For Parents Like You

Joining us today is Peace Anumah who is a registered Member (MBACP) and Accredited (ACC) professional therapist and counsellor. Peace has over 16 years of experience working in mental health and over 14 years of experience working in the counselling and therapy field. On this episode we discuss the negative effect that abuse can have on a child's mental, emotional and physical development. Every child is unique; the way we discipline one child may not necessarily work for another. It's important as parents to understand the development stages of our children. No child should be forced into submission. Our children should be treasured and we are called to guide, love and accept them unconditionally. You can connect with Peace Anumah on: • Facebook - @ pieceintopeace • Email - admin@pieceintopeace.com

Child abuse is a wide spread problem in our world. Joining us to speak on this subject matter is Tosin Lewana who is a mother to two teenagers. Tosin was born and raised in Nigeria. Tosin shares with us her love for her culture as well as some of the issues that culture can produce when raising children. No child should ever be subjected to abuse based on what culture dictates; rather, a child should feel safe, loved and accepted. It is imperative that we as parents take the time to reflect on our history and learn from the mistakes of our past and choose to do better by breaking the cycle of generational abuse! Let's be driven by good moral values to do right by our children. You can connect with Tosin Lewana on: Facebook: @Tosin Lawani Instagram: @Teem4m

Many of us have, or will face some sort of adversity in life that can be stressful, frightening and even distressing. If we do not seek the professional help and support that we need, we may find ourselves struggling to cope and prolonging the impact of trauma in our lives and relationships. We need to become aware of our triggers and make sure our physical and emotional needs are being taken care of. On this episode, we are joined by Jamilah Musah who is an Assistant Psychologist, a mother of two and a wife. Jamilah explains to us what trauma is, what causes it, how it can impact our mental wellbeing and the ways we can receive support. You can connect with Jamilah Musah on: Twitter -@jamilahmusah1 Instagram - @iamjam1 Linkedin -JamilahMusah

On this episode, we have Joyce Oyedele who is an author, educator and a personal development coach. Joyce is also the head teacher at her sixth form college. She shares with us the importance of why parents need to be involved in every area of their child's development, not just the academic side. Spending quality time to get to know your children will ultimately help you to understand them better. Parents, keep affirming your child rather than focusing on their bad behaviour. The words you speak over them have power and can determine what type of person they become. It is crucial for us as parents to create an environment where our children can thrive, feel loved and feel valued. You can connect with Joyce Oyedele on: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @Joyce Oyedele Website: www.joyceoyedele.com

Starting school for the first time is a huge step for any child and their parents. Many of us may feel anxious as the transition from home to school is significant. On this episode I will be giving 6 ways we as parents can help prepare our children for primary school. If you want to connect with me, follow me on: Instagram - @itssreallyhilda Facebook - @itssreallyhilda Email - hildajoyrules@gmail.com

On this episode, we have Hayley Earley who is a mother to three boys aged 8, 6 and 2 years old. Hayley shares with us the relationship dynamics between her boys and the importance of cultivating friendship and love between siblings. Our children are not for us to keep. They are a gift from God, therefore coming alongside and co-parenting with Christ Jesus will help to raise them up in a Godly way. Hayley also speaks about the importance of breaking the cycle of systematic racism. It is not good enough to remain silent to injustice; we need to talk about this so that healing can take place. We have a responsibility to change our generational mindset and the first place where to begin is in our homes. We must teach our children to respect each other and those from other cultures. You can connect with Hayley on: ▪︎Instagram - @Hayley_earley ▪︎Facebook - @Hayley Earley ▪︎Email - Hayley.earley@hotmail.co.uk

We are back with part 2 from last week's episode. Shivon and Bright Oduro-Kwateng speak about the health challenges surrounding their son who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He was born with half a heart and was only given two weeks to live. He has had to have numerous heart surgeries in order to keep him alive. According to medical professions, his future is uncertain, but Bright and Shivon continue to put their trust in God for their son's survival. Their journey as a married couple has not been easy, but with the support that they have received from family and friends and their faith in God, they have been able to draw closer to each other. You can connect with them both on Instagram @bok.motivates

Do you find balancing marriage, children and work a challenge? Well you are not alone. Joining me on this episode is our first couple Bright and Shivon Kwateng. They share what they have learnt within this past five years of being married. Balancing marriage, children and personal career endeavours has not been easy for them both. Shivon who is a song writer, has had to put this on hold in order to focus on their children and her counselling degree. Whilst Bright, a motivational speaker, reinforces the importance of finding and walking in your purpose which is your God-given identity. It is important in marriage to release our spouse to pursue their own God-given calling. Marriage is hard work and without having a solid foundation to lean on when things gets hard it may not last. Having faith as the bedrock of this foundation will enable you to keep serving and loving each other. You can connect with them both on Instagram @bok.motivates

August is breastfeeding awareness month and joining me for this episode is Fran Bartz who is a full time mum and a volunteer lactation consultant. Fran provides support for mums who are breastfeeding. We discuss the importance of why mothers need to support each other, how to prepare for breastfeeding, the health benefits of breastfeeding and the support you can access. You can connect with Fran on: Facebook @Fran Bartz LA LECHE - @La Leche League Hertfordshire Breastfeeding Networks - www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk - 08444120995

Joining me on this episode is Kami Arkorful. Kami is a mother of one and the founder of IKE online fashion agency. She also is the founder of the 'Mummy and Mind' Podcast; a show to promote mental wellbeing for mothers and to improve their relationships with their families. Kami shares with us her pregnancy experience with antenatal and postnatal depression, and the different ways that she received support during this difficult time. As parents it is important for us to be intentional to make time for ourselves and not neglect our own needs. In order for us to do this we must seek help, keep on growing and surround ourselves with people who wish to see us thrive. You can connect with Kami on Instagram and Facebook @Kami Arkorful.

We have a special guest with us Lola Adebayo. Lola is a self published author, an art director at a marketing firm and a mum of twin girls aged 6. She was inspired to write her first book 'She's My Twin Sister' to show the social dynamics and relationship behaviours between siblings as well as, for her girls to see a reflection of themselves in books that show their own race. Lola shares with us why we as parents need to talk with our children about race and racism and how to find ways to help them understand this at their level. Children need to learn to be confident in who they are. But they can only do this by what they see reflected to them. This is why we has parents need to prioritise and love ourselves well in order to be the best parents that our children need. You can purchase her books on Amazon: ▪︎ 'She's My Twin' ▪︎ 'That's My New Friend' - (available from August) You can connect with Lola Adebayo on: ◇ Facebook - @she's my twin sister @Mslola Ameia Adebayo ◇ Instagram - @the.twinventures @mslolaxx ◇ Email - the.twinventures@gmail.com

Today we will be talking about how to talk to your children about race and racism. Racism is no longer a historical fact that we read about but its a present problem we are all facing and it is a subject that we cannot ignore. As parents it is important that we prepare our children for the world, and one way to do this is to have open and honest conversations about race. Joining me to discuss this subject is my husband Manley O'Connor. We share about our own individual experiences of being racially discriminated against and how we dealt with this. We also share some tips on what we can do to educate and empower our children to prepare them for the world they are yet to face. You can connect with Manley O'Connor on Facebook and Youtube, Website: www.manleyoconnor.com

On this episode we are continuing to celebrate fathers and joining us for this special episode is Kola Ajomale. Kola is a Chaplin, Youth worker and is a father of five children. Raising children in a different culture has not been so easy for Kola. He has had to learn ways of how to effectively communicate with his children. Kola also talks about the racial prejudice his son experienced and how he was able to help him to overcome this. This is one episode you don't want to miss!!! You can connect with Kola Ajomale on Facebook.

It's Father's day on Sunday and joining us on our first episode is my husband Manley O'Connor. Manley is a musician and the father to our three children. He takes us back to his childhood of how life was like for him growing up with his parents and his brother. He shares how the disability of his brother not only effected him but also helped shape him to become the responsible dad that he is today. Manley also shares with us some wisdom and insight into what it takes to be a relevant and present dad. You can connect with Manley O'Connor on Facebook and Youtube, Website: www.manleyoconnor.com