We often ask ourselves what it takes to raise strong, wonderful kids who are kind, empathic (aka not assholes), which is why we were so excited to chat with Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of the new book How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes. She’s a science journalist (and parent herself), and looked to the science of character and research to share insights into what works and what doesn’t. Yay science!
We talk about everything from how to deal with selfishness and how to teach kindness, to what the research says about raising anti-racist kids (it’s surprising!), and a whole lot more, including real life strategies you can apply right now to your parenting.
This is one of our new favorite absolute must-read parenting books, and when you listen to this interview, you will hear why.
You can do that right now (seriously, do it – though, keep in mind we say “asshole” a couple of times, so earmuffs for little kids if that’s a concern), and then please make sure that you’re a Spawned podcast subscriber so that you never miss an episode.
Pro tip: Sign up for Melinda’s newsletter! She shares one common kid problem a week, and how to address it. Super handy!
Our wonderful sponsors!
We love Vitapod!
We’re having so much fun with this super cool machine that makes it easy for everyone in your family to get their vitamins and nutrients, all in a tasty drink. With just a simple, recyclable pod, which is overflowing with vitamins, essential minerals and flavonoids, your Vitapod whips up a drink in seconds. It also filters your water 10x better than market-leading filters. The pods were formulated by a team of human health scientists with the health of your family in mind. And none of the pods contain any sugar (except the sports pod which uses sugar to aid recovery).
You can head over to our site to see the Vitapod in action. And to get your own machine, use CMP10 for $10 off the machine or starter kit at VitapodWorld.com
We love Mabel’s Labels
Where to we start with our love of Mabel’s Labels? We’ve been using them for years, so it’s always awesome to welcome them as a sponsor of our podcast. They’ve added some cool new designs that make keeping track of all your back-to-school gear a whole lot easier. Plus, using labels can make old items feel new again, which is great for the budget.
They’ve also added something amazing: pronouns. So, if you so choose, you can add your child’s pronouns to their labels. Kudos to them for acknowledging how important this is. Liz did a whole post on different ways you can use the labels (some of which are surprising!).
And lucky you! We’ve got a great discount code, which you can use at MabelsLabels.com. Save 10% + free shipping with COOLMOMPICKS. Order them now so you have them in time for back to school!
Cool Picks of the Week
Melinda: The Thursday Murder Club! If you’re a mystery fan, you’ll love this. Melinda describes it as charming and delightful!
Liz: Camp counselors! They were amazing this summer, in particular, giving our kids the best time of their lives (especially after the year they had). Make sure to show them some love!
Kristen: Tattoo Redo on Netflix. It’s a hilarious, silly show that’s a salve to all the back to school stress we know parents are going through right now.
Cool Mom Picks is a reward style affiliate.
