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The Mom Hour

The most fun you've ever had with two moms you've never met.

in Episodes on March 1, 2019

Parenting Only Children & Loving The Teen Years With Karen Walrond: Voices 34

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As a mom of an only child who came home through adoption to a family already rich with diversity, Karen Walrond has thought a lot about what it means to develop a family culture under your own roof. Combining influences from their countries of origin and cultural backgrounds, she and her husband have intentionally set out to give their daughter an appreciation not only for her own diverse background but also for that of others.

In this month’s Voices interview Sarah chats with Karen, a photographer, author, speaker, and host of the podcast Make Light, about loving the teenage years, being an one-kid family, and how the process of rebuilding her family’s hurricane-damaged home provided a surprising opportunity to further define their values and priorities. Join us!

Karen’s home, post Hurricane Harvey rebuild

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Sponsor Spotlight: March of Dimes

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Links mentioned in this episode:

  • Make Light, Karen’s podcast
  • a full video tour of Karen’s new house
  • KarenWalrond.com
  • @HeyChookooloonks on Instagram
  • Karen Walrond, Leadership Consultant on Facebook

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Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: teenagers, voices

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The Mom Hour
I've changed my mind about small animal pet owners I've changed my mind about small animal pet ownership in the last couple of years.⠀
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I've changed my mind about a lot of things, actually. Not all of them involve rodents, but some do.⠀
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I really, really try to honor the experience of saying, "You know, I used to think ______, and it turns out that I've changed my mind about that." I try to say it out loud, and let my kids hear me say it too. Early and often.⠀
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It doesn't even have to be a big deal, really. But I think we sometimes we equate the stickiness of our opinions to the core strength of our values. We worry if we flip flop or falter, if we learn more and adjust course, we'll expose that part of ourselves that wasn't really very sure what we thought to begin with.⠀
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(Everybody has that part, by the way.)⠀
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But I'd so much rather have a mind open to change than a perfect attendance record in a school of thought that doesn't fit me anymore. And for my kids I want a standing invitation for changes of opinions--from their first favorite color to their second best friend to their fourteenth college major.⠀
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(At least that's what I want right now, today. I might change my mind.)⠀
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-Sarah
New episode out now!⠀ ⠀ Whether it's pulling o New episode out now!⠀
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Whether it's pulling out the puke bucket juuuuuussst in the nick of time, or speeding across the room while pregnant to save a toddler from a toppling accident, we all know that feeling of doing what needs to be done in the moment without so much as a conscious thought. Call it quick-thinking, mom-heroics, or just another day in the life of parenting young kids, but these are moments that deserve to be celebrated. In Episode 309 Meagan and Sarah share stories from our own in-the-trenches days -- some truly life-or-death and others just, well, messy -- as a reminder that sometimes you have no idea just how strong, quick, clever, or brave you are until you're called into action.⠀
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Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or right in your browser via the link in our bio!⠀
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#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode!⠀ .⠀ Hobbies outside of everyday w New episode!⠀
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Hobbies outside of everyday work, life, and parenting ebb and flow as your season of life changes, but it's fun to think about what creative pursuits you'll add back in as time opens up. In today's More Than Mom episode Meagan and Sarah speak from the perspective of moms whose kids are getting older, and who are pursuing hobbies in our own (often very different) ways. We talk about what hobbies we're enjoying now, which ones we could imagine trying, in theory, without needing a total life overhaul, and then some "maybe someday" hobbies we can see ourselves enjoying much later on.⠀
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Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or right in your browser via the link in our bio!⠀
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#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
Please help us welcome and celebrate our sponsors Please help us welcome and celebrate our sponsors for the month of April!⠀
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To take advantage of the offers you hear about on the show, search for a sponsor by name at themomhour.com (show notes for each episode have those deals you heard us mention). You can also get a full list of active promo codes by signing up for our email newsletter at the link in our bio.⠀
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Welcome to NEW sponsors...⠀
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Longtime listeners have heard me talk about this o Longtime listeners have heard me talk about this on the podcast, but this phrase - "Tell me more about that" - is one of my parenting go-to's, especially (though not exclusively) when it comes to kids talking about something that happened at school or daycare.⠀
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"My friend was mean to me."⠀
"The teacher doesn't like me."⠀
"The bus is smelly."⠀
"The test was stupid."⠀
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When your kid reports the news from school, try saying "Tell me more about that" in a sort of curious, mildly interested, never shocked, non-attached, and supportive-from-a-distance kind of way. Sometimes they WILL, in fact, tell you a lot more. (If they do, try saying "Tell me more about that" again, and see how much they'll say!) Other times they'll just look at you and change the subject. Either way I have found it so much more effective at getting conversation going about the school day than saying things like:⠀
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"What?! What did she do?"⠀
"Oh, I know that's not true."⠀
"Well, it's only a short ride, right?"⠀
"Why?"⠀
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If your kids are newly back in person, we're betting there are ALL KINDS of emotional adjustments happening these days. Even if it's the thing you've been hoping for all year, that doesn't mean it's not going to be rough going for a while. Hang in there. You can do it. And, while you're here, tell me more about that! I'm listening. -S
New episode, available now wherever you like to li New episode, available now wherever you like to listen! This episode continues last week's conversation about friendships in motherhood (and in a pandemic) - but you can listen in any order. Let us know what you think!⠀
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Conversations around friendship in motherhood often center around those ride-or-die besties that you just can't imagine life without (which, as we discussed last week, isn't always helpful). But as pandemic life has shown us in all kinds of ways, regular interactions with acquaintances, co-workers, fellow school parents, neighbors, and other "friendlies" are also really important to feeling rooted in a community and fulfilled in the friendship space. Today Meagan and Sarah look at these outer-circle relationships and share what 2021 looks like for us, how our listeners feel about the changes brought about by the past year, and what we hope our friendship landscape will look like a year from now.⠀
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Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or right in your browser via the link in our bio!⠀
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#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that other pa The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that other parents have it all figured out.⠀
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In the comments, we'd love for you to finish this sentence: "Right now I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to __________." (e.g.: potty training, figuring out an IEP, parenting a moody tween, handling sibling fights, going back to work, etc. etc. etc.).⠀
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And for this post, when you respond to others' comments, resist the urge to offer advice or promote solutions? A simple "been there" or a "me too" or a "you can do it" can make a huge difference in helping moms feel less alone.⠀
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Can't wait to see what you're all muddling through the messy middle of. We know it's something, for every one of you, and that in and of itself is comforting. -S + M
Here’s a little reminder to make it a normal thi Here’s a little reminder to make it a normal thing to be photographed with your kids. Tell your partner and/or your besties that they are encouraged to snap candid pictures of you being a mom—and then resist the urge to delete them. I don’t know the exact distance of time after which you’ll stop caring about how you look or how messy your house is in the photos, but I do know that after that time as passed you’ll be so glad to have photos like this one. ❤️ -S
We're about two-thirds of the way to our goal of 2 We're about two-thirds of the way to our goal of 2,000 responses! Will you take two minutes and help by filling out our 2021 Listener Survey? Type themomhour.com/survey into any browser (mobile, tablet or desktop), and click through a quick and easy (and anonymous!) questionnaire that helps us understand our audience, plan future content, work with sponsors, and more. Thank you, friends!
I'd taken my shoes off to climb over rocks and wad I'd taken my shoes off to climb over rocks and wade through the current rippling away from the waterfall's basin, forgetting that my tender late-winter feet weren't quite equal to the task.

He perched on a wobbly log, inviting me up for a photo op. I had my own, momentary Mom-version of a toddler's "I do it my SELF!" before accepting his outstretched hands and pulling up to the log, where we both teetered precariously for a moment before mugging for the camera.

Looking at the photos later, I was struck by the role reversals inherent in parenting, how one day the three-year-old whose hand you held - guiding them under and over and around and through - can beat you in an arm-wrestling match, outsmart you in matters of calculus and chemistry, and, if you have one as height-inclined as Will, towers over you by nearly a foot.

You become aware, then, that they're only there - along for the family vacation, at the dinner table, engaged in the text conversation - because they WANT to be, and you're grateful for every moment you put into that relationship and hope you get a chance to invest more, and better, and deeper.

-Meagan
Have you listened to Mother of Reinvention yet? @M Have you listened to Mother of Reinvention yet? @MeaganFrancis’s new interview podcast is in its third week, and Episode 4 drops tomorrow. Search it up, as the kids say, hit subscribe, and get ready for another inspiring interview to drop Thursday!⠀
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(If you’ve listened, which was your favorite conversation?)⠀
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#newpodcast #interviewpodcast #motherofreinventionshow #podcastdebut #newandnoteworthy
New podcast episode!⠀ .⠀ In a year that change New podcast episode!⠀
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In a year that changed nearly everything about how humans connect and communicate, it's no surprise that friendships in motherhood have changed. Some deepened over the past year, as the pandemic gave us new ways to bond (and hard stuff to get real about). Some fell away, strained by distance or differences. And pandemic or no pandemic, not every close friendship is created equal, and they all go through seasons of change. In today's episode, part one of two all about friendships in motherhood, Meagan and Sarah look at "ride or die" friendships (including a critical look at what that even means). We talk about ways close friends can show up for each other when things are hard, how close friendships have adapted over the past year, and what to keep in mind if you're missing or grieving close friendships in your life right now.⠀
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Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or right in your browser via the link in our bio!⠀
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#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
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