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in Episodes on March 1, 2019 by The Mom Hour

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

Sponsor Spotlight: Qeepsake

Qeepsake is the baby book for the modern family. Sign up for free and Qeepsake will text you questions about your child, prompting you to share funny stories, little memories, and even photos that get preserved in an online journal that you can edit anytime and turn into a beautiful book with a single click. Sign up at qeepsake.co/themomhour to get started.

Sponsor Spotlight: March of Dimes

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies, supporting research, leading programs and providing education and advocacy so that every baby can have the best possible start. Find out more at marchofdimes.org/themomhour.

Sponsor Spotlight: Simple Health

Simple Health uses telemedicine to make it super easy and convenient to get your birth control at home, whether you’re getting it for the first time or just renewing your prescription. Get your $20 prescription fee waived by going to simplehealth.com/themomhour OR entering code themomhour at checkout.

Sponsor Spotlight: Hopster

Hopster is a subscription app for kids 2-6 where kids can access high-quality shows, learning games, fun music, and more. Head to hopster.tv, select USE VOUCHER, and enter code themomhour (all lowercase!) to get an extended 1-month free trial.

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

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: teenagers, voices

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The Mom Hour
New episode! You're invited to our accidentally-a New episode!

You're invited to our accidentally-annual-grab-bag chat! In today's episode, Meagan and Sarah have a good-old fashioned girl chat to catch up on all the things. We share our late summer moods (one of us is very ready for school to begin; one of us likes August to linger), our planned social media breaks (we'll be back in September, promise!), trips we've taken this summer, creatures living on our properties (cute kittens and chickens) and more.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New on the blog: Family Movie Night house rules to New on the blog: Family Movie Night house rules to make sure *everyone* enjoys themselves. Mom of three young boys @catieparrish has simple tips for making FMN work with littles, including:

🍿 Movie nights are early dinner nights. 🍿
In our family, it doesn’t feel good to rush through dinner cleanup, only to start a movie right before bedtime, with bellies too full for snacks. We plan an early bird dinner – like 4 o’ clock, so there’s ample time to clean up, bathe, put on jammies, and have an appetite for movie snacks.

🛋️ Kids set up. 🛋️
On family movie nights, the kids oversee setting up our “home theatre” (aka the basement or living room). They drag their plush chairs into position, collect the blankets, fill water bottles, and gather any stuffed animal friends who want to watch with us.

🥛 Intermissions for refills and potty breaks. 🥛
It’s inevitable; at some point during the movie, someone will ask for more candy or need to visit the bathroom. When that happens, we declare intermission and pause the movie, so everyone can take a quick break. Also, this is your one chance for a snack refill. We’ve found this keeps interruptions – and tummy aches – to a minimum. 

Read the whole post - including more tips for making bedtime after FMN quick and painless - by clicking this photo at the link in our bio.
Loving your back to school Glad I Did / Wish I'd D Loving your back to school Glad I Did / Wish I'd Done following Tuesday's episode! Here are just a few - and we're sharing more today in stories. Got one to add? Drop a comment!

Catch the episode wherever you listen to podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio.
We recorded our "accidentally-annual late-summer g We recorded our "accidentally-annual late-summer grab bag chat" yesterday!

Some recurring episode types are very intentional ... and others *notsomuch*. But we realized that around this time every year we do a "let's just chat for an hour about life and all the things" episode. It's fun for us - and hopefully for you, too! (Also, if not, there are approximately 500 topic-specific episodes in the archives for ya. 😋)

Sarah is Team Let's Get Summer Over With Already and Meagan is Team Let August Linger. Good news - you don't have to pick a side, because we're here for it all...and all the in-between.

💛
New episode! The back to school season brings tha New episode!

The back to school season brings that sense of routine that some of us crave–but it can also bring on a whole lot of anxiety (getting the right supplies, attending all the events, filling out paperwork…the list goes on!). In this Glad I Did / Wish I’d Done episode, Meagan and Sarah reflect on all the things we’re glad we did to ease the transition into this season and also some things we could have done differently (or that we plan to try this year!). We share what to do with all those school supplies from one year to the next (Meagan is genius, really!), our approach for communicating with teachers, our thoughts on homework, how we plan to hold onto summer JUST a little bit longer this year, and more.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
I cannot resist a wee thrifted table! Picked up th I cannot resist a wee thrifted table! Picked up this little thing for $39 on the sidewalk in front of an antique store in town and have it underneath my office window for now. I love the half-circle top and little shelf so much. I also grabbed a darling woven basket bag (pictured carrying donuts but probably will be used for library books).

I did NOT purchase a set of bright red luggage in fantastic condition even though I really REALLY wanted to. ❤️ 

Have you scored any secondhand treasures this summer? Please share! -Sarah
Did you know...? We publish fewer More Than Mom ep Did you know...? We publish fewer More Than Mom episodes in the summertime, and then ramp back up in the fall. Do you have a fun, fluffy topic you'd like to hear Meagan and Sarah tackle in a MTM this fall? Drop a comment below! ⬇️ ⬇️
New episode! When to get kids their first cell ph New episode!

When to get kids their first cell phone brings up all kinds of questions: How do you know when your child is ready? How to talk to kids about safety? How to help kids develop a healthy relationship with their phone? Social Media? Phone etiquette? (The list goes on!) In today's episode, Sarah welcomes back her friend Dr. Catherine Pearlman to talk about kids and technology--specifically the learning that happens when kids start to navigate their own personal devices, like phones. Today Catherine (@thefamilycoachsays) helps us navigate the new and murky waters of personal devices for our kids and answers some of your burning questions about first phones. Plus, stick around for a short conversation Sarah had with her own 9- and 12-year-olds about what THEY think about this topic!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
We're talking college on the podcast this week! No We're talking college on the podcast this week! Not necessarily the brass tacks of sending a kid for college, but more the role the very IDEA of it plays in our family culture.

Dressing tiny humans in university garb is for sure a little parenting joy - I had lots of fun doing it when my kids were small. Looking back at these photos makes me (Sarah) smile - and wonder what team colors are being flown in our listeners' homes!

Do you have little Longhorns or tiny Tigers or wee Wildcats? Do your kids know your college fight song? Are you a house divided by college sports rivalry? Is any of this this even a thing in your house? I'm here for it all. 💜 -S 

PS - Look for this image at the link in our bio to listen to the episode. It's as much for moms of littles as it is for those who have college on the horizon - and we tell some fun stories!
Listener Mail! 📬 Thanks so much for the travel Listener Mail! 📬 Thanks so much for the travel tip, Audrey! (Shared with permission.)

"I enjoyed your travel-related topics this summer and even though we had traveled quite a bit with our kids pre-pandemic, I found a bunch of the tips incredibly helpful as we have restarted our family travels again. One tip I would like to offer, is to put the kids in almost obnoxiously bright clothing on the day of travel. I make my two rambunctious boys wear neon-colored shirts when we are in airports for flight travel or crowded rest areas or restaurants on road trips. This allows my eyes to quickly spot them if ever they should lag behind or get ahead. It makes me feel more relaxed to think they would be a little easier to locate myself or for someone else should something happen, or if I’m overwhelmed trying to navigate new places and my attention is elsewhere." 

Don't forget that ALL our travel-related content is collected at http://themomhour.com/travel22! You'll find podcast episodes, packing lists, blog posts, Disney tips, and more. Click this image at the link in our bio to find the Travel Hub.

#travelwithkids #roadtriptips #familytravelhack #familytravel #familytraveltip #flyingwithkids #roadtripswithkids
New episode! College decision-making is influence New episode!

College decision-making is influenced by so many things--parents, peers, teachers, family members, your larger community and more. And as with everything else: all families approach this differently! While some bleed their alma mater colors, others don't see college as the only option for helping launch kids after graduation. In this episode, Meagan and Sarah have an open-ended conversation about the role college played in our own stories, our family-of-origin culture, and the narrative we're shaping for our kids now. We also give you a peek into our educational paths, how we made those decisions and how our eight kids perceive the idea of college today. This is a topic close to home for Meagan as she prepares to send Will off in the next few weeks to start his own journey.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
Last week, on our annual extended-family up-north Last week, on our annual extended-family up-north trip, a few things struck me. 

One: this pack of boy cousins - now a mixed bag of older teens and young adults - has been goofing off for the camera pretty much just like this since they were toddlers and preschoolers. 

Two: things are changing almost unbelievably quickly. This year Will brought his car and drove several of his cousins to the meeting spot, a campground with spotty wifi in the middle of a data desert. With their own transportation and unreliable communication, that meant the boys were truly on their own for a good part of the trip.

There was a busy four-year-old boy with us on the trip, the son of my nephew's girlfriend. As the little guy leapt over roots and sprung from rock formations on one of our hikes, his (likely exhausted) mom keeping a wary and watchful eye, I was fielding texts from Will announcing that he and his cousins had decided to go shopping instead and would meet up with us later. I nearly protested, but stifled it with a sigh. 

When I was that wary, watchful mom with my own passel of busy boys, I would have given a lot for an hour's hike, unencumbered. But now that mine are rapidly growing and flying, I find myself wishing sometimes that the who's-in-charge and who-needs-whom dynamics were more cut-and-dried. 

Parenting young adults is a delicate balance between holding them accountable to everything - social expectations, their own commitments, basic politeness - and giving them the autonomy to decide for themselves when to strike out on their own and even what counts as quality family time. It's a tightrope walk between helping them make good decisions about bedtimes and dietary choices and letting them figure out for themselves the consequences of a 3 AM bedtime after a bag of chips and a two-liter of soda. 

It's a constant push-pull, albeit a lot more subtle than gripping a sturdy small hand for a stair-jumping assist, and full of deep breaths of suppressed frustration and small chuckles of appreciation when the moments come - and they do still come - when they momentarily shed those tough, adult exteriors, and ham it up like little kids again. -M
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looking for something?

New episode! You're invited to our accidentally-a New episode!

You're invited to our accidentally-annual-grab-bag chat! In today's episode, Meagan and Sarah have a good-old fashioned girl chat to catch up on all the things. We share our late summer moods (one of us is very ready for school to begin; one of us likes August to linger), our planned social media breaks (we'll be back in September, promise!), trips we've taken this summer, creatures living on our properties (cute kittens and chickens) and more.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New on the blog: Family Movie Night house rules to New on the blog: Family Movie Night house rules to make sure *everyone* enjoys themselves. Mom of three young boys @catieparrish has simple tips for making FMN work with littles, including:

🍿 Movie nights are early dinner nights. 🍿
In our family, it doesn’t feel good to rush through dinner cleanup, only to start a movie right before bedtime, with bellies too full for snacks. We plan an early bird dinner – like 4 o’ clock, so there’s ample time to clean up, bathe, put on jammies, and have an appetite for movie snacks.

🛋️ Kids set up. 🛋️
On family movie nights, the kids oversee setting up our “home theatre” (aka the basement or living room). They drag their plush chairs into position, collect the blankets, fill water bottles, and gather any stuffed animal friends who want to watch with us.

🥛 Intermissions for refills and potty breaks. 🥛
It’s inevitable; at some point during the movie, someone will ask for more candy or need to visit the bathroom. When that happens, we declare intermission and pause the movie, so everyone can take a quick break. Also, this is your one chance for a snack refill. We’ve found this keeps interruptions – and tummy aches – to a minimum. 

Read the whole post - including more tips for making bedtime after FMN quick and painless - by clicking this photo at the link in our bio.
Loving your back to school Glad I Did / Wish I'd D Loving your back to school Glad I Did / Wish I'd Done following Tuesday's episode! Here are just a few - and we're sharing more today in stories. Got one to add? Drop a comment!

Catch the episode wherever you listen to podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio.
We recorded our "accidentally-annual late-summer g We recorded our "accidentally-annual late-summer grab bag chat" yesterday!

Some recurring episode types are very intentional ... and others *notsomuch*. But we realized that around this time every year we do a "let's just chat for an hour about life and all the things" episode. It's fun for us - and hopefully for you, too! (Also, if not, there are approximately 500 topic-specific episodes in the archives for ya. 😋)

Sarah is Team Let's Get Summer Over With Already and Meagan is Team Let August Linger. Good news - you don't have to pick a side, because we're here for it all...and all the in-between.

💛
New episode! The back to school season brings tha New episode!

The back to school season brings that sense of routine that some of us crave–but it can also bring on a whole lot of anxiety (getting the right supplies, attending all the events, filling out paperwork…the list goes on!). In this Glad I Did / Wish I’d Done episode, Meagan and Sarah reflect on all the things we’re glad we did to ease the transition into this season and also some things we could have done differently (or that we plan to try this year!). We share what to do with all those school supplies from one year to the next (Meagan is genius, really!), our approach for communicating with teachers, our thoughts on homework, how we plan to hold onto summer JUST a little bit longer this year, and more.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
I cannot resist a wee thrifted table! Picked up th I cannot resist a wee thrifted table! Picked up this little thing for $39 on the sidewalk in front of an antique store in town and have it underneath my office window for now. I love the half-circle top and little shelf so much. I also grabbed a darling woven basket bag (pictured carrying donuts but probably will be used for library books).

I did NOT purchase a set of bright red luggage in fantastic condition even though I really REALLY wanted to. ❤️ 

Have you scored any secondhand treasures this summer? Please share! -Sarah
Did you know...? We publish fewer More Than Mom ep Did you know...? We publish fewer More Than Mom episodes in the summertime, and then ramp back up in the fall. Do you have a fun, fluffy topic you'd like to hear Meagan and Sarah tackle in a MTM this fall? Drop a comment below! ⬇️ ⬇️
New episode! When to get kids their first cell ph New episode!

When to get kids their first cell phone brings up all kinds of questions: How do you know when your child is ready? How to talk to kids about safety? How to help kids develop a healthy relationship with their phone? Social Media? Phone etiquette? (The list goes on!) In today's episode, Sarah welcomes back her friend Dr. Catherine Pearlman to talk about kids and technology--specifically the learning that happens when kids start to navigate their own personal devices, like phones. Today Catherine (@thefamilycoachsays) helps us navigate the new and murky waters of personal devices for our kids and answers some of your burning questions about first phones. Plus, stick around for a short conversation Sarah had with her own 9- and 12-year-olds about what THEY think about this topic!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
We're talking college on the podcast this week! No We're talking college on the podcast this week! Not necessarily the brass tacks of sending a kid for college, but more the role the very IDEA of it plays in our family culture.

Dressing tiny humans in university garb is for sure a little parenting joy - I had lots of fun doing it when my kids were small. Looking back at these photos makes me (Sarah) smile - and wonder what team colors are being flown in our listeners' homes!

Do you have little Longhorns or tiny Tigers or wee Wildcats? Do your kids know your college fight song? Are you a house divided by college sports rivalry? Is any of this this even a thing in your house? I'm here for it all. 💜 -S 

PS - Look for this image at the link in our bio to listen to the episode. It's as much for moms of littles as it is for those who have college on the horizon - and we tell some fun stories!
Listener Mail! 📬 Thanks so much for the travel Listener Mail! 📬 Thanks so much for the travel tip, Audrey! (Shared with permission.)

"I enjoyed your travel-related topics this summer and even though we had traveled quite a bit with our kids pre-pandemic, I found a bunch of the tips incredibly helpful as we have restarted our family travels again. One tip I would like to offer, is to put the kids in almost obnoxiously bright clothing on the day of travel. I make my two rambunctious boys wear neon-colored shirts when we are in airports for flight travel or crowded rest areas or restaurants on road trips. This allows my eyes to quickly spot them if ever they should lag behind or get ahead. It makes me feel more relaxed to think they would be a little easier to locate myself or for someone else should something happen, or if I’m overwhelmed trying to navigate new places and my attention is elsewhere." 

Don't forget that ALL our travel-related content is collected at http://themomhour.com/travel22! You'll find podcast episodes, packing lists, blog posts, Disney tips, and more. Click this image at the link in our bio to find the Travel Hub.

#travelwithkids #roadtriptips #familytravelhack #familytravel #familytraveltip #flyingwithkids #roadtripswithkids

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