Parents We've Met

‘Tis the season to be jolly but also ‘tis the season to be tired and bumping into big feelings and behaviours! This week we’ve doubled down on parenting experts and invited parent coach Sheridan Eketone to join Jenny and Dayna on the couch to answer all your crunchy Christmas and holiday-related questions.  Tune in for stacks of handy tips, thoughts, stories and a whole lotta light relief as we delve into topics including:  How to deal with the Christmas grinches in the family. Making Christmas magical without adding too much extra pressure (to your already stretched self). Dealing with present requests from your kids that aren’t within your budget. Teaching gratitude and generosity at Christmas time. Navigating complex family situations and conflicting expectations. Parenting under the watchful eye of grandparents or in-laws. How to politely ask your overstaying guests to leave. Taking care of yourself as a parent juggling all the things. Co-parenting in the Christmas season. School holidays as a working parent. Setting family intentions for the New Year.  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Instagram / Facebook / Tik Tok @parentingplacenz 

Today on the couch, Jenny and Dayna enjoy a conversation full of laughs and good feels with Jackie Clarke, a legendary New Zealand entertainer, singer and ‘diva’ (in all the best ways!)  In this delightful chat, Jenny and Dayna are treated to the odd spontaneous musical cameo from Jackie herself as she recalls her formative childhood memories and some of the soundtracks that inspired a life-long love of music and theatre.  A ‘boy mum’ to two now-adult sons, Jackie also talks her motherhood journey and the juggle of a big career, which saw her travelling around the country regularly (and side note: collecting an enormous snow-globe collection, which you’ll hear more about in this episode), while also doing the hardest, most important job there is – parenting.  From dressing up in fabulous frocks, to zipping her mouth when necessary and riding the high of a glorious choral harmony, Jackie shares openly about all the things that make her who she is – a loud and proud wāhine toa!  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Instagram / Facebook / Tik Tok @parentingplacenz 

We’ve reeled in a fantastic guest for this episode - Scott Parry from the New Zealand TV show Fishing and Adventure (now in its 12th season) is here for a chat through his other favourite gig – being a dad!  First off though, we challenge Scott to a quick-fire round of fishing questions to get to know him a little better before digging into some of the highlights of his fatherhood journey to date (him and his wife have just added twins to the brood!).  We also talk about the challenge of finding patience in parenting, the power of play and the joy that comes with modelling a love and respect for the ocean and great outdoors.  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Instagram / Facebook / Tik Tok @parentingplacenz 

In this episode, Jenny and Dayna shed some light on childhood anxiety with the guidance of Dr Melanie Woodfield, a mum to two teenage boys and a highly regarded clinical psychologist of over 20 years.   As key contributors to Parenting Place’s latest self-guided online course, Untangling Anxiety: Supporting kids through worry and fear Dr Melanie and Jenny chat about the increase in anxiety in primary and intermediate-aged New Zealand kids, and what we can do as parents to help build resilience and boost independence in our young people.  Dr Melanie also openly shares about some of her own parenting stories, the importance of ‘the village’ (and how the needs of the village change from season to season) and reassures us that while having knowledge of parenting is one thing, using that knowledge in a pressured moment is another thing altogether – and something that takes practice and patience.  Note to parents and caregivers: Anxiety is more normal than we realise, and we don’t need to be afraid of it. We can work with it. Untangling Anxiety is a self-guided online course designed to give you tools and strategies to help manage your child’s anxiety or worries.  Parents We’ve Met is brought to you by Parenting Place – a charity with a heart for New Zealand families. Explore our self-guided online courses and hundreds of free parenting articles and ideas HERE.  Instagram / Facebook / Tik Tok @parentingplacenz