Q1
01/04/09
Guest 1: Kevin Leman, author of The First Born Advantage.
Topic: Making your birth order work for you
Issues: Traits that many firstborns have that other children don’t; how birth order affects marriage and relationships; the amazing number of firstborns in high performance careers.
Guest 2: Scott Mitic, CEO of TrustedID.com
Topic: How identity thieves are stealing our children’s identities
Issues: How identity theft works; who does it; the latest tricks and techniques used by identify thieves; why you should always put your outgoing mail in a post-office mailbox; precautions every parent should take to protect their—and their children’s—identity.
01/11/09
Guest 1: Jodi Mindell, author of Sleep Deprived No More.
Topic: Helping you and your baby sleep through the night, from pregnancy to early motherhood
Issues: Determining how much sleep your body needs; catching up on lost sleep; getting babies to sleep through the night; understanding sleep problems faced by school-age kids, tweens, and teens.
Guest 2: Dr. Will Courtenay, a psychotherapist and creator of www.saddaddy.com, which deals with new dads’ post partum depression.
Topic: Even new dads get the blues.
Issues: What is paternal post partum depression? How big a problem is it? What are the causes? When men can do to prevent and/or treat it?
1/18/09
Guest 1: David Kessler, coauthor of On Grief and Grieving
Topic: Finding the meaning of grief.
Issues: The five stages of grief; coping with the death of a loved one; helping children cope with grief and loss, whether it’s a grandparent or a goldfish.
Guest 2: Diane Ehrensaft, author of Mommies, Daddies, Donors Surrogates
Topic: How technology is changing the definition of “family.”
Issues: Reproductive technology such as donor eggs, donor sperm, and surrogates; answering children’s questions about where they came from; the impact of donor eggs or sperm on the couple’s relationship; what will grandparents and others think? legal issues and obstacles.
1/25/09 (both segments)
Eric Tyson, author of Personal Finance For Dummies, 5th edition.
Topic: Money and finances for the whole family
Issues: Making the best of the economic downturn; talking to kids about the need to cut back; money staving strategies; is this the right time to buy?
2/1/09
Guest 1: Jessica Baron Turner, MA, author of Your Musical Child.
Topic: Inspiring kids to play and sing for keeps
Issues: What makes a child fall in love with learning to play
Music? How does talent develop? When is the right time to start lessons? Which instrument is the best fit? Why is practice so challenging, and what can parents do to keep kids musically motivated? Baron Turner answers these questions.
Guest 2: Drs. Brock Eide & Fernette Eide, authors of The Mislabeled Child
Topic: How understanding your child’s unique learning style can open the door to success
Issues: Over the past two decades, the number of children labeled as learning disabled has increased by over 150%. The Eides rethink the way we view and treat learning challenges, from difficulties with attention in reading, to autism to problems related to giftedness.
2/8/09 (both segments)
Penelope leach, childcare today
Topic: Getting childcare right for everyone
Issues: Childcare issues that today’s parents face; understanding your childcare options; how good is the care your child is getting? What politicians, policy makers, professionals, and parents need to do to ensure that our children get the best possible care
2/15/09
Guest 1: Dawn Davenport, author of The Complete Book of International Adoption.
Topic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Child
Issues: Choosing a country and agency; organizing the paperwork; finding the money; evaluating health
Issues; traveling to adopt; adjusting to the first months at home
Guest 2: Dimitri Christakis, author of The Elephant in the Living Room.
Topic: The real story about television’s effects on children
Issues: A recent study found that children who play with blocks have greater language development and tend to spend less time watching television; children who watch “educational” videos like Baby Einstein actually have smaller vocabularies than kids who don’t. the good news about kids and television
02/22/09
Guest 1: Christopher Blazina, author of The Secret Lives of Men
Topic: What men want you to know about love, sex, and relationships
Issues: The differences between the way men and women think; understanding that different is different—it doesn’t mean better or worse.
Guest 2: Edward Hallowell, coauthor of Superparenting for ADD.
Topic: An innovative approach to raising your distracted child.
Issues: How to tune out the diagnosticians and labelers and simply notice and nurture the spirit of your child; learning to recognize the strengths and positive traits of ADD; helping children develop self- and social awareness.
03/01/09
Guest 1: ED Hill, author of I’m Not Your Friend, I’m Your Parent
Topic: Helping your children set the boundaries they need…and really want
Issues: Why manners is job one and the concept of “dressing for success” is not dead.
guest 2: Theresa Kellam, author of The Parent Survival Guide.
Topic: From chaos to harmony in ten weeks or less.
Issues: Making a loving connection, finding windows into your child’s inner world, speaking the language of play, promoting your child’s emotional maturity.
03/08/09
Guest 1: Ron Taffel, author of Childhood Unbound
Topic: Saving our kids’ best selves–confident parenting in a world of change
Issues: Guiding children of all ages in ways that bring out the best in kids and parents; understanding our children in 21st century terms; how to encourage the good while steering the kids away from the bad.
Guest 2: Susie Leonard Weller, author of Why Don’t You Understand.
Topic: Improve family communication
Issues: Understanding the four basic thinking styles: Logical, Creative, Practical, and Relational; what to do when someone’s style is driving you crazy, how to parent a child who marches to a different drummer.
03/15/09
Guest 1: Joyce Cooper-Kahn, coauthor of Late, Lost, and Unprepared.
Topic: Helping children with executive functioning
Issues: What is executive functioning? Impact of a child’s executive issues on the rest of the family; assessments; changing your child’s behavior; helping children create plans, organize, and monitor their own behavior.
Guest 2: Richard Guare,coauthor or Smart but Scattered.
Topic: The “executive skills” approach to helping kids reach their potential
Issues: Identifying your child’s strengths and weaknesses; helping your child get organized, resist impulses, stay focused, use time wisely, plan ahead, follow through on tasks, solve problems independently, and more.
3/22/09
Guest 1: Jeremy Friedman, coauthor of The Baby Care Book.
Topic: A complete guide from birth to 12 months old
Issues: Everything you need to know about your baby’s birth, first few days, growth and development, feeding, solid foods, sleeping, crying, and more
Guest 2: Peter Langman, author of Why Kids Kill.
Topic: Inside the minds of school shooters.
Issues: Distinct types of children who become school shooters (narcissistic/sadistic, hallucinations/delusions, abused/traumatized); identifying early signs of possible violence; preventive measures that educators and parents can take to protect our communities
3/29/09
Guest 1: Adie Goldberg, author of It’s a Baby Boy! and It’s Baby Girl!
Topic: The unique wonder and special nature of your son or daughter
Issues: The different health issues, hard wiring, and biological development of each sex; how to understand and nourish the core nature of each baby; actual differences between boys and girls (newborn boys are less sensitive to sound than girls, girls’ brains are on average smaller than boy’s at birth).
Guest 2: Joanna Strober, coauthor of Getting to 50-50.
Topic: How working couples can have it all by sharing it all.
Issues: Combining children and career; the huge benefits reaped by kids, husbands, and wives when couples commit to sharing equally; defining “equal”’ finding 50-50 solutions to deal with issues of money, time, and more.
Q2
4/5/09
Guest 1: Jamie Woolf, author of Mom-in-Chief
Topic: How wisdom from the workplace can save your family from chaos.
Issues: When to step in and when to step back; why working with your spouse is crucial to team happiness; how to maximize learning opportunities that come from mistakes; how to feel less like a maid and more like a skilled leader.
Guest 2: Richard Weissbourd, author of The Parents We Mean to Be
Topic: How well-intentioned adults undermine children’s moral and emotional development.
Issues: The difference between morality and religion; what a child’s behavior on the sports field says about his or her character; how organizing our children’s lives around achievement is harming them; how to regain our influence as moral mentors.
4/12/09
Guest 1: Mardi Horowitz, author of A Course in Happiness.
Topic: Mastering the three levels of self-understanding that lead to true and lasting contentment.
Issues: Discovering the conscious and unconscious mental processes that are the core of unhappiness; assembling all the pieces of your life into a complete “me”; remaining closely connected with family, friends, and others; knowing which of your values are most important and which are lower priority
Guest 2: Lisa Rene Reynolds, author of Still a Family.
Topic: Good parenting through divorce.
Issues: Emotions and reactions parents need to anticipate from their children while going through divorce or separation; common mistakes divorcing parents make; special issues for specific age groups; practical, down-to-earth advice on how to sensibly and comfortingly guild children through a painful process.
4/19/09
Guest 1: Lynn Kern Koegel, coauthor of Growing up on the Spectrum
Topic: Life, love, and learning for teens and young adults with autism and Asperger’s
Issues: Teaching kids the art of conversation; making and maintaining successful friendships and romantic relationships; making school successful; beyond the college years; improving daily life
Guest 2: Judy Converse, author of Special-Needs Kids Eat Right.
Topic: Strategies to help kids on the autism spectrum focus, learn, and thrive.
Issues: Assembling a team of qualified experts; simple substitutions that can be customized to suit your child’s needs; when to consider supplements and how to pick the right ones; strategies for staying on track at restaurants, holiday gatherings, school parties, and more.
4/26/09
Guest 1: Robin Fisher Roffer, author of Fearless Fish out of Water.
Topic: How to succeed when you’re the only one like you.
Issues: Figuring out who the “real you” is; using your differences to your advantage; the importance of support; learning to adapt; why taking risks is critical to finding your niche
Guest 2: William Damon, author of The Path to Purpose.
Topic: How young people find their calling in life.
Issues: How inundating students with activities may not help them in the long run; avoiding the lack of focus that hinders young people from finding their true passion; how parents can help young people identify what’s truly the most important thing for them; the difference between reasonable and unreasonable goals.
5/3/09
Guest 1: Marie Pinak Carr, coauthor of Sending Your Child to College.
Topic: Everything you need to know and do if you have a child going off to college.
Issues: Getting organized; digging through the paperwork; navigating the insurance maze; financing your child’s education; moving; staying in contact with your child
Guest 2: Jerilyn Ross, author of One Less Thing to Worry About
Topic: Coping with common anxieties
Issues: Understanding what triggers your anxieties and the ways you respond to them; how to tell whether an anxiety is healthy, helpful, or harmful; the difference between normal anxiety and anxiety disorders; transforming anxiety from a destructive force to a positive one.
5/10/09
Guest 1: Izzy Rose, author of The Package Deal
Topic: One woman’s not-so-glamorous transition from single gal to instant mom
Issues: Social supports (or the lack) for step mothers; keeping expectations reasonable; dealing with the pressure to love the kids right away; dealing with the children’s biological mother; how to introduce the kids (“my step-kids” vs “my kids”)
Guest 2: Amy Tiemann, author of Mojo Mom.
Topic: Nurturing yourself while raising a family.
Issues: how to negotiate a fair division of labor in the house; putting an end to the mommy wars; what happens to a new mother’s life when she brings home a baby? the huge identity shift that new parenthood creates.
5/17/09
Guest 1: Dara Chadwick, author of You’d Be So Pretty If…
Topic: Teaching our daughters to lover their bodies—even when we don’t love our own
Issues: What girls learn from mom’s attitudes about appearance; trigger words that set off a body image crisis; boys’ role in girls’ body image; what works and what doesn’t when talking to your daughter about healthy eating and exercise habits
Guest 2: Michael Gurian, author of The Purpose of Boys.
Topic: Helping our sons find meaning, significance, and direction in their lives.
Issues: What is purpose and why do we need one? How boys and girls develop purpose differently; how the loss of purpose in American boyhood is affecting families, women, and society as a whole.
5/24/09
Guest 1: Tom Heck, author of Duct Tape Teambuilding Games
Topic: Fun activities to help your team—and your family—stick together
Issues: Using team-building games and experiential learning to teach leadership, trust, cooperation, creativity, problem solving, and confidence.
Guest 2: John Bradshaw, author of Reclaiming Virtue
Topic: How we can develop the moral intelligence to do the right thing at the right time for the right reason.
Issues: The meaning of “inborn moral intelligence” and how we can cultivate it; how we can awaken in our children the desire to be good people; why our attempts to teach virtue fail so often; using movies and other cultural references to teach kids about virtue
5/31/09
Guest 1: Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code
Topic: Greatness isn’t born, it’s grown.
Issues: The three elements of the talent code: deep practice, ignition, and master coaching; How to identify and encourage deep practice; motivational tools used by the worlds greatest teachers and motivators; how to recognize a growing skill
Guest 2: Andrew Cherlin, author of The Marriage-Go-Round
Topic: The state of marriage and the family in America Today
Issues: Why religious Americans have a higher divorce rate than non-religious ones; the battle over same-sex marriages; why government support of marriage (over $100 million spent per year!) doesn’t produce the desired results.
6/7/09
Guest 1: Andrea Buchanan, author of The Double Daring Book for Girls.
Topic: A guide to everything a girl needs to know
Issue: Camping to schoolyard games, great women in history, shooting pool; how to throw and catch; making sand castles, the Greek alphabet, how to spin a hula hoop, and much more.
Guest 2: Allison Pugh, author of Longing and Belonging.
Topic: Parents, children, and consumer culture
Issues: How parents decrease their own power in the home by putting their children’s needs first; how to handle kids’ consumer desires in a down economy; what really drives consumer desires (hint: it’s not all about advertising).
6/14/09
Guest 1: Bruce Wolk, author of Made Here, Baby!
Topic: Finding the best American-made products for kids
Issues: Family businesses, green companies, minority- and women-owned businesses; how small manufacturers get distribution; why buying American products can help assure us of quality and safety.
Guest 2: Jean Twenge, author of The Narcissism Epidemic
Topic: Living in the age of entitlement
Issues: The characteristics of narcissism; how narcissistic values such as materialism, vanity, and entitlement have spread to the culture at large; the real costs of narcissism in the workplace, relationships, school, and everywhere else.
6/21/09
Guest 1: Joe Deyo, author of Checklists for the New Dad.
Topic: Pregnancy, delivery, and baby’s first year
Issues: Building a solid plan for fathering; making a smooth lifestyle transition with a baby at home; improving yourself and your marriage; baby proofing the home.
Guest 2: Sam Apple, author of American Parent.
Topic: Strange ,surprising in modern babyland.
Issues: Is the Lamaze method a Stalinist plot (yes!); Does it sting when you pour baby shampoo in your eyes? Who invented waterbirthing? And many other odd, unusual, and strange thinks about parenthood.
6/28/09
Guest 1: Barbara Nicholson, author of Attached at the Heart.
Topic: Proven parenting principles for raising connected and compassionate children
Issues: Strategies to strengthen your emotional bond with your child; how to be a more conscious parent; how raising children with empathy and respect and improve society as a whole.
Guest 2: Jennifer Kolari, author of Connected Parenting
Topic: Transform your challenging child and build loving bonds for life
Issues: The CALM program (Connect, Match the affect of your child, Listen, and Mirror); foolproof strategies for setting limits and changing negative behavior for good.
Q3
6/28/09
Guest 1: Barbara Nicholson, author of Attached at the Heart.
Topic: Proven parenting principles for raising connected and compassionate children
Issues: Strategies to strengthen your emotional bond with your child; how to be a more conscious parent; how raising children with empathy and respect and improve society as a whole.
Guest 2: Jennifer Kolari, author of Connected Parenting
Topic: Transform your challenging child and build loving bonds for life
Issues: The CALM program (Connect, Match the affect of your child, Listen, and Mirror); foolproof strategies for setting limits and changing negative behavior for good.
7/5/09
Guest 1: Meg Meeker, author of Boys Should Be Boys
Topic: Secrets to raising healthy sons.
Issues: Why moody and rebellious boys are not normal; single sex education; teaching boys to survive in a world that doesn’t value masculinity; what parents and teachers can do to support and encourage boys.
Guest 2: Lara Zibners, author of If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay.
Topic: How to know if your child’s illness or injury is really an emergency.
Issues: There’s no such thing as a fever that’s too high; You don’t really need to keep a child awake after a head injury; Why car seats are important—even if you’re “just going around the corner”; Ear infections don’t require antibiotics; and more myths debunked
7/12/09
Guest 1: Joe Kita, author of The Father’s Guide to the Meaning of Life.
Topic: What being a dad teaches about hope, love, patience, pride, and everyday wonder.
Issues: The life lessons parents learn—that would remain secrets if they didn’t have children; essential reading for fathers; the importance of play (and not just for the kids); what our children teach us about ourselves and how they make us better people.
Guest 2: William Sears, author of The NDD Book.
Topic: Nutritional Deficit Disorder.
Issues: Identifying NDD; understanding how NDD affects children’s learning, behavior, and health—and what we can do about it; overcoming NDD without drugs; how to fit a healthy, fresh-food diet into today’s busy lifestyle.
7/19/09
Guest 1: Marc Weissbluth, author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins.
Topic: Sleep training your multiples.
Issues: The difference between healthy sleep and junk sleep; why it’s important for babies to learn to fall asleep unassisted; tips for synchronizing twins’ sleep schedules; recognizing early drowsiness clues so you can catch the sleep wave before it’s too late…
Guest 2: Ellen Gibran-Hesse, author of Failure to Launch.
Topic: How to get teens and young adults to independence.
Issues: Guide your teen to the life and job skills needed to be independent; helping a college student structure their college experience so they’re employable after graduation; helping teens and young adults develop money management skills; how to do all that and still maintain close relationships.
7/26/09
Guest 1: Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, author of In Her Own Sweet Time.
Topic: Finding love, commitment, and motherhood as a single woman
Issues: Testing your fertility and what the results show about your ability to conceive; what it’s really like to search for a sperm donor; how to date while still thinking about motherhood; the joys and challenges of becoming a single mother by choice.
Jeffrey Bernstein, author of Liking the Child You Love.
Topic: Build a better relationship with your kids even when they’re driving you crazy.
Issues: Taming the most common toxic thought patterns that stop us from parenting effectively, including the “always” or “never” trap, seething sarcasm; emotional overheating; “should” slamming, and dooming conclusions.
8/2/09
Guest 1: Dian Levin, coauthor of So Sexy, So Soon.
Topic: The new sexualized childhood and Issues: Dealing with the onslaught of sexual images and situations that surround our kids–on tv, movies, video games, and even cartoons; the impact of all this sexual content on kids emotional and social growth; what parents can do to protect their kids.
Guest 2: Robie Harris, author of It’s Perfectly Normal, It’s Not the Stork, and It’s So Amazing.
Topic: Straight talk about talking to kids about sex and sexuality.
Issues: The answers to nearly every question about birth, babies, bodies, families, and healthy sexuality.
8/9/09
Guest 1: Lisa Gillis, coauthor of Virtual Schooling.
Topic: Optimizing your child’s education.
issues: How to ignite your child’s passion for learning; easily and effectively improve your child’s current school work; powerful learning resources that can help kids excel; the proper use of computers and technology in education.
Guest 2: Bobbi Conner, author of Unplugged Play.
Topic: Battery-free, plug-free, electricity-free games and activities for kids of all ages.
Issues: The importance of unstructured play; coping with “I’m bored,” low-tech fun that can stretch the imagination, spark creativity, build strong bodies, and keep the kids busy while you’re making dinner…
8/16/09
Guest 1: John Duffy, clinical psychologist and life coach. http://www.drjohnduffy.com/
Topic: A new approach to parenting teens
Issues: Entering your teens world; making yourself more available; learning new ways of communicating with your teen in a way that brings you closer together; the thin line between being an authority figure and a friend to your child.`
Guest 2: Gemini Adams, author of Your Legacy of Love.
Topic: Realizing the gift in “goodbye.”
issues: If one of your parents died, which would prefer to inherit: their money or a letter saying how much they loved you? 90 percent said they’d rather receive the letter: how preparing our emotional assets can reduce the family’s grief and suffering, provide them with a continuing loving bond, and help them preserve special memories.
8/23/09
Guest 1: Malina Saval, author of The Secret Lives of Boys.
Topic: Inside the raw emotional world of male teens.
Issues: Why the author believes that the “boy crisis” we hear about is overblown; understanding the landscape of boys’ social cliques; how parents can get closed-mouth sons to open up.
Guest 2: Amy Nobile, coauthor of I’d Trade My Husband for a Housekeeper.
Topic: Loving your marriage after the baby carriage.
Issues: The challenges of modern parenthood for married couples; a frank look at marriage post-tots; keeping parenthood compatible with marital bliss; how moms can learn to make the most of what they have and love their marriage as much as the husband and kids.
8/30/09
Guest 1: Sam Goldstein, coauthor of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child.
Topic: Help your child become more responsible, confident, and resilient.
Issues: Teaching children of any age, from preschool to adolescence, the value of self-control, self-reliance, and self-assurance—skills that will last a lifetime.
Guest 2: Eva Bramwell, personal trainer, fitness instructor
Topic: The importance of exercise
Issues: How to warm up; identifying the right fitness program for you; working with a personal trainer; great workouts for families; avoiding injury
9/6/09
Guest 1: David Swanson, author of Help—My Kid Is Driving Me Crazy.
Topic: How kids manipulate their parents.
Issues: Why kids manipulate; Learning to recognize 17 distinct types of manipulate and what you need to do to disarm them.
Guest 2: Diana Peters Meyer, author of Overcoming School Anxiety.
Topic: Getting kids ready for school.
Issues: How to help your child deal with separation, tests, homework, bullies, math phobia, and other worries; telling the difference between normal start-of-school jitters and anxiety that warrants a call to the specialists.
9/13/09
Guest 1: Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, editor of “My Little Red Book.”
Topic: Stories about first periods.
Issues: How dads can approach his daughter’s first period without making it uncomfortable for either of them; why there is a taboo around the subject matter.
Guest 2: Guest Michael Greenberg, author of Hurry Down Sunshine.
Topic: A father’s story of love and madness.
Issues; What it’s like to be the parent of a child who suffers from mental illness; understanding and coping with the anger, frustration, desperation, and helplessness that parents and other loved ones may feel when trying to save a child from mental illness.
9/20/09
Guest 1 and 2: Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, authors of NurtureShock
Topic: New thinking about children
Issues: Why just about everything you think you know about parenting could be wrong; why the most brutal person in a child’s life is often a sibling; when is it too soon—or too late—to teach a child about race; why reading to your child may not be the most effective way of stimulating vocabulary.
9/27/09
Guest 1: Rachel Compos Duffy, author of Stay Home, Stay Happy.
Topic: Secrets to loving at-home motherhood.
Issues: Embracing the choice to stay home with confidence; taking care of yourself guilt-free; mentally and physically recharging every day, and more.
Guest 2: Deborah Copaken-Kogan, author of Hell is Other Parents.
Topic: Tales of maternal combustion
Issues: A collection of witty, smart, funny, poignant essays on dealing with intrusive and judgmental other parents, modern working parenthood, raising a family on inadequate income.
Q4
10/4/09
Guests for both segments: Benji Kessler, young man with Tourtete’s Syndrome, and Dr. John Walkup, Chairman of the Tourette Syndrome Association‘s Medical Advisory Board. Topic: Real-life and scientific perspectives on Tourette Syndrome Issues: What it’s like to grow up and live with Tourette Syndrome; how TS affects people on a day-to-day basis; myths and misunderstandings about what TS is and what the actual symptoms are (as opposed to what we see on TV); other conditions that often accompany TS (obsessive behavior, depression, anxiety);medical and other treatment options;
10/11/09
Guest 1: James Steyer, CEO and Founder of CommonSenseMedia Topic: Is social networking changing childhood? Issues: Discussing a recent survey that found that kids are increasingly connected with friends, classmates, and others through social networks—and parents are completely out of the loop; what parents need to do to supervise and monitor their kids’ online behavior.
Guest 2: Timothy Smith, author of Crashproof Your Kids. Topic: Make your teen a safer, smarter driver Issues: Developing your teen’s braking, car control, and defensive driving skills; handling road emergencies and basic maintenance; helping young drivers deal with dangerous distractions; a parent-child contract that outlines expectations, responsibilities, and rules.
10/18/09
Guest 1: Wednesday Martin, author of Stepmonster.
Topic: A new look at why real stepmothers think, feel, and act the way they do Issues: The process of becoming a stepmother; the myths and realities of being married to a man with children; debunking the prevailing notion that stepmothers are responsible for the problems they encounter.
Guest 2: Karyl McBride, author of Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Topic: Healing the daughters of narcissistic mothers.
Issues: Recognizing how your own experiences with maternal narcissism and its effects on all aspects of your life; discovering how you have internalized verbal and non-verbal messages from your mother and how they have translated into overachieving or self-sabotage.
10/25/09
Guest 1: Janet Hughes, advocate for children’s vision. Children’s Vision Foundation
Topic: Raising the standards for eye care.
Issues: The critical difference between vision screenings and eye exams—and why screenings often miss serious problems; the importance of good vision in school and elsewhere (academic learning is 80% visual).
Guest 2: Darryl Shue, representative of the Military Family Network.
Topic: Military families
Issues: Special concerns of families facing deployment; the challenges of staying in touch across time and distance; resources that can help support deployed servicemembers and their families; special concerns of reservists and Guard troops.
11/1/09
Guest for both segments: Lise Eliot, author of Pink Brain, Blue Brain. Topic: How small differences grow into troublesome gaps — and what we can do about it.
Issues: Debunking the myths about gender differences; how the brains of boys and girls are largely shaped by how they spend their time as opposed to physical difference that are there at birth
11/8/09
Guest 1: Elizabeth Hartley Brewer, author of Making Friends.
Topic: A guide to understanding and nurturing your child’s friendships.
Issues: Should you worry when your child’s imaginary friend sticks around past preschool? How do boys’ and girls’ friendships differ? What do kids really value in a friendship? What should you do if you don’t like one of your child’s friends?
Guest 2: Joseph Califano, author of How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid.
Topic: The straight dope for parents.
Issues: When and how to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol; how to respond when your kid asks, “Did you do drugs?”; how to know when your child is most at risk; how to prepare your teen for the freedoms and perils of college.
11/15/09
Guest 1: Diane Frankenstein, author of Reading Together.
Topic: Everything you need to know to raise a child who loves to read.
Issues: Guidelines for selecting appropriate books for all ages and reading abilities; how to support your child’s reading skills; helping child decide what to read.
Guest 2: Harold Levinson, author of Smart But Feeling Dumb.
Topic: New understanding and dramatic treatment for dyslexia, learning disabilities, and ADD.
Issues: The discovery that dyslexia is not just about reading difficulties—it’s part of a syndrome that includes hundreds of symptoms (ADD, phobias, and more); scientific proof that all these conditions can be treated with a simple, over-the-counter motion sickness remedy.
11/22/09
Guest 1: Melanie Gideon, author of The Slippery Year.
Topic: A meditation on “happily ever after”
Issues: Confronting the fantasies of receding youth and the realities of midlife with a husband, a child, and a dog; the need for household contingency plans; finding the sweetness and ordinary pleasures in life; and discovering that “happily ever after” is a possibility after all.
Guest 2: Charlotte Reznick, author of The Power of Your Child’s Imagination.
Topic: How to transform stress and anxiety into joy and success.
Issues: Tapping into kids’ imagination to help them find their own natural strength and confidence; how imagination can help kids cope with stress, phobias, bed-wetting, separation anxiety, anger, and more.
11/29/09
Guest 1: Suzie Monday coauthor of New World Kids.
Topic: A parent’s intro to creative thinking
Issues: What happens to children’s natural ability to think creatively (By five 5, 95 percent of kids have high ability to be creative thinkers; that goes to less than 15 percent by age eighteen). Nurturing creativity in other people
Guest 2: Deborah Tannen, author of You Were Always Mom’s Favorite!
Topic: Sisters in conversation throughout their lives.
Issues: Exploring one of the most powerful, yet perplexing relationships in many women’s lives; understanding the two impulses that drive sisterly conversations: competition and closeness.
12/6/09
Guest 1: Bob Halzleton, author of Dads Matter.
Topic: Principles, lessons, and stories on the remarkable impact of fathers
Issues: Being there physically and emotionally; communication; small stuff matters; how to live, know, and teach them, coping with hearbreak and death.
Guest 2: Harriet Ziefert, creator of Begin Smart Books.
Topic:The tremendous benefits of reading to very young children.
Issues: Why read to infants? How to select age-appropriate books for children newborn through age 10, getting kids to love reading on their own; the connection between reading skills and achievement in many other areas in life.
12/13/09
Guest 1: Judy Molland, author of Get Out!
Topic: Easy ways for kids and adults to get into nature and build a greener future.
Issues: The importance of getting outside; why today’s kids are spending less time outside than we did as kids, why looking out for the environment is good for all of us.
Guest 2: Laurie LeComer, author of The Socially Included Child.
Topic: Successful playdates, recreation, and family events for children with autism
Issues: The difficulties faced by parents of autistic children when trying to socialize or organize playdates when a child has autism, a new science-based method that can help children with autism and their families.
12/20/09
Guest 1: Philip Done, author of 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny
Topic: Life lessons from teaching.
Issues: Connecting what happens in the classroom to the universal truths around us; the delight of learning something for the first time; the value of making a difference
Guest 2: Rafe Esquith, author of Lighting Their Fires.
Topic: Raising extraordinary children in a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world.
Issues: Tools to guide your children to success in school and in life; how arming your children with a few simple tools (punctuality, selflessness, patience, for example), can turn them into extraordinary students and extraordinary people.
12/27/09
Guest 1: Kyle Pruett, and Guest 2: Marsha Pruett, coauthors of Partnership Parenting.
Topic: How men and women parent differently–why it helps your kids and can strengthen your marriage.
Issues: Why kids need the influence of both dad and mom; how to create a positive co-parenting environment; why couples should avoid splitting tasks 50-50; rules for healthy negotiation; keeping intimacy thriving in the relationship.