria and Lauren discuss ways they support parents to empower their kids. Lauren shares an inspiring story about her daughter who loves to write and now as a middle-schooler writes two blogs—one about her brother’s sports team and the other book reviews for kids. Let’s empower kids to use screen technology as a tool for their creative expression. It can be done. And it’s the only way we make sure we all live with technology, rather than for it—today and in the future!

Gloria DeGaetano, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Rhonda Moskowitz. Rhonda, a mother of three, has been working with parents for over 30 years—as a special education teacher, early childhood administrator and currently as a PCI Certified Parent Coach®. Rhonda works with parents who are overwhelmed and say “I just don’t know what to do any more!” Parents find Rhonda when they have tried many things, but nothing has changed. She helps moms and dads create practical solutions for their parenting concerns. In fact, her parent coaching company is called: Practical Solutions Parent Coaching. Rhonda works with parents who have children between the ages of birth and 18 and she also works with parents who have children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Like all PCI trained parent coaches, Rhonda helps moms and dads focus on what is working. And then from there client and coach create a picture of what they want things to look like. Once that is attained, the coaching centers on practical solutions to get parents to the life they want to lead. “Fortune favors the well-prepared.” This popular saying gives the essence of this podcast. We want parents to prepare their children well before they let them loose to roam the digital landscape! Gloria and Rhonda center their discussion on three important key parenting strategies: 1. Understand the capabilities of what we are giving kids when we give them those devices. Rhonda says, “We are giving them the keys to the kingdom—access to the whole, wide world.” 2. Set rules and limits—having a contract agreement—yes—write your rules down, discuss them and have the kids sign. Now they not only know them, they have signed and agreed to follow them. 3. Adjust our own use of devices—modeling is so powerful. Talk a lot about rules that adults follow, too! With these three focal points, we prepare our kids and certainly empower them to be in charge of their devices. Learning to live with screen technology, not for screen technology is after all, that what it’s all about!

Gloria DeGaetano, founder of the Parent Coaching Institute and CEO of Parent Coach International speaks with speech and language pathologist Erik X. Raj. Erik works with school-aged children who have various articulation, language, and fluency difficulties. He believes that speech therapy not only benefits a student’s ability to communicate, but it also increases a young learner’s confidence and courage. Erik’s mission is to provide each child with a positive experience that sparks a passion for knowledge and creative thinking. Erik also teaches on-line classes for speech pathologists and gives on-site workshops as well. In addition, he develops apps to help youngsters learn through technology. Today’s podcast is focused on that topic. “I am a lover of language.” ~ Erik X. Raj With that statement, Erik reveals how much zest and drive he gives to helping children become a lover of language as well. In this podcast Gloria and Erik discuss: The vital need to counter-balance use of devices with real-world, sensory experiences—and ways to do that—for optimal brain development. Why early language learning must be hands-on and incorporate low-tech for the youngest brains. Information about the apps Erik develops that not only teach speech articulation, but also help children learn important thinking skills like decision making. The essential nature of language as a “symbolic system for thinking.” Tune in to review your love of language and learn great ways to help children do the same!

Gloria DeGaetano, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute, and CEO of Parent Coach International talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Erin Taylor. Erin is a therapist who has spent fifteen years providing therapeutic services to children ages 5-18 and to their parents, along with case management to children and families on caseload. Now as a PCI Coach, Erin coaches parents through her coaching practice, aptly named for today’s conversation, Village Parent Coaching. Erin is a mother of four and she shares not only her professional expertise, but also her challenges and triumphs as a mom in this digital world. “At our house ‘e’ doesn’t stand for e-mail or electronics, ‘e’ stands for eternity.” ~ Erin Taylor, PCI Certified Parent Coach® With this quote, Erin demonstrates an important learning she provides to her children—that anything they put on social media or on the Internet is there for all time, for all to see. This is such a critical part of helping kids become wise and thoughtful users of their digital devices. In this podcast, Erin shares two powerful stories about digital challenges with her middle school son and her eight year-old daughter. These are stories most parents can relate to. Erin shares what she did as a mom and explains how she put her parenting priorities into action steps. It’s not perfect or pretty, at times, to parent well in a digital age, but Erin shows that with clarity about what we believe in and confidence to walk our talk with our kids, we can be the strongest influence in our kids’ lives—and in that process limit potential negative digital/media influences. Erin also explains how she and a group of parents began an on-going dialogue about digital issues and Internet safety for their kids. They call their group LOCKS and they regularly talk through a Facebook group, supporting each other to develop limits, boundaries for their kids; as well as share important knowledge and information about the latest app or social media fad that their kids are engaged in, and disseminate success stories and strategies that worked so all can benefit. “It takes a village to raise a child.” Erin and the parent community she is a part of are taking this truth seriously by providing a strong collective force to protect and teach their children in this digital world. Erin is available to help any parent who wants to, create a similar parent group in their own community. You can contact her through her website listed above. We don’t have to allow the “industry-culture” of high-tech to have more influence over our kids than we do. There is much we can do within our immediate circles to make positive differences in the lives of the children we love. You can start by listening to this podcast for inspiration and important information! The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner™ will resume as soon as scheduling permits.

Gloria DeGaetano, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute, and CEO of Parent Coach International talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Mary Upham. In addition to completing Parent Coach Certification® Training in collaboration with Seattle Pacific University, Mary has completed a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Minnesota, a teaching licensure in Parent Education, and training in the Nurtured Heart Approach. Mary has worked with children and parents for over 25 years. Her background includes teaching at early childhood, elementary, and high school levels, running a home child care business, and offering parent education classes. As a PCI Coach Mary owns and operates Positive Path Coaching, offering parent coaching to individual moms and dads, to couples and to groups. Mary herself has parented through separation and divorce. Now a single parent, Mary describes herself as a “the joyful mother of three daughters, ages 10, 13, and 19.” Gloria and Mary discuss the specific challenges of single parenting including finding the time, energy, and confidence to set boundaries about the media when feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. They outline successful strategies in these three basic areas: 1. The importance of parental self-care—filling our own cups keeps us clear, confident, and creative with enough energy to deal positively with potentially contentious issues. 2. Keeping lines of communication open with our kids gives vital opportunities for family media literacy activities—using teachable moments as we go. 3. Making sure we stay positive and upbeat—even when the rules at “the other house” aren’t the same as ours—this gives kids lots of opportunities to learn how to adjust, even thrive, in different environments with different expectations. Tune in to hear more specifics you can apply today to your parenting in a digital age! The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner™ will resume as soon as scheduling permits.

Gloria DeGaetano, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute, and CEO of Parent Coach International talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Dana Allara. Dana holds her master’s degree in school psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University. Her background includes educational evaluations, running social skills groups for preschool and school-aged children in both general education and special education settings, as well as leading parent education programs with topics including technology use, temper tantrums, youth sports, sleep concerns, eating, cooperative listening, and sharing. In her parent coaching Dana works collaboratively with parents to uncover inner parenting wisdom and identify personal areas of strength, while she helps moms and dads clarify what’s important to them—all the while helping them bring their dream into reality. She is a master parent coach with a wealth of both professional expertise and personal experience, as well. Dana is the mother of two teen-age boys. Dana says, “As a mom, I experience the challenges, the uncertainties and the joys of parenthood every day.” Amen to that! “There is such a thing as sacred idleness.” ~George MacDonald This quote best summarizes the message of this podcast. Children need free, unscheduled time to develop optimally. In fact, the term “sacred idleness” aptly applies. Why? Because filling ever moment of our kids’ lives with activities or apps, gives them no time to “go inside” and learn about themselves. When children are “bored” they must find a way out of the uncomfortable place into a renewed, heighted state of being, that came about exactly because they were “bored.” This is a necessary process for the development of our kids’ competence and autonomy. Gloria and Dana discuss the challenges for parents in today’s hectic world to find free time for their children. It isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it. And they share plenty of do-able activities that can be implemented slowly and steadily for fine results. Tune in to hear more about these advantages of intentionally creating free time in your child’s life: • Grows the child’s inner life • Helps de-stress and relax them • Initiates important qualities such as perseverance, and patience • Catalyzes their creativity and intrinsic motivation • Helps them appreciate the life around them—they see and experience the world in deeper, more meaningful ways. This leads them to understand themselves in new ways, too. The advantages of making the effort to carve out free time for kids is well worth it. Soon, they are more autonomous, happier beings—making parenting more easeful and that much more satisfying. Plus…we get to see more sides to our children than we ever imagined. With more free time, they become more themselves…you can’t buy an app for that! The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner™ will resume as soon as scheduling permits. We anticipate within one-three weeks.

Gloria DeGaetano, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute, talks with Rona Zlokower, Executive Director of Media Power Youth. Based in Manchester, NH, Media Power Youth is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) working statewide and nationally in collaboration with health and prevention programs, school districts, communities, research institutions, businesses and foundations to provide a continuum of evidence based, health-focused media literacy education for youth, parents, and professionals. Media Power Youth serves children and teens, parents, and professionals through their lectures, conference keynotes, workshops, and grassroots collaborations to bring media literacy education to schools and communities. “Media Power Youth has become a model public health/media literacy program that all communities would do well to adopt.” – Dr. Michael Rich, MD, MPH, Director of Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston In writing about media violence in her book with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence, Gloria compiled the convincing research that demonstrates media violence as a significant factor in youth violence. Much evidence continues to verify this. For instance, in a February 2013 report on youth violence by the National Science Foundation, media violence was listed as one of the top three risk factors. In fact, it is right up there with access to guns and mental health. But media violence is the one significant factor in youth violence that we all can do something about. Parents play a pivotal role in supplying kids with important protective factors to “immunize” them against potential negative effects. A terrific resource for parents, Media Power Youth has developed programs and now a statewide initiative in New Hampshire that tackles youth violence at its core—by teaching media literacy to counter the potential negative influences of media violence. We know from the research that on-going exposure to violent imagery can affect kids in four basic ways: Increase aggression Increase fear Increase de-sensitization to real and on-screen violence Increase in appetite for more violence Join this conversation to find out more about the risk factors and what can be done about them. Then contact Media Power Youth to find out how you can bring their evidence-based, comprehensive media literacy curriculum to your child’s school. Media Power Youth asks on its website: R U RDE 2 B MPOWRD? Tune in to this podcast as a first step toward empowerment and invite a teen you know and love to do the same! The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner™ will resume as soon as scheduling permits. We anticipate within one-three weeks.

Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Sheila Wenger. Sheila, the mother of twins, a boy and girl, currently age 7 is also a Lead Instructor with Parent Coach International. Sheila coaches parents—individuals or couples—through her coaching company The Parent Partner . Based in Vancouver, WA, Sheila works with moms and dads in her community and also coaches parents across the country. She is a sought-after parent coach because she brings her passion, wisdom, and practical approach to each and every coaching session. She is truly the “Partner” moms and dads appreciate, respect, and love working with! “Come out of the circle of time…And into the circle of love.” ~Rumi This quote from Rumi summarizes the podcast best. So often in our busy days with kids, their schedules, our work and the never-ending grueling cycle day-in and day out, we are caught in the “circle of time.” The Family Meeting provides a way out of time and into relaxed conversation, opening space for new possibilities, and inviting more participation from our kids on all levels—cooperation around the house, more emotional investment in the happiness of the family, and better understanding of what this “business of living” actually means—all within a “circle of love.” Gloria and Sheila discuss the advantages of The Family Meeting, along with the wonderful results—short-term and long term—that occur with regular family meetings. They share success stories with their own children—how and why they got started and the many positive differences they saw which kept them at it. And they discuss what they offer their coaching clients in terms of ways to get started including how to organize the family meeting for maximum benefits. Listen to this podcast and find out: Why family meetings help children and teens feel more relaxed and less stressed. Why family meetings can extinguish negative behaviors and promote more cooperative behaviors. Three important advantages of family meetings that bring parents and children together, resulting in more family fun. How the family meeting makes life so much easier for both parents and kids! The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner™ will begin for this season on January 20. Be sure to tune in!

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of  (The Parent Coaching InstitutePCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Peggy Fitzpatrick, educator and the owner of Parent Resources, LLC. Peggy Fitzpatrick offers parent coaching, parenting classes and support programs that help everydayparents meet the challenges of raising children and strengthening their parent/child relationship. As a mom of 6 grown children (and grandmother of 7) Peggy’s real world experiences combine well with her professional training to make parents feel comfortable discussing their challenges, and then co-create solutions in a safe non-judgmental environment to achieve the family life they envision. Do you know what is the most significant factor in high school students getting high SAT scores for college entrance? Are the high scorers those who have high grades? OR Those who come from educated families? OR Those who are wealthy? Well, those are important factors, but not the most significant factor. The most significant factor is how often those high school students talked with their parents as elementary students in family conversations over dinner. YES! Family dinner nights with our children give them a major boost for doing well on college entrance exams. Yet, as our world rapidly changes with technological advancements family mealtime suffers. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to gather family members. And when they do gather, chances are each individual has their head in a smart phone or a digital tablet. Sadly, a rich opportunity for relationship building is missed. In this podcast, Peggy shares concrete ideas and creative ways to think about the family meal. She calls it the “family glue” that holds the family together. How true! The gathering around food is such fabulous opportunity for group nurturing—having fun together, building family memories and building relationships at the same time—in a caring, loving environment, what can be more powerful! Family meals also teach kids the art of conversation—a dying art in a digital age, sadly. Tweeting and posting do not allow for listening to the other. It’s that simple, yet that complicated—how to make time to make sure family mealtime is a priority? Peggy provides compelling information that hopefully will compel you to make family time a priority! Parent Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner will resume with the January 13, 2014 podcast.

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with Dr. Craig Anderson, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State University. Dr. Anderson joined the Iowa State University faculty in 1999, as Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology. In 2004, he was presented with the “Iowa State University Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research.” In 2005, he was awarded the title “Distinguished Professor,” the highest faculty honor given by Iowa State University. Dr. Anderson is considered a leading scholar on aggression, violent personality and media violence. His seminal research on media violence, violent video games and aggression has made a major impact on public policy at local, state, national and international levels. He is the author or co-author of several books and numerous research publications. For a complete list and important resources please see Dr. Anderson’s bio here. The depictions of graphic, sensational violence keeps escalating on TV, in movies, and in popular video games while scientific evidence demonstrates that screen violence harms kids. In fact, there is clearly undeniable evidence that media violence contributes to aggression and desensitization. Yet, confusion and ambivalence still reign—preventing us as individuals and collectively, from taking effective actions. Violent video games remain popular choices for children and teens. Dr. Anderson’s research regarding violent video games shows consistent findings worldwide: “We can now say with utmost confidence that regardless of research method—that is experimental, correlational, or longitudinal—and regardless of the cultures tested in this study [East and West], you get the same effects. And the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases pro-social behavior.” Craig Anderson In this podcast, Dr. Anderson lays out the evidence that the debate is over. “From a public policy standpoint, it’s time to get off the question of, ‘Are there real and serious effects?’ That’s been answered and answered repeatedly,” Anderson said. “It’s now time to move on to a more constructive question like, ‘How do we make it easier for parents—within the limits of culture, society and law—to provide a healthier childhood for their kids?’” Here parents will find practical ideas for protecting kids form the harmful effects of media violence, along with ways to use media to teach pro-social values. Tune in for a wealth of information from a leading scholar in the field! Parent Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner will resume with the January 13, 2014 podcast.

Part One Guest Interview: Gloria DeGaetano, founder The Parent Coaching Institute, talks with Dr. Jane Healy, expert in media and children and award winning author of several books including the international best seller, Your Child’s Growing Mind, about why experts do not recommend screen entertainment or screen education for babies and young children. What can happen to the brains of young children with too much exposure to screen technologies? The answer isn’t pretty. In this conversation, Dr. Jane Healy, who was twice named “Educator of the Year” by Delta Kappa Gamma shares important new brain research that supports with certainty the claim: Early exposure to screens puts youngsters at risk for all sorts of learning problems and disadvantages such as hyperactivity, aggression, and attention porblems. Early exposure also reduces a child’s ability to be empathetic to others. Dr.Healy has decades of experience helping parents with media issues. Her book, Endangered Minds, is a classic in the field. Dr. Healy explains the negative effects of early exposure to screen technologies in clear terms, while offering parents many practical ideas for supporting optimal brain development. This podcast sheds important light on the dark places of confusion for many young parents, given they are bombarded with new digital products aimed at youngsters at every turn—first the I-Potty and now Fischer-Price has come out this holiday season with its horrendous Newborn-to-Toddler Apptivity™ Seat foriPad® Device which provides a way to lock an i-pad in place so baby has its constant display in his/her visual field. This is so dangerous for young brains. Why? Because young brains are easily conditioned. That’s the key concept Jane and Gloria would like parents to understand and take to heart when listening to this podcast. There is never a more crucial time for brain development than in the first few years of life. This podcast reminds parents of young children of the fragility of the young brain and gives parents solid, scientific reasons to limit screens as much as possible for babies and toddlers. That’s the best way to give them the best chance for optimal brain growth now and in their future. Parent Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ The Parent Coaching Corner will resume with the January 13, 2014 podcast.

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute, and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with Andrew Doan, M.D., author of the book, Hooked on Games: The Lure and Cost of Video Game and Internet Addiction. This is not a dry summary of research on video game addiction. It is Dr. Doan’s personal story of his own addiction. His description of the process of being caught in the addiction, and what it took to escape, is told with great insight. For Dr. Doan is a practicing M.D. in ophthalmology, and has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. As he struggled for over three years, with the help of his wife, family, church, and friends to escape the undertow, he also researched what it was that he was trying to escape. The story he tells could not have been told without the combined insights of his personal experience and history, as seen through his medical and scientific training. Did you know that one in eleven teens is hooked on video games to the point of obsession? That means they will spend most of their waking hours immersed in a game, even when there is no external reward—no one praises them for playing. No one gives them a recognition medal—a common practice now with most kids’ sports participation. No one delivers a pizza to their door each time they successfully get to the next level. Yet, without any of these typical types of external rewards, they keep playing. Often oblivious to their surroundings, they may regularly skip meals, living off snacks and energy drinks to ward off sleep in order to keep playing. What is it about a video game that compels this kind of investment of time and energy? Is it just for the “fun?” Gloria, co-author of the popular book, Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence, is as passionate about this issue as Dr. Doan is. Consequently, this discussion is quite lively as they both get fired up to help parents understand not only how to pro-actively address the video game habit with their children, but also what moms and dads can do to prevent it from becoming an obsession in their children’s lives. Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ Gloria’s provides the final coaching session for Lindsey who has gone through a series of PCI coaching with Gloria to support healthy media habits for her young daughters. In this session, Gloria highlights the key strategies that have worked for Lindsey and Lindsey discusses her successes, along with some delightful, unexpected surprises. Even though both are sad to come to an end of the coaching series, Lindsey is excited and energized by the all the positive changes she has seen over the last three months. Tune in to hear what she plans to do to keep the positive changes going!

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Coach Chris Donavan. Chris is the mother of eight, including step children and children with special needs. She offers varied and important perspectives as both a mom and a professional parent coach. Her website www.ChristineCoach.com offers valuable resources for parents of children of all ages. This podcast focuses on teens and technology. Let’s put our kids back in control. Yes! It can be done even though teens are voracious screen users. 95% of teens use the Internet, 78% have cell phones, and teens actually have as many tablet devices as adults. But teens are not adults. Their brains are still in process. As a matter of fact, it takes until ages 24-25, until the human brain is fully mature. Because teenagers don’t have fully equipped brains, it makes them especially vulnerable to the addictive quality of screens. But once parents realize this, there many brain-compatible techniques they can use to put teens back in control. The keys are supporting our kids’ sense of autonomy and competence—so they grow a healthy self-identity, not an identity dependent upon digital devices. Chris shares ways we “can get inside the head” of our teens, along with pro-active ways to make rules and keep them simple, with a positive focus. If you are pulling out your hair trying to figure out what to do about your teen and technology, this podcast will help you return to sanity with do-able researched-based parenting solutions. Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ There is no coaching session in this podcast. Tune into the previous podcasts to catch up with Lindsey! Gloria’s last session coaching Lindsey will air on the Dec. 9 podcast. Please tune in next week to hear Lindsey discuss all the techniques and creative ideas she has put together for helping her young daughters grow into savvy digital literate kids.

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Lauren Leiker. Lauren coaches moms, dads, and couples through her parent coaching business, ParentingAware. Lauren is also a part-time parent education instructor at North Seattle Community College. As the mother of two children ages, 13 and 10, Lauren brings both practical wisdom and much expertise as an educator to the parents she coaches. What gifts are on your list this season? Are the gifts you want for your children the gifts they want for themselves? Or are they nagging you for the latest gadget that you don’t want to get? We are in a tsunami of technology, that’s for sure. But just because the floodgates have opened, doesn’t mean we have to succumb to every ploy to purchase the most popular device for our children. Let’s face it, marketers aren’t out for their best interests. In this podcast, Lauren and I talk about what might be lost forever when devices replace the important gifts. And what are these most important gifts? We frame our discussion around the gifts of our Time, Connection, and Presence. Parental presence trumps all other presents, of course. Lauren reminds us that “every experience we give to our children educates them…and us!” Tune in to hear more…. Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ I am coaching Lindsey, mom of two daughters, Charlie, age 5.5 and Olive, age, 2.5. Lindsey is working to provide a balanced approach to screen technologies for her girls. The last time we talked Lindsey was excited about all the family fun around the dinner table. Like teaching the girls how to balance spoons on their noses. It has been two weeks since our last coaching session because her girls were ill. In this session we resume discussing her Action Plan for laying a strong foundation for her daughters’ media/digital literacy. All the pieces are coming together very well! Tune in to hear all that is falling into place for Lindsey and the amazing synchronicities that have occurred—something we have come to expect during the design Phase of PCI Coaching!

Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Peggy Rubens-Ellis. Peggy, school counselor and founder of the blog Creative Crossings, http://creativecrossings.blogspot.com is an expert on issues relevant to pre-teen girls and boys, especially in regard to bullying and relational aggression. She has worked in anti-bullying programs and creating safe school environments. Peggy is currently developing workshops for preschool parents on Managing Screen Technology and also on Helping Your Child Handle Tough Friendship Situations. Peggy lives on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, but coaches parents from all over the world. Peggy’s newly found passion that has emerged from her schooling as a PCI parent coach is helping parents of preschoolers manage screen technology. In this podcast she and Gloria discuss the pressing need and how Peggy helps parents in this area. She also shares some tricks of the trade she has been exploring with her own four year-old, daughter. This podcast focuses on what parents can do to be gentle with themselves if they find themselves feeling guilty for allowing too much screen time for their youngsters. Peggy shares her own battles with digital devices and how sometimes her daughter does win—especially when Peggy is overwhelmed and exhausted. Like most of us at those times, Peggy finds it easy to cave in to her child’s nagging for her cell phone. In a candid, honest interview, Peggy puts aside her expert role as counselor and parent coach to show the human side of being a mother in the digital age. How she copes with guilt. How she uses the small things she does right to propel her to keep doing them. Tune in to hear her excellent analogy of the NEON SIGN over her head that flashes: Good Mom/Bad Mom depending… Every parent will relate to Peggy’s digital dilemmas and benefit from what she does about them! Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ There is no Coaching Corner in this podcast. Gloria’s coaching

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Jane Schmidt. Jane, founder of Parent Coaching Northwest, LLC in Seattle, is the mother of 9-year-old twin daughters. Like all PCI Coaches, she recognizes that the cumulative daily decisions parents make matter immeasurably to children’s optimal development. A principle focus and passion of Jane’s coaching practice is helping parents manage screen technologies. She helps parents balance their children’s undeniable fascination with media and technology with their understandable concerns. As part of her coaching practice, Jane offers workshops (e.g., Kids and Gadgets) specifically designed to help parents navigate technology and help their children live with, not for, technology. Ultimately, Jane’s parent coaching is about helping parents have the relationships they want with their children—that is the heart of Jane’s work. “My spouse and I need to agree on the amount of screen time our children are allowed, and I’m not sure how to approach the subject or what we should decide.” Agreeing on screen time and limits can be real challenge for many parents. But it doesn’t have to be. When spouses disagree about screen time and screen use, the kids are caught in the middle with more confusion and less clarity—which usually create an on-going cycle of struggle—between parents and between parent and child. A unified front, on the other hand, grows children as capable and wise users of screen technologies–with less conflict and more ease. In this podcast, parents find great examples and strategies for how to work together as a unified front. The approaches shared are simple, positive and highly effective. The goal in this discussion is to help moms and dads realize this important point: When you change or take even a few steps towards agreeing with your partner on this topic, you’ll see powerful, positive results that benefit the entire family. Tune in for effective ways to work together as team regarding tech issues in your household! Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ I am coaching Lindsey, mom of two daughters, Charlie, age 5.5 and Olive, age, 2.5. Lindsey is working to provide a balanced approach to screen technologies for her girls. Lindsey is in the midst of her Action Plan and she is coming up with excellent activities for helping the girls develop a strong foundation for digital literacy. Today we discuss how her daughters’ unexpected illness caught them all off guard. Lindsey was able to make the days not only restful for them, but productive learning experiences as well. This mom’s creativity is in high gear. Tune in to be inspired! Listen to the previous six podcasts to catch up with Lindsey!

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach®, Karen Bierdeman. Karen who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a PCI Certified Parent Coach® since 2005. In addition to parenting her two girls, she has taught both special education, first grade, as well as at the community college. And, she has been a PCI instructor for seven years. In her coaching practice, The Guilt Free Mom Karen helps moms who are stressed, overwhelmed, and feel guilty with trying to parent intense, strong-willed children. Over the years, she has helped many parents to bring out the best in themselves and their children, even amidst the challenges that come with parenting an intense child. She knows from coaching parents and being a parent herself, that setting limits around using technology with strong-willed kids can be difficult. However, she also knows that it is possible to do so, even when it’s not easy. In this podcast Karen and Gloria discuss that setting screen limits is hard enough. With a child who is prone to rebel against boundaries, is more likely to experience intense emotions, and challenges much of what you say and do, it can be even more stressful. Tune in and listen for answers to these critically important questions:ow can we reduce that stress and support ourselves when setting limits around using technology with strong-willed kids? • How can we set successful limits with them, when limits are not what they want? Karen shares specific, practical ideas, with an emphasis on: • taking care of yourself first • staying calm in the heat of the moment • being clear ahead of time what limits you want to set • setting those limits in ways that are clear, assertive, and respectful, and practicing your possible responses ahead of time • focusing on what’s working to set those limits and doing more of what is working • implementing small steps can lead to big impacts • keeping sense of humor • maintaining realistic expectations • setting boundaries with parental voice of authority Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ I am coaching Lindsey, mom of two daughters, Charlie, age 5.5 and Olive, age, 2.5. Lindsey is working to provide a balanced approach to screen technologies for her girls. Lindsey is in the midst of her Action Plan and she is coming up with excellent activities for helping the girls develop a strong foundation for digital literacy. She is very intentional about providing activities that support their reading/writing and overall creativity which are the starting points for self-identity as a learner. Tune in to hear what great ideas she came up with this week. Listen to the previous five podcasts to catch up with Lindsey!

Part One: Guest Interview Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Sheryl Stoller. Sheryl coaches parents through her company, Stoller Parent Coaching, based in the Chicago area. Sheryl, the mother of three grown children, has addressed media issues in her family and now as a PCI Certified Parent Coach® she enjoys helping her coaching clients with these issues, as well. Sheryl was featured on NBC 5 Chicago weekend morning news to discuss the importance of media/digital family literacy. It is a subject she feels passionate about! In this podcast covers important keys to ensuring that technology use in your family is used as a powerful tool to enhance life, not undermine relationships or limit the thriving growth and development of your children. Some of the topics addressed: 1. Connect with kids before you direct them—putting the relationship foremost support parents to guide appropriately while children feel loved and secure. 2. Self-Direction—when we help children of all ages direct some of their media choices, we empower them to become wise users. 3. Responsive Parenting—listening deeply to our children’s dilemma’s with screen technologies makes for important lessons in setting their priorities now and in the future. 4. Healthy Self-Identity—attending to both ours and our children’s identity keeps our values alive and in the decisions we make. Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ I am coaching Lindsey, mom of two daughters, Charlie, age 5.5 and Olive, age, 2.5. Lindsey is working to provide a balanced approach to screen technologies for her daughters. In our last coaching session Lindsey talked about creating a Reading Nook in the girls’ bedroom and had many creative ideas around it. She also wanted to begin a program of 20-minute “coupons” for the girls screen time. We discuss what happened as she tried out these wonderful ideas. Hint: The girls loved them! Tune into the last four podcasts to catch up with Lindsey! Thank you for listening!

Gloria, founder of The Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and author of Parenting Well in a Media Age, talks with PCI Certified Parent Coach® Priscila Fuzikawa who joins the conversation from her home in Brazil. In addition to working as a PCI Coach with individuals and groups through her company Gruponest, Priscila is a Brazilian occupational therapist, working in the field of mental health with trauma patients. A creative professional, Priscila also coaches musicians for performance enhancement. She is a mother of two children, ages 6 and 9. And in her typical candid honesty, Priscila admits that the parenting difficulties she faced with her own children led her to parenting workshops and finally to Parent Coach Certification® training with PCI. Now as a PCI coach, mother, and OT, her mission is to make the world a better place through better parenting. This podcasts taps into Priscila’s unique creativity with her own kids in coming up with non-screen activities that resulted from their on-screen activities. Media images and digital devices can be used to spur meaningful and creative 3-D experiences for children and teens. How many times do we see our youngsters imitate a cartoon character in their imaginative play experience? What if we helped them add new ideas—such as a different name, occupation, or new clothes to an already beloved hero? Our kids do not have to suffer the constraints of an imitative imagination. Instead we can help them use their generative imaginations, using what they see on the screen to motivate them to be even more creative! And that’s what Priscila did. The idea came to her when she saw her two children playing chase in slow motion and saying they were running like some TV character. Then they were trying to build something out of Legos® related to a video game, and were drawing new characters for it also. Instead of worrying that this might limit their creativity, Priscila invited her children to dig deeper into their creativity and encouraged the paper cut out of characters from the Minecraft games. This led to more play outside of the video game—real world play that the children enjoyed just as well—or often more so—than the video game. Priscila had come up with an exciting way to motivate her children and propose other creative activities—in the real world. In this podcast she shares excellent ideas centered around these four basic points: 1) It is possible and desirable that we use on-screen activities to generate healthy off-screen activities like games, drawing, crafts, reading, physical activities). 2) Ways to redirect our children’s interests away from screen instead of confronting them head on. 3) Our participation is essential to help introduce new ideas and expand on those that come spontaneously from children. 4) It is important for parents to be aware that screen technology is not the only source of imagination and play for their children, as this can easily lead to consumerism. It is important for kids to have real life role models. Tune in and start today to use some of these creative ideas with your children—it’s fun, doesn’t cost anything, and put them in the driver’s seat to be more fully in charge of their video game play! Part Two: The Parent Coaching Corner™ I am coaching Lindsey, mom of two daughters, Charlie, age 5.5 and Olive, age, 2.5. Lindsey is coming to coaching for three basic reasons: • She wants to provide more activities for the girls outside of screen technologies. • She wants to work cooperatively with the school and her daughter’s tutor who are prescribe screen time for Charlee. • Being a pro-active mom, she wants to prepare for the girls’ future wise use of screen technologies as they get older. In our last session, Lindsey explained the strengths of each of her daughters, along with her own strengths. In this, our third session, we continue to talk about strengths and discover more resources Lindsey has in her life to support her. We then discuss the ideal picture of what her girls’ present and future screen use would look like, if she could have it any way she wanted in her preferred reality. Tune into the last two podcasts to catch up with Lindsey!