Playful Parenting tackles telling kids the truth this week, and discusses the complexities regarding talking to your children about some of the harsh realities in this world, and how we can learn about ourselves and grow as parents and people through the process of exploring our discomfort around these conversations. Support the show

Do I have all the answers about children and technology? Of course not. Do I have some of the answers about children and technology? Unlikely. Have I spent enough time thinking and feeling about it that I can ramble on the topic for twenty minutes? Absolutely. Enjoy! Support the show

Playful Parenting comes at you with this PSA to help remind you to laugh at your child the next time they are disobeying you in a way that is hilarious. It's connective, fun, and can avoid some of those pesky power struggles that feel like they go nowhere. Support the show

Play Time is back for Season 2! This episode introduces the new season of Play Time, called 'Playful Parenting'. Missed being with you all, feels good to be back. Support the show

Hello Playtimers, this is the last episode of Play Time. Stay subscribed if you want to see what I am up to next, I have a feeling I will make another podcast (or Season 2 of Play Time??) at some point, but I have said what I need to say for now. Thank you for listening, thank you for writing in, and thank you for all the support. To know the podcast has been helpful in any way means the world to me, and I leave with a heart full of love. Support the show

Everything has a shadow side, yes? Empathy included. We explore empathy through the lens of how it can destabilize an individual, and highlight the value of grounding children and ourselves in the reality of our emotions, our body, and our experience, in contrast to being fixated on how other people are doing. Support the show

Firing a therapist is sometimes the right thing to do. We talk about the importance of client's feeling power and autonomy in the therapeutic relationship, and then without getting into do's and don'ts, get into the sometimes complex question of getting the state involved when working with children. Support the show

On this very 78th episode, we take a look at being a parent in the modern world, name the trends towards deeper respect for emotions in both children and adults, and talking about working with parents with various systems of values and beliefs regarding parenting and how we can support all families as therapists regardless of their values regarding childhood and child rearing. Enjoy! Books named in this episode include: 'For Your Own Good' by Alice Miller 'The History of Childhood' by Lloy...

On this one we name the value of connective and playful time with children, and of the instinctive ability of parents and caregivers to make aspects of life a game for children, as a way to help adults cultivate playfulness and game like qualities into life. We also take a detour into how to turn your own life as an adult into a game, and the potential benefits of it. Support the show

For the second anniversary of Play Time, we open up the mailbag to answer some questions about helping students in school who are having a hard time, and also discuss the value of a free and protected space, and how to create it. The book mentioned in the episode was 'Sandplay: A psychotherapeutic Approach to the Psyche' by Dora Kalff. Support the show

People get divorced all the time, and families separate all the time. These events are often discussed as being 'traumatic' in the life of a child, which can be the case, but is it always? Is it appropriate to put divorce in the same category as child abuse or other traumatic events? Play Time's stance is a firm 'no'. Give it a listen if you're curious why. Support the show

Children are brought to therapy by adults for all sorts of reasons, but from the child's perspective, the biggest problem they often face on a day to day basis is boredom. So let's talk about it! Support the show

As a field, we talk a whole heck of a lot about attachment these days, and with good reason, but emotional autonomy is not only an aspect of secure attachment but it is both the bedrock of being child-centered as well as a firm foundation for children to be able to develop their unique identity and move through their unique journey in this world. And some placebo stuff as mentioned in the fictional advertisement: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18171452/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/181...

Of course we hope as adults that children are learning from us (and they are, constantly, whether we like it or not) but what do we learn from them? What knowledge can we gain about ourselves and our relationship to the world through spending time with children? The answer is all kinds of knowledge! And I would name more, but at this point you might as well just check out the episode. Support the show

Should we always honor children with their feelings? Is it possible that through being child-centered that we are actually creating little monsters who have little to no impulse control and who wreak havoc on their environments with their nefarious ways? Find out on this episode of Play Time, where we explore the dark side of being child-centered..... Support the show

Let's chat about something that has been sorely lacking in 2020....joy! Children benefit on all levels when adults are enjoying their company, and on this Play Time, we dive into the very beautiful reality that we are entrusted with the privilege of spending time with children and can truly be at out best when we are grateful for the opportunity to get to know children so well and so deeply through spending consistent, quality time with them. Support the show

As adults, we encourage children to have relationships with different magical beings. On this episode, we dive into Santa, and explore what children might learn through our current conception of Santa Claus, as well as what other ways of connecting to children in the magical world they exist in could look like to harness the full benefits and wonder of co-existing with children in a magical space. Support the show

How does one go about helping a child be more oriented to their space? To cultivating an ability to notice when a space is messy, or when they are being disruptive? How do we help children navigate the complexities of the material world, and assist them in tuning back into their imagination and creativity when they feel out of whack? Children naturally guide us back into helping them simply through their questions and observations, and this Play Time explores the value of meeting them in tha...

Play is light enough, free enough, and distanced enough from reality to be capable of handling any pain or difficulty, and is therefore a safe space for children to be able to approach topics that can feel too heavy to discuss in conversation. On this Play Time, we appreciate play for its ability to allow children to explore all elements of their experience. For more of my work, check out barnettchildtherapy.com. Support the show

We often talk about children in terms of their struggles with anger, emotion regulation, and their conflicts with authority and peers, but rarely do we focus on a child's relationship to forgiveness, what forgiveness looks like in a child's home and school life, and how we can cultivate forgiveness inside of children through creating a culture of forgiveness in our relationships with them. So let's talk about it now! For more of my work, check out barnettchildtherapy.com. Support the show