It was graduation week for so many high school seniors this week. Albeit a very different kind of graduation from the traditional ones we are used to, (2020 high school seniors rock…I love seeing all the many creative ways people are figuring out to celebrate in unique ways…especially my niece Ana…GO ANA!). But celebrations or not, those seniors are getting ready to head out into the world.

So I figured it was a pretty appropriate time for another one of my friends-who-I-have-never-met-in-person, Kristen Duke, to post the podcast we recorded about my top five things to give our kids before they grow up and spread their wings.

We talked about

1) giving kids a sense of self,

2) teaching and modeling kindness,

3) teach them how to deal with money (saving and giving along with budgeting),

4) help them gain a strong work ethic, and

5) encourage them to “get in the arena.”

Loved talking to Kristen, she is a pretty awesome person, and we actually talked about a lot more than just those five things, especially at the end, but that gives you an idea 🙂

Kristen’s blog post about our little chat and a link to listen is HERE. (She is pretty awesome, and has put a LOT of thought into raising teenagers…has done a lot of podcasts that are so good…check them out HERE.)

You can also listen to it here:

Here are some links to things we talked about for easy reference:

Click HERE to read about our money system I refer to in the podcast (talking to kids about money).

Click HERE for Saturday Job ideas, and HERE to read about teaching kids to work (and my love of the book called The Parenting Breakthrough that I think is such a good book )

Work…click HERE to read about our handy-dandy pie chart I quickly mentioned (that probably a million other moms have utilized in all different ways…definitely not my idea but a pretty good one!).

And I mention this, one of my favorite parenting books too, when I talk about helping kids find their own sense of self: How to Talk so Kids will Listen, and Listen so Kids will Talk.

Thank you, Kristen, for having me!

So there you go, some Memorial Day weekend thoughts from me, and Kristen too! (Thanks so much for having me, Kristen!…and by the way, how in the world is it Memorial Day? Does it seem to anyone else that it should really be the end of summer right now, not the beginning? Such a strange time right now.)

Sending love out from our house to yours!

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6 Comments

  1. Do you feel you’ve been ‘ less strict’ with Claire than your older kids? Does she pay for her own clothes, phone, car. Now that your oldest ones are married do you cut off financial help or does that stop after high school? It’s always interesting to hear how things change as the line of kids goes down. My parents were very strict with my and my older siblings but the youngest two literally got most things handed to them.

    1. Good question, Emily. We have to revamp all the time to adjust how we’re parenting the younger ones. I love how one friend explained it, “in a big family, each child gets a different set of parents.” Ha! Those same parents change and learn and grow so much in the process of parenting each child, each with such a different personality and needs. The short answer is yes, we have been less strict with Claire (and Lucy) in some ways, but also more strict in others. I hope we’re learning the right things along the way!

  2. These are so wonderful! Do you have book suggestions for raising toddlers? I have a 3 year old and newborn, I love your Blog so much, just curious if you had advice on best books for the younger years 🙂

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