The Self-Driven Child: An Interview with Ned Johnson

In this episode, Ned and I discuss the “parent as consultant” way of approaching raising children. It’s important to not solve all your kids' problems, they need to build those skills themselves to face issues in a constructive and thoughtful way.  We also discuss stress and how we all need to learn how to deal with it. As a parent, guardian or teacher, we all need to model self-care to manage our stress levels so our children can watch, learn and mimic that behavior. The topics we cover in this episode are: Why it’s important for kids to feel a sense of control Being the parent and a consultant How important play is Why you should let young people solve their own problems How to be that non-anxious presence in a Child's life Remaining calm in stressful situations Understanding that your kids want their lives to be great too About The Guest - Ned Johnson Ned Johnson is an author, speaker, and founder of PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning, and standardized test preparation. A professional “tutor-geek” since 1993 and battle-tested veteran of test prep, stress regulation and student performance, Ned has spent nearly 50,000 one-on-one hours helping students conquer an alphabet of standardized tests, learn to manage their anxiety, and develop their own motivation to succeed. With Dr. William Stixrud, Ned co-authored The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and What Do You Say? How To Talk With Kids To Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home. Ned is the host of the PrepTalks podcast: conversations with parenting and education experts. A sought-after speaker and teen coach on study skills, sleep deprivation, parent-teen dynamics, and test anxiety, and his work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC, and many others.  Website - theselfdrivenchild.com Instagram - @theothernedjohnson Ned’s Resource - Top 10 Tips from The Self-Driven Child: https://prepmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SDC_Talk_Handout-1.pdf About The Host - Janine Halloran Janine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play’ which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit: https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletter The Coping Skills Hub has everything you need to teach kids coping skills, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hub If you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkids Connect with Janine on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janinehalloranlmhc Instagram @janine_halloran and @copingskillsforkids YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JanineHalloranLMHC Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/encourageplay/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janine-halloran-43787b7b/