Nurturing the Heart of a Child

Understanding child development at each stage is crucial in having appropriate expectations of our children.  It also helps us to help them more effectively.  In this episode Dr. Barbara Sorrels and her daughter Krista Macias discuss the milestones and challenges  of 3-5 year olds as well as how to come alongside and teach kids in this precious stage!

Discussing development of children ages 18 months through two years old.  We talk about everything from tantrums, potty training, and autonomy in toddlers.  This age is so fun and can also be challenging!  Learn what to expect and how to come alongside these curious little guys!

Having an understanding of child development is crucial in developing appropriate expectations of our children in each stage. In this first episode of our Ages and Stages series we will be discussing the ins and outs of the first 18 months of a child's life!

This is a challenging season for most of us, but difficult family times are not unique to Covid-19.  Hopefully this episode will offer some encouragement to any season of life that is hard with children in tow.  

In Raising Daughters, we explore the minds and emotional lives of girls.  From little girls to teenagers, this episode will offer insight into how to raise healthy, resilient girls!

Understanding paternal nurturance and male emotional intelligence can help us tremendously in raising healthy, thriving, boys.  Boys and girls are innately very different and in this episode we explore some of those differences in order to raise sweet little boys into amazing men.  

Shame is feeling remorse for who I am while guilt is a feeling of remorse for what I have done.  In this episode we look at how to hold children accountable in a way that is not shaming but creates a healthy sense of remorse and guilt.  Understanding child development gives us empathy for our children!

In this episode we got to interview Ricky Chelette from Living Hope Ministries in Arlington, Texas about how healthy gender identity develops in children and what parents need to do to support that.  We also discuss when and how to talk to your kids about sexuality. 

Sibling rivalry and conflict is inevitable, but there are things that we as parents can do to set our kids up for a lifetime of friendship.  In this episode Dr. Barbara Sorrels and her daughter, Krista Macias share strategies to help siblings with new babies as well as how to help with sibling conflict both in the moment and prior to the struggle.  

When kids go back to school it becomes so important that parents are intentional with the time they have after school and on weekends with their kids.  In this episode we hear from a talented therapist- Kara Burr who offers some insight along with Dr. Sorrels on how to connect intentionally with your kids during the school year!  There are so many practical and meaningful ideas!

Homework can be challenging for families to learn to handle well!  How much is too much?  How can we motivate children? How do teachers, parents, and children view homework and is it truly valuable?  In this episode we want to challenge typical views of homework and offer encouragement on how to support your child to be successful in this life skill.  

In this episode we wrap up our first series on helping children of trauma.  We discuss the four core fears that lie within children and how trauma plays into those core fears.  Children's difficult behavior is usually their way of trying to tell us something.  It's important that we take a good look at why we do what we do as well as why they do what they do!  Dr. Barbara Sorrels offers hope and encouragement as to how to help children of trauma both at home and at school.

Learn more about what trauma is, why it is such a hot topic today, and resources for helping children who have experienced trauma.  Dr. Barbara Sorrels shares her expertise on the effects of trauma on children and the hope that lies within them.  With perspective for both teachers and parents, this series will begin to equip you with the understanding you need to nurture and help children of trauma heal.  

Many children have had to or will have to experience medical procedures whether unforeseen or routine that can leave children feeling scared and helpless.  Depending on how the child perceived the event, it could have been processed as trauma.  In this episode Dr. Barbara Sorrels shares what parents can do to prepare their child for a medical procedure as well as what to do if a parent suspects that a child has been traumatized one.  There is hope!

Our kids are a blessing to us and we can expect that they will be a blessing to other people!  In this episode Dr. Barbara Sorrels and her daughter Krista Macias share how children develop socially and give practical tips on how parents can teach their children how to handle social conflict.  

What is sensory processing and how does it relate to self regulation?  How do I know if my kid has sensory processing issues and what can I do about it?  Dr. Barbara Sorrels answers these questions through her own personal experiences and study.  Also, listen to find out three additional senses to the main five that you may not know about!

One of the times in which children are most prone to becoming dis-regulated is when we have to say "no."  In this episode we explore strategies to help ourselves and our children prior to a no, in the middle of a no and after a no.  

Self regulation is the capacity to control your emotions, behavior, and thinking.  It is a crucial skill for children to function in a classroom, get along with others, and thrive in life.  But how is it developed and what can impede it's development?  Check out this episode with Dr. Barbara Sorrels and her daughter Krista Macias as they delve into this important topic of self regulation!

Traditions and rituals are an important part of communicating to our children that they have a place and a people to belong to.  It takes initiative and planning but is so worth it for our kids.  In this episode we share ideas and encourage listeners to be purposeful in choosing traditions for their families.  

Attachment begins while a mother is still pregnant.  The feelings that she develops toward her baby and has about the pregnancy predict the quality of the parent/infant interaction and therefore the attachment.  The quality of the prenatal period can have a lasting impact on your child in many aspects.  Want to know what parents should consider before even getting pregnant?  Want to hear what parents should know during pregnancy?  This episode answers these crucial questions!

In this episode we delve into the topic of preschool.  What is the purpose of preschool and does every child need to attend to be successful in school?  Society has warped the purpose of preschool and many parents have been wrongly pressured to get children "ready for kindergarten."  As a former preschool owner, Dr. Sorrels shares what the true purpose of preschool should be, what to look for in a quality program, and how decide if preschool is right for your child.

All parents have experienced the frustration of trying to get a kid to comply with what we need or want them to do when they don't want to do that.  "Counterwill" is an instinctive, automatic resistance to any sense of being forced to do something against our will. It’s triggered anytime a child or adult feels pressured to do something against their will.  In this episode we talk about how to refocus ourselves on what is truly important when we get into a power struggle with our kids.  It's all about connection!

Play is the primary architect of the brain. It is crucial to a child's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.  Despite the vast amounts of research that have shown how crucial play is for children, the focus has been set on more "academic" pursuits.  Play must be protected and nurtured in our children on purpose.  In this episode we delve into what defines "play," why it's so important, and what we can do to protect it.

Texting and social media can be amazing tools, but with them comes amazing responsibility for parents. We live in the most "connected" society that has every been.  And yet, rates of depression and suicide have risen greatly.  Communication and connection are not the same thing.  As humans we have an innate  need for true human connection which means; I see you, I hear you, I understand you.  Our children can greatly suffer from this pseudo sense of connection unless we as parents are informed and intentionally give them lives full of rich, true connections.  

In this episode, we continue our study on how technology effects children by looking at how it impacts them emotionally and psychologically.  We will explore the addiction process and look specifically at the detrimental effects of video games.

"A kid's brain on tech, looks like a kid's brain on drugs." Join us as we discuss the latest research and walk through the book Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaras on how technology effects the developing brain.  In this episode we will share what brain research has taught us as well as expose some lies that schools have been lead to believe that more tech=more success in school.

We often think about compatibility and personality types in marriage, but what about attachment pattern?  If they way your earliest caregivers nurtured you sets the trajectory for relationships in a child's future, how does this pattern play out in marriage?  In this episode we discuss what each attachment style might look like in a marriage relationship.  We believe understanding attachment and doing some hard work can bring deep healing for both partners and change the trajectory of a marriage.

This is our last episode on the types of insecure attachment.  These are the two more extreme forms of insecure attachment.  We address the characteristics of the parent and child with disorganized attachment and RADS.  Trauma, addiction, and abuse often play a part in these two types.  These children sit in our classrooms and are often in foster care or may have been adopted.  Healing is possible, but a parent or caregiver needs a special set of skills and knowledge to help these children.  

As we have studied attachment over the last few episodes, maybe you recognize an insecure attachment pattern in yourself or in your child.  In episode 11 we begin to share steps to take to begin the journey of healing and moving from that insecure attachment to a secure one.  Specifically we talk about how to heal an avoidant and ambivalent attachment pattern.  We also address the damage done by post part depression. There is hope!

Relationships are the core of life and the pattern and template for how to relate to others begins in the first year.  The essence of attachment is- I see you, I hear you, I attune to your needs.  What happens when this doesn't occur between a parent and child?  Insecure attachment.  There are several types of insecure attachment and in this episode we explore ambivalent attachment.  We will take a look at what the parent who is creating this attachment pattern is like as well as some characteristic of the child.  Dr. Barbara Sorrels gives a great analogy of kids on a playground to help grasp the  different types of attachment patterns. The great news- there is hope for children and parents who have this attachment pattern.

Dr. Barbara Sorrels is no stranger to pain and hardship.  Her husband Bob is a quadriplegic and has been in the wheelchair for the last 38 years.  In this episode she shares what it was like to raise two children and take care of her husband.  She encourages moms who are in the trenches, trying to raise secure, happy, and healthy kids.  Dr. Barbara Sorrels is an expert in child development who is changing families lives through her work with children who have experienced trauma.  Hear more about the therapeutic preschool she started and what she is working on these days!

In this episode we give you a new parenting tool to add to your parenting tool box as well as begin to discuss the first type of insecure attachment pattern that can develop between a parent and child.  There are certain telltale signs of insecure avoidant attachment in parents and in children.  In this episode Dr. Barbara Sorrels shares what those signs and scenarios are as well as how to help parents and children get back on track to developing a secure and life giving secure attachment if they start to recognize some of these symptoms in themselves.    

In this episode we continue on our journey to understanding attachment.  We talk about when attachment begins and how long it takes a child to establish a secure attachment relationship with a parent or caregiver. We discuss how a secure attachment is developed and the things that could undermine that attachment.  This is one of the most important topics in Early Childhood. Every parent needs to know and understand how a healthy attachment is formed as it sets the trajectory for all other relationships in a child's future!

Is NOT spanking biblical?  What if mom and dad are not on the same page in their parenting styles?  Do we correct children for age appropriate behavior that is undesirable?  How can we help our friends who are using less than effective parenting methods?  These are the questions that have been on our listeners minds that we tackle in this episode!

In this episode we begin to explore the topic of attachment.  This is one of the most important and most misunderstood aspects of child development.  Attachment in the context of an adult and child relationship is a strong and enduring bond between a child and an adult who assumes responsibility for the well being of that child. We explore why a healthy attachment is so important and give a thoughtful question to help parent's reflect on the strength and health of their attachment with their child.    

The ways in which we view our children is going to have a profound impact on how we parent and respond to our children.  This episode begins to expose some popular views our culture holds of children that can be extremely detrimental.  We will discuss the lies and then share the truth about children that can change the whole way you view parenting! 

Disciplining our children is one of our most important roles as parents, but in this episode, we want to challenge parents to view this role differently.  We need to see discipline not in an authoritarian way, but in a nurturing, discipling way.  There is a big difference between discipline and punishment and the outcomes are just as opposite.  We want to give parents some new tools for their toolbox in how to handle challenging behavior.  

Having an understanding of child development is absolutely crucial for parents who desire to nurture the heart of their child.  All behavior has a reason behind it and without an understanding of the developmental stages, a parent often wrongly assumes a motive or has inappropriate expectations of their child.  In this episode we will give examples of behaviors that are because of a developmental incapacity rather than "bad behavior" or outright disobedience.  We hope to equip parents with a new eyes to see and understand their children, so that they can come alongside and be the guides and teachers their children so desperately need.

Dr. Barbara Sorrels and her daughter, Krista Macias share about parenting and childhood development from a unique perspective. Dr. Barbara’s experience as a mom, grandmother, university professor, author, and childhood development consultant will help you nurture the heart of your child. Barbara and Krista connect the dots for you in a fun, eye-opening way, in about 20 minutes per episode. When you understand how children are wired to grow, parenting becomes less mysterious and more wondrous.