Duncan Wilcock

duncan@wilcock.ca

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Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Parenting: Podcasts are Great for Learning

Long time readers will know I'm a huge fan of podcasts.  I devour them, especially when washing dishes, doing laundry, or any of the things in life I don't enjoy, but by "temptation bundling" I make getting them done more tolerable - sometimes even pleasurable.

But I digress - I am writing this post to strongly endorse a specific parenting podcast:  

I 110% love this podcast, and find that the format is so helpful. She models the words and intonation she would use, and I find I can reproduce those same sounds myself- and even better - they often work!

I've been finding some amazing learning for myself through this podcast by switching my perspective to a "coaching mindset" - which is seeing that my kid wants to do the right thing and needs my help to get there. (ie, coaching)

Coaching is often talking and guiding him to "good behaviour" - but a good coach also configures the environment such that my little guy is "setup for success." So it is my responsibility to be attuned to his needs and his state of mind such that when we need to exit a situation, or better yet not get into it in the first place. A good coach decides where the playing field is, how often practice will happen, and what we practice - it's the same with a good parent.

I've found searching through the Unruffled back catalog is great for individual challenges we find ourselves facing (defiance, setting limits, and so much more). She mostly uses listener questions and works through them. Initially I found her sounding "a bit lacking-in-confidence" - but later grew to appreciate that none of us really know what we're doing - and her humility is a strength.

Anyway - as you can tell, I am a huge fan of Janet Lansbury and her podcast:

A few of my favourite episodes to get you started: