Learning to Enjoy the Parenting Journey

Every mom or dad has had moments where you felt like sitting on the couch, and not doing something. John and Danny open up about times they felt tempted to procrastinate. Plus Kristi Clover talks with Jim Daly about how procrastination is usually a symptom of stress. Find us onli ... Show More

Are you more of a planner or a spontaneous parent? Danny and John share how they approach planning vs. spontaneity. Then, Jim Daly talks with Kristi Clover about how to balance planning with flexibility as a mom or dad. Find us online at focusonthefamily.com/parentingpodcast. Or ... Show More

Have you ever intended to be on your phone for a few minutes, only to look up and realize you've lost an hour? Danny and John address how a lot of parents are setting a bad example regarding screen-time around their kids. Also, Jim Daly and Arlene Pellicane share some age-appropr ... Show More

Many of us parents create fantasies around who our children will be and how we will parent them. When these fantasies don’t come true, we feel anxious and frustrated and often blame our children for this. In this episode, Dr. Shefali helps two parents understand that the root of ... Show More

Parenting is hard. Deciding how to implement parenting advice can be even more difficult. There are a lot of parenting books out there. I even wrote one myself! Sadly, many parenting books can come across as being the only right way to parent your child. You might start to think, ... Show More

While every child will eventually and inevitably learn to use the potty, the process can be stressful, frustrating, and often counterproductive for both the child and caregiver. Janet knows it doesn’t have to be this way. She offers her perspective on the process and a potty lear ... Show More

Simplicity Parenting is a book that has touched hundreds of thousands of families around the globe. It certainly up-ended many of my thoughts on parenting and changed the course of our family in so many ways for the better. I consider it a must read for any parent.  Simplicity Pa ... Show More

Janet shares what she describes as her most valuable advice for parents -- a mindset that brings clarity to our role in our children's lives, makes our job more enjoyable and successful, and may even offer us personal growth. Janet explains why and how this perspective works, off ... Show More

Do you feel like everything you do is to make your parents happy? We talk about the way we deal with pressure from our parents and the expectations they have for us. We also mention the way our parents are only together because of us and not out of love. The end of this episode g ... Show More

A parent writes that she and her husband are concerned their toddler feels responsible for their emotions. This is a trait they both recognize from their own backgrounds. “He asks again and again, ‘Happy, mommy?’ as if he’s trying to help me be happy.” This mom says that if she a ... Show More

In response to a parent's question about her toddler's aggressive impulses toward her newborn sister, Janet suggests strategies for encouraging our children -- beginning in infancy-- to communicate their innermost thoughts, feelings and needs. This parent and her husband have fol ... Show More

A parent writes that for the past few weeks her son’s 3-year-old playmate will not share his toys. He cries, “That’s mine… he can’t play with it,” tries to take the toys back, and often has meltdowns. While she says her boy doesn’t seem particularly fazed by the behavior, the oth ... Show More

In this final episode of 2023, I welcome my husband, Gaurav, to chat about how we as a generation are making parenting harder on ourselves. He has joined me for two episodes already about Marriage and Parenting and Re-Parenting ourselves as we parent our children and on this epis ... Show More