Parenting Smarts

Stephanie Burke joins MaryRuth to talk about how to help children understand the spiritual world in age-appropriate ways.

MaryRuth dives into the virtue of faith and ways to nurture it in ourselves and in our families.

MaryRuth is joined by Jennifer Ellis to reflect on patience, what they have learned and how to practice it in family life.

How can we choose our words, listen to the Lord and discern well? Fr. Will Schmid joins MaryRuth to discuss how to allow wisdom to permeate our lives and families.

Gail Davis, MaryRuth's mom, joins the program to help us learn how to cultivate courage in ourselves and our families.

Olivia Spears joins MaryRuth to explore how to cultivate kindness in our families.

Tina McAllister-Smith joins MaryRuth to talk about how stories can teach virtues and the Golden Rule.

Nell O'Leary and MaryRuth share a casual, vulnerable conversation exploring attachment parenting and spiritual detachment.

MaryRuth welcomes Lindy Wynne to explore the virtue of temperance and how to cultivate it on ourselves and within our families. 

Megan Hjelmstad joins MaryRuth to explore the virtue of fortitude. Help your kids be able to endure difficulty and to do hard things.

MaryRuth shares some thoughts and wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!

Joyce Coronel joins MaryRuth to talk about different seasons of life and how to foster hope in all circumstances.

Katie Burke joins MaryRuth to talk about what piety is, what it can look like in family life and how to cultivate it in your home.

Jenna Guizar joins MaryRuth to discuss growing in the virtue of humility as parents and encouraging it in our children. They reflect on depending on God, knowing who He is and who we are. Join them in praying the Litany of Humility.

MaryRuth explores the virtue of prudence. She shares definitions, how it relates to other virtues, what it can look like in family life and how to cultivate it in our homes.

How do we grow in virtue as parents and foster a culture in our home focused on virtues? Emily Jaminet explores ways to transform our hearts, make priorities, examine interactions, and be disposed to the grace that helps cultivate family life striving for virtue.

As we launch into a season exploring virtues related to family life, MaryRuth explores the importance of sleep and how it contributes to well being. Physical rest helps us pray better, relate better and parent better. 

Fr. MarkMary Ames joins MaryRuth for another conversation about fatherhood. They explore the ways parents, especially fathers, can provide what kids need to flourish. 

How do you remain consistent yet adapt to individual children and circumstances when making decisions about discipline? Gina Festerer joins MaryRuth to explore this and more questions related to discipline.

In an early episode, MaryRuth addressed discipline, but the next two episodes take a deeper dive into the topic. In this episode, MaryRuth provides framework for the purpose of discipline and concepts to consider. In the next episode a guest will join her to provide practical tips.

Parents get stressed! How can we deal with stress in a way that is healthy? How do we keep from losing it? MaryRuth explores the science behind stress and shares practical tips to help parents manage it.

Parenting can be an emotional rollercoaster. How can we teach our children to understand and deal with emotions? How can we handle our own feelings as well? Cindy Bird joins MaryRuth help us with our emotional health.

How do children benefit from grandparents? How about grandparents from grandchildren? Anita Hackett and Carol Damaso join MaryRuth to explore the grandparent effect and how to cultivate healthy multigenenerational dynamics.

How do you help your kids learn to follow through to get things done? MaryRuth explores the definition of grit and how to encourage its development in our children.

We live in a noisy, distracting culture. How do we cultivate silence for our ourselves and our families? Nell O'Leary joins MaryRuth to help us find ways to invite exterior and interior silence into our lives.

Get practical answers to your parenting questions. MaryRuth and Christy Isinger tackle questions that were submitted by listeners. 

When and how to allow social media is a popular question parents ask. It's a complicated answer. MaryRuth explores the research on mental health and social media to equip you to find the right answers for your children.

Every day we're faced with big and small decisions. Some decisions require discernment, a longer period of prayerful time before making a decision. Claire Dwyer joins MaryRuth to explore some strategies for making sound decisions and cultivating those skills in our families.

Parenting teens can be challenging. Deb Herback joins MaryRuth to discuss how to create a culture that helps young people grow, understand boundaries, know their worth and cultivate faith.

MaryRuth explores the development of self-perception and self-worth along with tips to help cultivate it in ourselves and in our children.

Eric Brooker joins MaryRuth to share about his journey toward discovering his worth. His book is You Are Enough: Overcoming Lifelong Doubts of Worthiness.

The saints are our friends in Heaven. They want to intercede for us, to be part of our faith family! Katie Burke joins MaryRuth to explore ways to cultivate friendships with saints in our families.

What's it like to parent alongside a parenting expert? We'll find out when MaryRuth is joined by her husband, Bob Hackett. 

Susie Garlick joins MaryRuth to explore how our experiences and background influence our parenting. Her book is The Parenting Backpack.

Traveling with your family can be challenging, but it is worth it! Being together sharing new experiences is good for our brains and good for our relationships. Brina Sauers joins MaryRuth to share tips on how to travel well with children. 

Raising children is full of transitions. Jennifer Ellis joins MaryRuth to explore how parents can adjust to change as their children grow up.

Summer is almost here and the kids will get bored. MaryRuth takes a look at how boredom affects brain function and gives us tips on how to deal with boredom.

Parents have a duty to pray for their kids and their prayers are especially powerful. Kathleen Beckman joins MaryRuth to explore spiritual authority including ways to protect and pray for our children. 

Are you an angry parent? Are your children angry? How do we teach our children how to regulate emotions, especially anger? MaryRuth outlines strategies to deal with strong emotions in a healthy way. 

Our God is merciful and just, perfectly merciful and perfectly just. How do we cultivate an understanding of justice that balances mercy and forgiveness in our children? Justice Kathryn King joins MaryRuth to explore how we can communicate these concepts through our parenting. 

What does it take to thrive, to have well being, to be happy? MaryRuth discusses the five factors that contribute to happiness and challenges us to take a closer look at how these areas operate in our lives.

We are built for relationships. If we don't three different types of relationships - intimacy, friendship and community, we can be lonely. Michelle Benzinger joins MaryRuth to discuss creating connections and building good relationships.

All of us will suffer. Grief is part of life. How do we deal with loss and how do we help our children with suffering and grief? Rita Morton joins MaryRuth to explore grief, suffering, loss and healing.

We are in a mental health crisis, especially with children and teens. What are parents to do? Bishop Dolan joins MaryRuth to explore strategies and resources to help those who suffer.

When is a good time to get your kid a phone? It's a tough question and one that varies from family to family, and child to child. MaryRuth breaks down some of the considerations to keep in mind when making decisions about phones.

Personality tests, especially enneagrams are so popular, but are spiritually dangerous. In addition to not being based in science or truth, enneagrams have their foundations in the occult.  Jordan Burke joins MaryRuth to explore the validity and spirituality behind these practices.

What is it to be a son of God? Mike Phelan joins MaryRuth to discuss what healthy masculinity is and how to cultivate it in our sons.