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Incredible advice for better parent-child communication: An interview with William Stixrud Ph.D. and Ned Johnson
If you've ever struggled to connect with your kids, help them solve problems, open up to you, or just give you more than a one-word answer when you ask how school was today...well, help is here! We have had a lot of favorite Spawned podcast guests over the years, and...
Pandemic fails, data-driven parenting, and how to make better decisions for your family, with author Emily Oster | Spawned Podcast episode 262
In the course of our parenting lives, we make a whole lot of decisions, so when I read Emily Oster's most recent book The Family Firm, which offers a very smart, data-driven method to decision making, I really wanted to chat with her on our Spawned podcast. But then I...
How Ada Twist, Scientist is making STEM more accessible to girls | Spawned Episode 253
In a very exciting first for Spawned with Kristen and Liz, we chat with aerospace engineer, Keji Sojobi, who is a part of the new book-to-TV adaptation of the very popular Ada Twist, Scientist. We love how she's working to make STEM more accessible to girls,...
Instagram, girls and body image: What parents need to know | Spawned Ep 252
Recently, I wrote about that article, the one about Instagram, teens, body image and self-esteem -- and the conversation I had about it with my 14-year-old daughter. It generated so much great conversation on our social feeds, that Kristen and I wanted to chat more...
Why it’s important for kids to read diverse books, with author Meena Harris | Spawned Ep 251
With the recent news of the York Central School District book ban (only just a few hours from where Kristen lives, by the way), we thought it was important to re-share this amazing episode with the delightful, brilliant Meena Harris. She's an activist, strategist, mom...
So much coolness. Where to start…
Navigating step-parenting with Coach Naja Hall | Spawned Episode 250
We keep saying that we often get our best parenting podcast topic ideas from our readers, and a lot of you have asked for support navigating step-parenting. And that's just what we're talking about, in this dynamic, wonderful chat with Certified Parenting Coach and...
The new Queer Eye LEGO set is not just about building, but building people up.
I could not be more excited that LEGO just announced a new LEGO Queer Eye set featuring The Fab 5 Loft that's coming out October 1. - Update: It's here! - (No pun intended. Seriously I just caught that on the re-read.) haven't been this excited since they came out...
9 things we wish we knew when our kids were babies. Oh, do we ever.
There's so much we wish we had known when our kids were babies, and we were stressed, anxious, or just entirely clueless. All normal feelings when you're juggling a new baby or toddler! But hey, maybe we can help you out a little here. So in addition to the hilarious...
The one trick to make sure your child’s face mask fits properly, to comply with the brand new CDC recommendations.
After 18 months (sigh) it's now clear that we're past the point of "any mask is better than nothing" for preventing Covid spread, especially with the Delta variant here. In fact, just this weekend, the CDC issued new, specific recommendation about proper masking that...
Fall fashion must-have: Gorgeous pieces from the Alivia clothing line created by adults with autism
When I recently spotted the Alivia clothing line on a friend's Instagram, and learned all the clothes were created by adults with autism, I knew I had to share it here. We've always been thrilled to spread the news about big brands creating inclusive clothing and...
5 must-read children’s books about 9/11, featuring heroes and helpers
I've been looking for books about 9/11 for children because with the 20th anniversary of that horrific morning here this year (and it's hard to believe that), I want to be sure my kids to really understand the importance of this day. You may want to read Liz's...
Raising resilient kids in a world gone sideways, with Dr. Madeline Levine | Spawned Episode 249
We've had a slew of amazing guests on our Spawned podcast recently, who have offered helpful advice on how to raise our kids. This week, we add another one to the list: Dr. Madeline Levine, a New York Times bestselling author, whose book Ready or Not: Preparing Our...
7 cute rain jackets for little kids…all under $30
This school year, I'm not spending a lot of money on rain jackets for kids. Who's with me? I don't know what it is about rain jackets specifically, but my kids misplace them with abandon. Soccer practice, play dates, the Y...you name it, one of my kids' jackets is...
What is Labor Day? This book (and its read-aloud video) is a perfect way to explain.
I'm not sure how many kids have ever really asked what is Labor Day? It's become synonymous with the unofficial end of summer, a three-day weekend, barbecues, and yeah, mattress sales. So much so, we kind of blow past it without the typical tributes and memorializing...
Cool sneaker makeovers that leave the white shoes behind after Labor Day
If you stand by the old "no white after Labor Day" fashion imperative, we want to point you to this fantastic post with 9 cool DIY sneaker makeover ideas to help you -- or your kids -- turn those plain white shoes into something that looks great all fall long. From...
The worst parenting advice we got: 10 tips you definitely want to ignore as a new parent
Raise your hand if you've ever gotten terrible parenting advice! Wait, all of you who have kids? Ha, yes. Of course all of us have. It's like a rite of passage for new parents. But the good thing is, with some perspective and guidance (thanks to BTDT parents like us,...
The kids are fighting and it’s exhausting: Tips to resolve sibling conflict from a psychologist and family counselor | Spawned Ep 248
With everything going on in the world right now, kids are extra-stressed, they're extra-restless, they're extra-anxious, and, if they have siblings, they're fighting. Yay! So what's a parent to do to help manage it all? After a few listeners asked us to take on this...
If you’re having trouble sleeping, Dream Powder helps naturally.
This is a sponsored message from Beam If there's one thing parents can unify around it's that we could all use a lot more sleep. (Well, we all pretty unanimously like Ted Lasso too. But that's another story.) The one issue: It's hard! Our minds are busy with the...
Mask mandates, the Delta variant, and back to school: Who will protect our children?
I thought this back to school year was going to be different than last year. I think everyone did. Last year, I took all of my kids out of school and placed them in a cyber school. A couple did well. A couple did not. But we all had the hope that with vaccines, we'd...
10 ways to make the most out of the last weekend of summer, most of them free
With the final unofficial days of summer so close (wah!), we've got one more long weekend to milk the most out of the late sunsets with the family. So we're bringing back this post from a few years back, when our editor Liz offered up 10 wonderful little things that...
A very clever back to school gift for young women and menstruators
My daughter came home this morning with a sweet little gift from her friend's mom: an adorable locker kit full of essentials for young women and menstruators. So brilliant, right? I had actually thought about putting together a little bin with some snacks, tampons,...
How to raise kids who aren’t assholes (aka kind, empathic, awesome grown-ups) | Spawned Episode 247
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...
Parents are broken. Here are 5 things a therapist says we can do right now to manage our stress.
Over the last 24 hours, this pandemic has caught up to me. I'd been doing pretty well, navigating cyber school with my kids last year along with work adjustments and managing my mental health through it all. But this back to school season has officially taken its...
Where to find at-home rapid Covid tests, kid-sized KN95s, and other essentials you may need
At-home rapid Covid tests isn't the only thing we've been on the hunt for lately. With cold and flu and yes, yet another Covid-19 season upon us, I've been making a list of a few essentials so that my family isn't scrambling if we do come down with something. And...
Here’s the one brilliant tip that got my reluctant teen reading more. And, the books that helped.
My kids devoured books when they were little. Now that they're teens, the stars of YouTube and Discord seem to be a bigger draw than the classic characters of literature I wish they would spend their time with. (Of course, calling them "classic characters of...
8 cool fidget toys that aren’t spinners, to help kids of all ages get the wiggles out.
Move over, fidget spinners! Thanks to all the new fidget toys that our kids are loving, you spinners have just been relegated to the junk drawer. (Say hi to those dead batteries for me.) In fact,I think these are even more fun than their predecessors. By now most of...