Pop Culture Parenting

After so many requests from the amazing PCP community we are diving back in to talk about neurodiversity and how we can better support these beautiful kids. We discuss how movies, beliefs and a deficit approach can cause harm and limit potential. We dive into how we can help neurodivergent children and teens feel safe and experience success using the science in the real world. We can not wait to hear your reflections, questions and advice on nurturing neurodiversity as it's our favourite part of the podcast.

In this reflection episode we go deeper into conflict resolution using reflections, questions and advice from the wonderful PCP community. We explore how we can support conflict resolution at different developmental stages from toddlers to teens, what schools can do and how we can work on this within ourselves. Thank you to everyone who sent in their messages and we hope you like the episode.

Dealing with conflict can be a big challenge of life and lead to damage within ourselves, our relationships and the broader community. We first learn how to deal with conflict during childhood and unfortunately often in unhealthy ways. Luckily there is so much we can do to guide kids though these tough times. In this episode Nick & Billy discuss why it's important and how we can better resolve conflicts in a healthy way. We hope you like it and can't wait to read your reflections, questions and advice.

In this episode we blast off into the future fuelled by wonderful reflections, questions and guidance from the beautiful PCP community. We discuss ways to move from anxiety to action, frustration tolerance, worries and neurodiversity, potential pitfalls (good old resilience) and our own fear about the future regarding the kids we care about. Thank you to everyone who sent in messages and questions. You give us so much hope!

Worries about the future are a common source of stress for kids and a tricky topic for those supporting them to navigate. From typical concerns to clinical anxiety it is important that we have tools we can use to help children when these challenges arise. In this episode we discuss how important our beliefs and behaviours about the future are, including in the media, in regards to how worried or hopeful we might be. We also discuss common concerns and one therapeutic approach that can help guide kids when these difficulties emerge. We can't wait to read your questions, reflections and tips. Thank you for making our future brighter too!

In part 3 of our Beautiful Boys topic we honour some of the powerful stories and insights from the amazing PCP community who continue to guide and inspire us. We also cover some important questions, hear about practical advice and end on a the story of beautiful man who provides a north star for those of us trying to find our way.

In the first of two reflections about how we can raise beautiful boys Nick and Billy explore some of the amazing reflections, questions and tips from the PCP community. We cover how we can push back against some of the damage patriarchy inflicts on us, how to guide growing minds towards healthier versions of masculinity and the importance of emotional understanding and expression in young boys. We hope you find this helpful and we look forward to diving even deeper in second reflection episode next week.

Boys and girls learn from a young age that they are different because of how caregivers and our broader society treats them. This inequity is destructive to all of us, especially in regards to mental illness, developmental trauma and intimate partner violence. As heartbreaking as the stories and statistics are there is so much we can do to better guide our growing boys that supports them and all their future relationships. We are really excited to read your reflections, questions and advice to guide a deeper discussion next episode into how we can all do this better.

In this reflection episode we answer questions about connection from how we do it with ourselves, our partners, newborn babies, dysregulated children and reluctant teens. As always we are humbled by the beautiful reflections, inspired by powerful stories and guided by amazing advice. Thank you PCP and we hope you connect with this latest episode.

Connection is an important first step in guiding our kids but one that is often misunderstood or missed entirely. In this episode we discuss why it matters and how we can give ourselves the best chance to connect with the kids we care about to guide them through the tough times. We hope you like it and can't wait to hear your reflections, questions and advice.

We had an amazing evening celebrating our 100th episode and we hope you enjoy it as an episode. You can also watch the entire event on our youtube channel too! We forgot to read out the poll questions so we've included them below with answers. Thank you all for an amazing 100 episodes and episode 101 will be out in early Feb 2025. Check out our Patreon in the mean time as we grow our community there too ❤️ LIVE SHOW POLL 1. Favourite part of PCP? Advice - 1st Friendship & community - 2nd Jokes and fashion - 3rd 2. If they were to remake Legends of the Fall who should be recast for the role of Tristan (photo of Tristan with this question)? Nick - 49% Billy - 51% 3. Do you feel like you have the right knowledge and resources to guide a growing mind? Yes - 80% No - 20% 4. What is your favourite topic & movie combination? Mean Girls & parenting style

Love is in the air in this episode with beautiful reflections, honest questions and overwhelming feedback about love. Please have tissues ready as we both needed them multiple times in this heartfelt journey through a small fraction of the amazing emails and messages that were sent to us on this important topic. Thank you to everyone who has shared this journey with us over the last 3 years. We hope you like this episode and we love being a part of the PCP community.

For the final topic of the year Nick & Billy discuss a subject close to their hearts. Interstellar & love is an adventurous exploration of the science of love and how it can guide us in supporting the children in our lives. Please send in your questions about love, reflections on your own experience and tips to help all of us navigating this space. It's been a wild spaceship ride and we love all of you for sharing it with us.

Well it's a big episode this week full of laughs and tears. So many inspiring stories of hope, honesty about the challenges of resilience and hopefully some helpful discussion about how we can all support the kids in our community. Thank you to everyone who sent in questions. We feel so privileged to be a part of the PCP community.

One of the best movies paired with one of the most important topics. In this episode we discuss the evidence regarding resilience, how is can be developed in real life (and in Shawshank State Penitentiary) without leading to failure and further harm. We hope you enjoy this chat and we can't wait to hear your reflections, questions and tips!

In this reflection episode we dive into the application of parenting style research through the life course from babies to teens and of course all of us as adults just trying to get a little better at this each day. It's no surprise that the reflections, questions and advice sent in by the gorgeous PCP community once again is the podcasts greatest asset. Thank you to everyone who sent in messages, this one was a rollercoaster emotionally but hopefully it helps you too.

This week's episode is so fetch. Nick and Billy discuss the amazing movie Mean Girls and the research around parenting style that led to Regina George. We reflect on our own style and role play different approaches to see the research in action. We hope you enjoy our chat and we can't wait to read your reflections, questions and tips!

Big feelings reflection part 2 is filled with heartfelt questions, reflections and tips from the amazing PCP community. We discuss tough behaviours and hurtful words, what we can say and strategies we can use to allow our kids (and us) to have big feelings without suffering from their impact on us and those around us. We hope you enjoy & thank you to everyone who contributed!

Huge reflection episode with vulnerable questions, heartfelt feedback and practical tips from listeners. We also celebrate a big milestone so thanks to the amazing PCP community for all of your support. Too many great questions to cover in one reflection so we will dive deep into big feelings again next episode!

This episode Nick and Billy chose the red pill and dive into big feelings in ourselves and our kids. We discuss whats happening with big feelings (such as anger, fear and guilt), the impact they can have on our lives and the steps of emotional self-regulation. This one felt personal for both of us but we hope it helps you too. We can't wait to read your reflections, questions and words of advice!

Once again the PCP community delivers amazing reflections, questions and advice. We talk practically about moral development, empathy and theory of mind through early childhood to late teens. There is lots of laughter, tears and hopefully some helpful guidance in how to support this important aspect of child development. Thank you to all the wonderful people who contributed!

We aim high this week with a discussion about how kids develop morals, why it matter and how we can guide them through each phase. Just like Jerry Maguire it's aspirational & emotional but we're not sure if we nailed any catchphrases. There is always the follow up episode I guess. Please send in your reflections, questions and personal tips in how we guide the kids we care about in this important part of who they become.

We couldn't do justice to all the amazing questions, feedback and reflections but we gave it our best shot. In this episode we discuss navigating challenges to attachment in early life, difficulties in older kids and teens as well as what we can do when things get too much. Thank you to every single person who sent in questions, reflections and feedback. You are the best part of PCP.

Just when we thought the PCP community couldn't get any better they go and send in some of the best questions and reflections about attachment that we could have imagined. So many in fact that we're doing a multipart reflection! In this episode we touch on sleep & attachment, at risk teens, clingy babies, breaking insecure patterns, temperament vs attachment, self-care and so much more! At the end Billy chokes through a beautiful reflection from an amazing clinician. Thank you everyone!

One of the greatest movies and one of the most important topics pair perfectly for this episode. We discuss the science of attachment, it's influence on development and mental health through childhood and adult life and how we can improve it for our kids and ourselves. We can't wait to hear your feedback, stories, questions and advice!

For this reflection episode we share stories, questions and advice from the amazing PCP community about cultivating courage in our kids. Nick and Billy discuss how the textbook theory can be applied to real life situations and end on a beautiful insight into how one therapist guides a child through these challenges in their clinic. Our longest episode yet but we hope you still enjoy it!

The real world can be a pretty scary place and we all want our kids to learn how to face these fears. In this episode Nick and Billy talk about how we can help kids develop true courage for whatever comes. Spoiler alert, the answer isn't send them out into the jungle alone! We hope you enjoy and please send in you questions, experiences growing up regarding courage and any tips you've learnt to share with the PCP community.

There were so many amazing questions following our changing behaviour episode that we recorded a second reflection episode! This time we dive into scenarios of play fighting, real fighting, perspective taking, motivation, negotiations and biting! We also share some lovely feedback and advice from our greatest asset, the PCP community. Thank you everyone and we hope you enjoy it.

We had so many phenomenal questions, feedback and advice following the latest episode that we've decided to break up the reflection into two parts. We hope you enjoy this chat about how we can use the science of how kids learn to guide them through behavioural challenges.

Behavioural difficulties are one of the most challenges aspects of supporting kids of all ages. Understanding what influences behaviour gives us insight into how we can best guide our kids when they are struggling. Just like Sidney does for Billy in White Men Can't Jump, the trick is setting them up to learn whatever skill they are struggling with, from the dribble to the dunk.

In this reflection episode we explore the challenges of breaking cycles and building wellbeing in ourselves and the kids we support. Some great examples of how to apply these principles in real life from listeners too. Thanks to everyone who contributed and we hope you enjoy the discussion.

In this episode Nick and Billy talk about how we can all get caught up in the daily grind and feel like we are stuck in a negative cycle, just like Groundhog Day! There is hope however in the evidence of positive psychology which can guide how we build our own wellbeing and that of the children in our lives. We hope you enjoy listening to the episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. Please send in your questions and suggestions about how we can all improve in terms of looking after our own wellbeing and the kids we support.

So many amazing questions this week! In rapid fire we cover starting age, changing school, homework, help seeking and building partnerships with educators. Our long questions dive into choosing the right school, kids who are struggling with peers, separation anxiety, parental guilt and so much more! Thank you to everyone who sent in questions and we hope you enjoy the episode!

In our first episode back for the year we discuss how we can support the children in our lives to succeed at school, especially in their social and emotional development. From their first days in childcare to those big school transitions there is so much we can do to set them up or help them get back on track if things have become tough. We hope you enjoy and can't wait to hear your questions!

For the first half of our Christmas special we read out our favourite Griswolds and Winslows from listeners, thank you to everyone who sent them in! Then we chat about Die Hard and the benefit of investing in the relationships that matter to us over this holiday break. Thank you to all the fans for a wonderful year!

In this reflection episode we answer listener questions about how to practically apply mental health first aid as family members and professionals supporting children. Thank you to all the generous listeners who sent in their honest and difficult situations, helping us discuss challenges such as avoidance, aggression, self-harm, suicidal thinking and our own mental health first aid.

This week Nick and Billy chat about the amazing movie Thelma & Louise, how it relates to mental illness and then dive into a practical approach to supporting kids who are struggling. We can't wait to hear what you think and read the questions you send in!

Our developmental trauma reflection episode is our longest yet and for good reason. We had so many amazing questions sent in and we hope we did them justice. Thank you to our phenomenal, honest and vulnerable community.

A tough but really important topic for us all this week. We discuss what developmental trauma is, how it impacts our kids, what we can do to protect against it and how to help children and families who have experienced it.

In our social skills episode we cover some of the amazing questions that came in about this important part of development. We dive into hitting, saying sorry, empathy, boys vs girls, the impact of childcare, conflict, shyness, neurodiversity, the role of schools, sticking up for yourself and many more. We hope you enjoy!

Grease & social skills explores how we can best support kids to succeed in their relationships from babies to teenagers and everything in between. We also also get to hear about how much Nick loves this movie!!!

So many great questions this week! We cover lots of different aspects of supporting kids who are different including how we build their strengths, create inclusive relationships and environments, use inclusive language, protect self-esteem and validate their experiences. Thank you to all who sent in their amazing insights and challenges to help us all learn together.

A single question from an amazing parent guides us this week in an emotional discussion about Forrest Gump & kids who are different. Thank you to our amazing community for you vulnerability and willingness to learn together how we can best support all children in our community.

Our siblings reflection episode takes a deeper dive into aspects of supporting siblings including jealousy, conflict, equity, neurodiversity and our own childhood sibling relationships. We end on a question from a phenomenal parent striving to build bonded relationships for the children in her care. Thank you everyone for sharing and we hope you find this episode helpful.

Legends of the Fall & siblings hopes to help guide all of us (Nick and Billy too) through the challenges of raising multiple children. We hope it helps and can't wait to get all of your feedback and amazing questions.

Wonderful questions this week going deeper into the practical application of co-regulation for different scenarios, developmental abilities and strengths. We also chat about neurodiversity, our role as parents and a phenomenal use of the movie theme in one of the long questions!! We hope you enjoy.

We are back folks! Jurassic Park & co-regulation will hopefully help guide us all in how we support our kids, including Billy!

Huge reflection episode this week with so many fantastic questions from listeners! We chat about supporting all kids in risk taking from an early age up to late teens. We cover kids who love risky situations, those who are hesitant and those who don't even seem to realize! Thank you to everyone who helped guide us for this important discussion.

One of our most requested topics is finally here! This week we chat about the adventures of Indiana Jones and risk taking. We hope you find it helpful and we are excited to get your questions which are always full of treasure!!

This week we have 20 rapid fire questions, advice from an amazing professional, our first audio question and as always a bunch of honest, vulnerable and insightful longer questions to guide us home. We hope you enjoy and thank you to the PCP community for being amazing!

We can get pretty caught up in the tough bits some times so this week Nick and Billy chat about their experience in becoming parents. For any new parents, seasoned veterans or even those supporting others in their parenting we hope you enjoy!!!