Raise A Legend Podcast

Family dinners are far less about the quality of your cooking and far more about the quality of time you spend with your kids. Here are my 15 overlooked benefits of having regular family meals together. Bon Appétit!

Today we tackle the key differences and similarities between 504 Plans and IEPs — how they help students with special needs and disabilities and how, in some cases, they can fail them. Let’s break down your child’s rights and your parental privileges.

New school years bring new challenges — including getting the kids up in the morning and ready for school while still managing to prepare for your own day. But you can find success if you start these easy back to school routines that end bad habits.

There are different kinds of lies, but only a few reasons why kids tell them. And your reaction might be what’s encouraging your child to lie even more. Let’s look at why kids lie, how to avoid it and some creative punishments that might stop future lies.

ESE students can be diagnosed with ADHD, Dyslexia or many other conditions — including giftedness. And it’s not uncommon to have more than one exceptionality, and a 2E student qualification. But what does that mean and how does it affect gifted children?

Back to school time is one of the most expensive times of the year — and recent surveys show that it's impacting more than they admit. But you can avoid the stresses — and teach your child a valuable lesson at the same time.

Your child's diet affects way more than his or her physical appearance. It can reduce the risk of some diseases and is scientifically proven to increase performance in and out of the classroom. Plus, the habits you can teach will impact your child forever

There are many reasons why girls tend to enjoy reading more than boys. Some are biological, others are scientific and many are related to parental habits. Today, we're breaking them down and giving tips on how to get even the most stubborn boy reading.

No parent wants to imagine their child encountering life-threatening school violence. But have you prepared your son or daughter in case the unthinkable happens? Learn what schools are doing to keep your child safe and what you can do to help your child.

Bullying comes in many forms, but it mostly happens when parents aren't around to defend their child. And since most kids are hesitant to admit to being bullied, parents needs to follow these steps to ensure their child's happiness and safety.

Pet ownership brings lots of responsibility — but it can also include numerous health benefits for your child that you might not expect. We also dig into the best ways teachers can add a pet to their classroom.

There’s a long span between the last day of school and the first day of the next school year — so much time that kids can forget much of what they learned last year. Here are ways you can keep your child from experiencing summer learning loss.

Raising a successful child means also raising a child who is tolerant of other races, genders, ideas and lifestyles. And doing that is a lot easier than you think — and you can do it almost exclusively in your own home.

Politicians and fathers alike spent nearly 60 years unsuccessfully trying to kill the idea of Father's Day. The reason they didn't want the celebration might surprise you — and it has a LOT to do with the success of Mother's Day.

If your child struggles with confidence — or doesn't want to try new things — the answer may be simply giving him or her permission to try. It might sound weird, but it works.

I’m digging back for some stories from some wild parent-teacher conferences that didn’t quite go as planned — so that you can learn what NOT to do when advocating for your child in front of his or her teacher.

No child is born knowing how to set and achieve realistic goals. It's a learning process that takes time, practice, and failure to figure out. But you can speed up the process and help your child reach his or her goals faster and more effectively.

Parenting is both weird and wonderful — as proven by these strange facts that you might not know — but should. How many diapers will you change in your first two years as a parent? What's the largest baby ever born? The answers might surprise you.

Mother's Day's roots took hold just before the American Civil War. But several years later, the very lady who fought to get the holiday recognized became the person who dedicated her life to having the celebration removed from calendars around the country

How much of your family history does your child know about? Most children know very little. But, when they do learn about their lineage, they become empowered and obtain a sense of responsibility that they're now the keeper of their family's name.

Spring weather makes this the best time of year to get outside and create a new family hobby that will not only be fun and create memories, but teach everyone incredible lessons — like that caterpillars have a great sense of humor.

Math anxiety affects more than 50% of our population — but it isn't those numbers or symbols that causes the anxiety. Learn how you can help your child get a good feeling about math — and maybe learn a few things for yourself along the way.

You don't want your child to be the person who folds under pressure, right? So how do you teach a kid to handle feelings they don't typically experience? Follow these steps and it's easier than you think.

Today, we answer a listener question about opting a child out of state-sponsored standardized testing and look at the real purpose of such tests — and how they often don't have students' best interests in mind.

Grades have been around since the early 1800s and, despite all of that history, they still fail to capture their intended purpose. Instead of showing a student's educational progress, they often highlight things that parents don't realize.

Author and education expert Kerry McDonald joins us to talk about her journey “Unschooling” her children — and how you can raise independent, thoughtful kids outside of the traditional classroom.

Richard J. Polimeni, Chair fo the College Savings Foundation, joins us to talk about ways you can maximize the tax benefits of your child's education fund, as well as how to start a fund and tips for reducing costs and maximizing savings.

Forget vitamins, supplements, beauty treatments or gym memberships. Here's how you and your family can use sleep to overcome many of the issues that affect your everyday life. There's more science behind it than you think and the results are astounding.

Dr. Lilach Saperstein tackles several hearing-related topics, including newborn hearing screenings, how to keep your child's ears clean and healthy and what those headphones you wear are really doing to your auditory health

Leah Russin and Renee Diresta of Vaccinate California join us to talk all things vaccinations. Are they safe? What are the potential risks? And what about all of those negative stories you read about online — you may be surprised with where they come from

STEM inclusion advocate, and former White House Senior Policy Advisor, Ruthe Farmer joins us to talk about gender bias in the sciences and where it stems from. Farmer also shares ways that even non-techy parents can get their kids involved in the sciences.

Tony Pelaez, Director of Innovation at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry gives us a behind the scenes tour of creating exhibits that amaze and excite visitors of all ages — and gives tips on how to get your child excited about science and technology

Emotional Intelligence or intellectual intelligence — which is more important and which helps our children go further in life? While there's no single correct answer, we're digging in today to break both down to show the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Global travel expert Keith Waldon joins us to share stories of traveling with his daughter from the time she was young and gives insights on ways that your travel plans can shape your family bonds and help mold your children into Global Citizens.

How much screen time is too much? Is one screen better than the other? Author Anya Kamenetz joins us to discuss her book "The Art of Screen Time" and the research she's conducted on how television, internet and video game consumption affects children.

UrbanSitter.com co-founder Lynn Perkins dives into the often overlooked benefits of hiring a babysitter and the age when most parents look to hire a sitter. As a successful Momtrepreneur, Perkins also shares her business tips to inspire fellow parents.

Does that little voice in your or your child's head say that you're not lovable, good enough or worthy? Mindset mentor, and award-winning author, Jacqui Letran is here with confidence-boosting tips that can turn that bully into your new best friend.

Ray talks about the science and psychology behind why goals and resolutions often fail and introduces the Right Now Resolution — a free 5-day challenge designed to help families improve their communication, health and overall well-being.

Today, we're looking at every detail of the different kinds of gifted education programs — How they test, how they work and how your child can get involved in them — even if he or she doesn't initially qualify. Subscribe, review and share!

Do you ever feel like you're not good enough as a parent? These common feelings are ones we trick ourselves into thinking. Special guest April FitzGerald shares her previous struggles as a young mother and the ways the media makes us expect more from moms.

How much does it cost to be a parent? When is the most expensive stage of parenthood? The answers may surprise you. We're using our research and recent studies from Merrill Lynch to find the true cost of parenting — beyond just sleep and sanity.

Parents have lots of social media concerns: Should you share pictures of your new baby online? When is the right time for a child to create a social media profile? And how should we monitor or child's online activity without smothering them?

If you're like most parents, you know what your child's answer will be when you ask "how was school today?" It's the same every day and won't ever change — unless we learn how to communicate with our children in ways that encourage their desire to talk.

Habits are a powerful predictor of future success, and you can help your child develop habits to improve his or her time management, patience and focus. Make a good habit of your own by hitting "subscribe" so you can catch every episode of Raise a Legend

In this session, we'll examine how to improve study habits by using what motivates your child to do his or her best. Ray gives you his personal study system that carried from 2nd grade through college so that you can use it with your child.

Ray FitzGerald shares how parents can teach the proper leadership qualities for students so their child can take charge instead of following the pack. Hit "subscribe" so you don't miss future episodes. Your child will one day thank you for it!

Welcome to the first episode of Raise a Legend, a podcast by former teacher of the gifted, Ray FitzGerald. Join as we discover what separates high-achieving children from their peers. Hit "subscribe" so you don't miss future episodes!