I know I have said it more than a thousand times, but I absolutely love meeting young moms and dads, encouraging them on their parenting journey. It has now been four years since I first met Keri at a conference in Fort Worth, TX. If you haven’t heard how we met, check out TRKL – Episode 2. A couple of weeks ago, Keri was in town for a DoTerra leadership convention and I got to sneak downtown to have lunch with her (yes, that’s Christy Montes in the picture, along with Keri’s mom and good friend, Kelly). This week Keri and I had an honest conversation about parenting in the early years and focusing on what really matters. If you are like so many other moms out there, you have had people tell you more than once that this stage of parenting flies by and most of the stuff that stresses us out simply does not matter. Well if it doesn’t matter, what DOES matter?

Relationships… relationships matter. In this episode, Keri and I unpack what this looks like and how to accomplish it in the middle of diaper changing and breaking up sibling fights. Grab a journal so you can jot down some ideas as we are talking. You know your children best and you know what they need to feel connected to you.

Some of my favorite ways to build connection are:

 

Tell stories of your childhood.

Turn on music and dance and laugh and laugh some more.

Cook together.

Set the table together.

Put phones away and play age appropriate games.

Read aloud a favorite childhood book.

Write a story together.

Go on a hike.

Have a picnic.

Make cookies for someone or your neighborhood or the nearest firestation.

Hug. Really hug. No tapping.

Listen (even if they have already told you the story 100 times).

Say yes.

 

To follow Joshua’s journey fighting a rare Leukemia, check out his Caring Bridge site or FB group.]

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for me to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let me know. Just email me at kathy@thehomegrownpreschooler.com or shoot me a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, THEREALKATHYLEE.
.

Thank you to The Homegrown Preschooler for sponsoring this Podcast! Check out the blog post Kathy mentioned, Farmhouse Schoolhouse, to read more about A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at
The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, THEREALKATHYLEE.
 


Special Thanks to Our Network Sponsor -TimeforLearning.com