uh-PARENT-ly

Anne and Tracy have always centered their podcast episodes around topics in the news, at the soccer field, or in their mom groups. This particular episode, however, is highly personal and painful for both of them. Last month Tracy’s brother-in-law died unexpectedly, leaving behind his wife and three young kids. He and Tracy’s sister actually […]

As families of high school seniors navigate things like college visits or the “Common App” this fall, it could be helpful to revisit an episode from Season Six. uh-PARENT-ly co-hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talked to Ron Lieber, the Your Money columnist for the New York Times, about his book, The Price You Pay for […]

Whether from headlines or tweets or conversations with friends, the message lately has been clear: Inflation is on the rise. But the price of gas and groceries is nothing compared to the cost of childcare. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, since 1990 childcare costs have risen 214 percent while the average family income has […]

According to a recent poll conducted by John Zogby Strategies, 56 percent of adults say concern for their public safety has influenced their decision not to go out. Reports of carjackings and random shootings bombard the news. Just outside of Chicago, two days before Christmas, a mall shooting left four people injured and thousands of shoppers stranded […]

Human beings are prone to negativity bias. Scientists have discovered that for every negative emotional experience you have, you need at least three positive ones to offset it.  A three to one ratio.  Feels like a big hole to dig out of, right?  Positive Psychology researchers have conducted more than 200 studies with more than […]

According to a new book, the average teen spends nine hours a day on a screen. Nine hours. Even more alarming, we continue to learn about BIG TECH companies (like Facebook and Instagram) and their algorithms that hijack our kids’ attention. Snapstreaks, Likes, Shares, you name it: These manipulative measures lead to more screen time. One […]

More than 55 million children will be heading back to elementary, middle or high school this fall. And after the last year and a half, they might be carrying more than pencils and notebooks in their “backpacks.”  Dr. John Duffy, clinical psychologist and author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts […]

This past year has been incredibly challenging for many families, and mental health has really become a top priority. Dr. Michelle Borba, author of Thrivers: Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine, joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about how kids can cope with adversity and deal with whatever […]

With COVID-19 and lots of “together time” at home, there may be more shut doors. This week uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner talk to Michelle Icard, educator and author of a new book, Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School.  […]

As COVID-19 upended daily life, many families wondered why they were writing large checks for tuition, room and board to send their kids off to college for remote classes or very limited in-person connections.  In the first episode of Season Six, uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Ron Lieber, the Your Money columnist for the […]

When uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos left the studio in March of 2020, they thought they’d see each other again the next week. They were wrong.  Now after months of watching the world spin out of control, they’ve figured out a way to join the conversation. (Tracy could use a windscreen on her microphone, but BABY STEPS.) Here’s a quick […]

When boys enter puberty, they tend to get quiet, and parents need to interpret their monosyllabic signals. Dr. Cara Natterson is a pediatrician, consultant, and New York Times bestselling author. Her latest book is Decoding Boys: New Science Behind the Subtle Art of Raising Sons. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos with advice about talking to our sons the way we talk to our daughters.

The season for influenza runs from October until April. That means we’re in the thick of it. How can you keep your family healthy, and what can you do to shorten any illnesses your kids do bring home? Dr. Anita Chandra, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, joins uh-PARENT-ly, cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about everything from preventing the flu from spreading through your whole house to finding mental health resources for your teen to testing babies for vision loss. Oh. And tummy time.

What’s the single most important thing parents can do for their children? A new book suggests it’s a matter of simply “showing up.” But that means a lot more than cheering on the sidelines, cooking dinner and serving on the PTA. Dr. Dan Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and co-author of The Power of Showing up: How Parental Presence Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about how parents can learn to really see their children in a way that fosters long-term security, empathy and happiness.

Dr. Sharon Saline is a clinical psychologist and the author of What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about ADHD, executive functioning skills, and learning differences in children, teens, college-age adults and families.

Today’s kids are bombarded by expectations of success without the tools to cope with failure. Some of them become risk-averse, while others find ways to take shortcuts. Adam Russo, author of Unwritten Rules, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about how parents can help by delaying gratification, embracing the uncomfortable and working through emotions.

Thinking of getting your kid a smartphone for the holidays? Maybe you’re contemplating allowing Instagram or Snapchat or TikTok. Before you open that door, you should know what to expect. Devorah Heitner, founder of Raising Digital Natives and author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about how technology can help rather than threaten our kids.

Thinking about putting a furry or feathered friend under the Christmas tree or next to the menorah? You might want to avoid impulsive decisions. Did you know rabbits have acrophobia (fear of heights), and Amazon Parrots can live for 75 years? Are there "baby steps" to getting a dog? Are certain breeds better for your family's lifestyle? Is there a right age to consider getting a pet? Renowned pet expert Steve Dale joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about the world of pets.

According to research from the University of Oregon, comic books average 53.5 rare, or complex, words per 1,000. Children's books average 30.9, and adult books average 52.7 per 1,000. Studies also have found that graphic texts promote learning and better reading comprehension. Raina Telgemeier, best-selling author of Smile, Sisters, Drama, Ghosts and newly released Guts, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about the genre and how she so beautifully connects with her readers.

Food allergies are on the rise in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. Managing these allergies requires more than reading labels. Psychologist Gianine D. Rosenblum tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos families with food allergies navigate a rigorous set of behaviors with a palpable amount of anxiety.

Think back to your days in the classroom. Did you get a “participation grade?” How was it calculated – by quantity or quality? Kids today are asked to behave like extroverts, but 25-40 percent of the population is introverted. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Priscilla Gilman, author of The Anti-Romantic Child: A Story of Unexpected Joy and columnist for Quiet Revolution, about unlocking the power of introverts in a way that benefits everyone.

A federal study released by the Centers for Disease Control shows 27.5 percent of high school students have used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Now the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state and local health departments are investigating a multistate outbreak of lung disease associated with e-cigarette use. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner talk to Dr. MeiLan K. Han, professor of internal medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System and spokesperson for the American Lung Association, about the dangers of vaping and how parents can educate their kids.

About 2.7 million grandparents in the United States are the primary caregivers for children in their households. Long working hours for young parents, along with the rising costs of professional childcare, have transformed grandparents from occasional babysitters to critical safety nets. Susan Newman, PhD, is a social psychologist and the author of more than a dozen books including Under One Roof Again: All Grown Up And (Re)Learning To Live Together Happily and The Book of No: 365 Ways to Say it and Mean it―and Stop People-Pleasing Forever. She tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos how to navigate the tension when formerly parent-child relationships become adult-adult ones.

Young people today deal with so much more than the generations before them. They’re exposed to information, thoughts, emotions and pressures they’re not prepared to process. Dr. John Duffy, author of The Available Parent and his brand new book, Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos typical “teen parenting” tactics are dangerously out of date, but it’s not too late to for parents to catch up.

When you have a baby or toddler, the advice comes from all sides. But when your child hits the teen years, the questions increase while the resources dwindle. Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa Endlich Heffernan cofounded the number-one site for parents of teens and young adults. Now they’re offering a book called Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults. Heffernan joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to talk about this new guide for building strong relationships and helping your teens launch into adulthood.

The American Medical Association published a report in May 2019 linking social media to teen depression and calling the role of social media among adolescents “an urgent public health issue that merits further investigation.” In one five-year period, the suicide rate for girls increased 65 percent. Dr. Ana Radovic, an assistant professor of pediatrics at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to talk about how hard it is for kids to filter out the negative and how sleep plays a role in your child's mental health.

According to a study published in Pediatrics, 42 percent of Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 have seen PORN. And 66 percent of those kids reported unwanted or accidental exposure. Dan Rice, interim executive director of Answer at Rutgers University, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to discuss parenting strategies around "the pornography talk."

Kelly and Miguel Cervantes join uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to talk about what parenthood looks like for couples navigating endless doctors, tests and treatments in search of answers for their medically fragile children. Kelly and Miguel are trying to help their daughter Adelaide, who suffers from infantile spasms and epilepsy.

Bullying doesn't look like it did 30 years ago. Kids these days have no relief after the school bell rings because bullies continue online. Detective Rich Wistocki from Be Sure Consulting joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner again -- this time to talk about the apps kids use on their classmates and the apps parents can use to monitor their kids’ digital devices. Also: Rich has an interesting take on sleepovers...

Parents want their kids to grow, thrive and learn to take care of themselves, and that happens through hundreds and thousands of life lessons. Some of those lessons might come in the form of self-defense: teaching our kids to overcome actual physical dangers. Jen Zanotti is an esthetician and wellness coach, the host of podcast Getting Zen with Jen Z, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete and teacher. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about how what happens on the mat affects her students’ lives in every way.

According to the National Organization of Women, 53 percent of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies” by age 13. That number grows to 78 percent by the time girls reach 17. How can parents help their kids accept and even celebrate what they see in the mirror? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to licensed clinical social worker Gina Graham about why parents need to quit body shaming themselves and start modeling healthy behavior. Hint: Put on your swimsuit!

Journalist Belinda Luscombe has been writing about relationships at TIME for more than a decade, so when she came out with Marriageology: The Art and Science of Staying Together, uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos couldn’t wait to talk to her. Luscombe uses six F-words to describe the obstacles all partners must overcome. (No, not that F-word.) The book combines research, humor and brutal honesty about making marriage work.

uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Colleen Curtis, Head of Community and Marketing at The Mom Project, about a new effort to connect talented women (and some men) with world-class employers who respect work-life balance.

June 20, 2019 is No Small Matter Day in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued the proclamation to increase awareness of a new documentary about early childhood. According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, during the first few years of life, a child forms more than one million new neural connections every second. That means every interaction counts, but not every child has access to those interactions. Cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos start season four of uh-PARENT-ly talking to writer and filmmaker Greg Jacobs about the childcare crisis in America.

Should college women wear leggings to church? What about moms at school drop-off? What can sports failures teach our kids about life? And, speaking of life, how can we balance work commitments with family time? Heidi Stevens writes the Balancing Act column for the Chicago Tribune, where she has worked since 1998. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to dish about all things parenting.

Kristin Russo cofounded Everyone Is Gay and My Kid Is Gay, both organizations that provide advice, guidance, and education to LGBTQIA youth and their families. She also is the co-author of This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids. She tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos that parents and kids will make mistakes, but that's OK.

Have you heard the term “mompreneur?” It refers to a mom who merges parenting with business. Lindsay Pinchuk did just that when she founded Bump Club and Beyond. Now the site serves parents and almost-parents across the country with blog posts, webinars and live events. Lindsay joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about building her community and helping parents get ready for the arrival of their bundles of joy.

Everyone knows death is unavoidable. But does it have to be a dinner-table topic? What do you do when your child comes home asking about a school shooting or the murder of 5-year-old A. J. Freund? How do you break the news that Grandpa "went to heaven?" Barbara Coloroso, author of Parenting Through Crisis: Helping Kids in Times of Loss, Grief and Change, tells uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos about the importance of honesty…and listening.

Everyone’s road to parenthood is unique. One in eight couples has trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. It’s intended to increase awareness surrounding infertility, which affects the reproductive systems of both women and men. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Rebecca Flick, vice president of communications and programs at RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, to learn about support and advocacy for couples facing challenges and stressors in their family-building journey.

As college admissions letters roll in, many students are facing the biggest decisions of their lives. Add to that the fallout from the admissions scandal involving dozens of parents, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, and the stakes get even higher. The story made uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos wonder just how valuable enrollment in a selective college is. They talked to Paul Franz, a research associate with Challenge Success, who co-wrote a study that shatters the college-rankings myth.

Is our culture’s narrow definition of masculinity harming our boys and men? What does it mean to “man up” or “be a man?” The Mask You Live In documents the pressures boys face: to disconnect from emotions, to devalue friendships, to degrade women and to resolve conflicts with violence. Michael G. Thompson, psychologist and author of the New York Times best-selling book Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, contributed to the documentary. He tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos boys need to learn and practice social literacy.

Cassie Cresswell is co-director of Raise Your Hand, a grassroots parent group advocating for high-quality public education in Illinois. She tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos the lack of information about what’s being collected and by whom is alarming.

Analysis out of the University of Maryland shows the divorce rate in America dropped by 18 percent between 2008 and 2016. That's in part because Americans are waiting to get married, and people married at older ages are less likely to get divorced. But according to the American Psychological Association, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States still end up divorced. Jackie Pilossoph is the creator of the divorce blog DIVORCED GIRL SMILING. She also writes the column “Love Essentially” for the Chicago Tribune Pioneer Press. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about when, why and how to divorce while raising children.

Did you see the Microsoft Super Bowl ad? It features kids with physical differences who love playing video games and who now can benefit from an adaptive controller. Jennifer Manley happens to be the mom of one of those kids, Grover. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to talk about parenting a child who is “limb different” and how Grover has turned what might have been an obstacle into a gift.

The American Medical Association is urging big social media and technology companies to help stop vaccine misinformation. In a letter to the CEOs of Facebook, Pinterest, Amazon, Google, YouTube and Twitter, the nation’s largest physician group called for a fight against anti-vaccine groups using social media to target parents. Dr. Sean O’Leary is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases and is an infectious disease specialist out of Colorado. He tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos the science speaks for itself.

Social-emotional learning provides an added dimension to education. It focuses on improving cooperation, communication and decision making. But how is it taught? And how can parents keep up with what their kids are doing in school? Barbara Burgess, COO and Chief Vision Realization Officer at the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential, tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos about the building blocks of emotional intelligence and how parents can develop their own self-awareness.

People with dyslexia have difficulty reading or interpreting words, letters and other symbols. The disorder is not a reflection of general intelligence, but it can make traditional learning very difficult. Leslie Murphy, certified academic language practitioner at Resourceful Academics, tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos what to look for and how to treat this often-undiagnosed condition.

In his 1969 book Between Parent and Teenager, Dr. Haim Ginott talked to teenagers who said their parents hovered over them like helicopters. Since then the term “helicopter parent” has focused on overprotective parents who failed to let their children grow for fear of them being hurt. Now a new book suggests “helicoptering” has some merits. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to economist Matthias Doepke of Northwestern University, who co-authored with Fabrizio Zilibotti of Yale University, the new book, Love, Money and Parenting: How Economics Explains the Way We Raise Our Kids.

If you have a teenager, or if you were a teenager, you know the twists and turns on the social-emotional path toward adulthood -- especially for girls. It was hard enough for the daughters of yesteryear, passing notes and hogging their parents’ land lines, but girls today have it much worse. Psychologist Lisa Damour, New York Times bestselling author of Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood, tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos that social media, constant connectivity and a lack of sleep all contribute to the increased stress and anxiety.  But in her new book, Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls, Damour explains why the news isn't all bad.

Do you remember playing “dress up” as a kid? Did you take orders and serve fake food in your basement “restaurant?” How about running around without supervision until it was dark? Children are doing less of that today, and uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos want to know why. They talk to Dr. Roberta Golinkoff, Professor of Education, Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Linguistics and Cognitive Science at the University of Delaware and NYT best-selling author of Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children, about how unstructured play helps children learn and grow on the way to adulthood.

Approximately 12 million women in the United States experience clinical depression each year. And during the holidays, when everyone is supposed to be happy and joyful, many suffer in silence. Meghan Kennedy, a psychologist with Edward-Elmhurst Health tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos it’s important to prioritize. Are holiday cards absolutely necessary? Do you need to “win” the white elephant? Maybe your time is better spent focusing on what’s really important.

It’s time for school, but the kids aren’t ready. You yell, “Get in the car!” Nothing happens. You yell again. And again. And again. Sound familiar? Want it to change? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Dr. Alan Kazdin, Sterling Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale, about the negative effects of yelling and how to get what you want without raising your voice.

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Here’s one: Let your kids resolve their own issues when it comes to college. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos share stories of parental interference at the highest level and admit they’re guilty (occasionally!) of overstepping. That’s why this discussion with Harlan Cohen, bestselling author of The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, is a reminder of a parent’s real job: not helping your children, but teaching them to help themselves.

Are your kids “joiners?” How many activities do you allow? Is it possible to be too involved? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos uncovered some hard truths in their conversation with Nicole Wise, author of The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap.

Warning: This episode is not safe for little ears. Do not play it in front of your kids. Have you faced the dilemma of lying about Santa? Is the Elf on a Shelf something you love…or dread? What about Mensch on a Bench? A recent Facebook thread made uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos wonder if perpetuating myths is helpful or harmful. They talked to Dr. John Duffy, clinical psychologist, certified life coach, author of The Available Parent and co-host of WGN Plus podcast Better, about maintaining a healthy balance in your child’s emotional bank account.

Do you remember the days when every season had a different sport? That’s not necessarily true anymore. The business of youth sports is forcing kids to specialize long before they’re ready. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to John O’Sullivan, author of Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is It Wise to Specialize?: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Early Sports Specialization and its Effect Upon Your Child’s Athletic Performance, about physical literacy and why the best athletes are well rounded.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of students going to college is up 28 percent since the year 2000. How does that affect the admissions process? Why are kids with straight As and perfect ACT scores being rejected? Kristen Senior, founder of The Brass Ring college consultants, gives uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos tips on choosing the right classes (AP? IB?), streamlining activities and finding a school that “fits” your kid.

If you have a child who’s struggling in school, you know the pain and frustration involved. How can parents be sure their kids are getting what they need in the classroom? Carol Dimas, director and owner of Educational Advocacy and Consulting, takes uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos through the process of creating an IEP or 504 plan and making sure teachers and administrators comply.

Do you remember learning about “the birds and the bees?” Was it a series of thoughtful conversations or a let’s-get-this-over-with monologue from Mom or Dad? Betty Barsley Marra, a health educator at Robert Crown Center, tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos sex education should start at birth and continue throughout childhood as parents look for “teachable moments.”

Have you gotten yourself mixed up in your kids’ friendships? Wondering how to navigate relationships with the parents in your kids’ circle? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talked to Joyce Marter with Urban Balance in Chicago about ways to disengage from social engineering, petty competition and overall mama drama.

You know the scene. Jimmy or Kimmy gets home from school, drags 15 pounds of books and worksheets out of an overburdened backpack and settles in for hours of pained concentration. Or maybe Jess and Tess have NO homework, and you wonder if they’re learning anything at all. How important is homework, and how much is appropriate? Homework research guru Professor Harris Cooper of Duke University tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos it depends on the age of the child.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the #MeToo movement. And in light of the recent Senate hearings to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos are wondering what to tell their children about consent and assault. Nicole Cushman is the executive director of Answer, an award-winning, national organization, providing sexuality education to millions of people every year. She talks about teaching our daughters and sons respect, and she offers resources like Amaze.org, Sexetc.org and www.scarleteen.com. uh-PARENT-ly you can talk about consent much earlier and frame it in the context your kids can understand.  Check out what this third-grade teacher in Los Angeles did with her class to begin talking about consent, tone and body language.

In September of 2018 the American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement calling for gender-affirming health care for all transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth. The policy is aimed at pediatricians trying to promote the health and positive development of young people who identify as TGD. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos admit this topic is unchartered territory for them, so they asked two parents of trans and gender-fluid kids to help them learn. Leonard Su and Liz Carlson explain the process of parenting children in flux.

Maybe someone made a snide remark about your kids’ bedtime. Or bottle feeding instead of nursing. Potty training, TV watching, food choices, hairstyles, pierced ears… Everything we do as parents is subject to scrutiny, and uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos are sick of it. Join them for a conversation with Corey Widen, the suburban Chicago mom who let her daughter walk the family dog and paid the price.

Do you give your children allowance? How often and how much? If you’re anything like uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos, you’re doing it wrong. But Ron Lieber, the Your Money columnist for The New York Times and author of The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money, says it’s never too late to start raising financially savvy kids.

Letting your children sign up for Snapchat or Instagram is like handing them the keys to your car and telling them to go ahead and drive to Vegas. That’s what child crime expert Rick Wistocki of BeSure Consulting says. The former Naperville detective joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos with chilling information about the dangers of cyberspace and what you need to do to protect your kids.

Are you up to your eyeballs in chicken nuggets? Tired of being treated like a short-order cook? Worried your children will never eat their broccoli? Join uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos as they share their mealtime struggles and get advice from Dr. Laura Jana, author of Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup.

Parents of newborns soon find out: Teaching babies to self-soothe is the key to sleeping through the night. But it’s harder than you might think. Sleep guru Dr. Marc Weissbluth, author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to explain why it’s important to start early and be consistent.

"Lice." It's the worst of the four-letter words. If you've ever dealt with the critters and their nits, you know the judgment attached. But are the stigmas true? You'd be surprised. Annette Martin, cofounder of Life Busters America, joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to explain why infestations are an annoying but harmless part of childhood.

Looking for completely screen-free fun for you and your family during road trips?  Look no further.  Podcasts are a popular way to pass the time in the car while engaging and connecting the family.  Join Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner as they share their favorite road trip memories growing up and talk to Frannie Ucciferri from Common Sense Media to review all the podcast options for every age group in your family.

Wondering what to do when your tween rolls her eyes? The answer depends on what happened before and what happens after. Dr. Lisa Damour, author of Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos with good news and bad news about adolescence and why it's your kid's job to create some space between you.

You've seen it in your kids' schools, their sports and their talent shows. Parenting today means "everyone gets a trophy," and that's creating a generation of young people who don't know how to cope with life's hard knocks. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos ask Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure, how to step back and embrace their children’s mistakes.

More than 14 million Americans attend camp each year. That’s a lot of canoeing, archery and “bug juice.” It’s also a major hurdle for moms and dads who tend to “helicopter.” Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D., is a consultant, author, and psychologist specializing in children and families. His book, "Homesick and Happy: How Time Away From Parents Can Help a Child Grow", focuses on the benefits of sleep-away camp. He joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Heuvelman Weiner and Anne Johnsos with tips for letting go.

Guess who else has an opinion about incivility on the baseball diamond? WGN's own John Williams remembers the days of rooting for his sons. And he says some things haven't changed.

Judy Pielach doesn't mess around. She remembers using money to motivate her son. Often it worked. But one time he was "robbed."

American youth sports are facing a shortage of referees and umpires. One reason why: abuse by parents and coaches. The increasingly competitive and costly culture has raised the stakes even at the level of Little League. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Heuvelman Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Dr. Bruce Svare, founder and director of the National Institute for Sports Reform and author of "Reforming Sports Before the Clock Runs Out."

In honor of Father's Day, uh-PARENT-ly asked dads to weigh in with their personal stories. Some share memories of moments with their fathers, others talk about advice their dads gave them, and others share advice they give their own children. Also: Hosts Tracy Heuvelman Weiner and Anne Johnsos trade stories about two of the best dads in the history of the world (not that they're biased or prone to exaggeration).

Ever wonder why your toddler gets in trouble for disrupting circle time? Maybe you have a kid who's being called a bully. Or a piano player who wants to quit lessons. Odds are they have something in common: anxiety. Jacqui Robbins is a teacher, writer, mother and author of picture books, The New Girl...And Me and Two of a Kind. She has a master's degree in child development and early childhood education and has been working with children for 25 years. She joins Tracy Heuvelman Weiner and Anne Johnsos with tips for getting to the bottom of children' behavior.

Remember the "good old days" when kids just smoked? Of course it was terrible for them, but at least the adults around them could smell it and react. Today's kids get their nicotine (and other chemicals) from vaping, which is like smoking an electronic cigarette with no odor or telltale signs. Join Tracy Heuvelman Weiner and Anne Johnsos as they talk to Matthew Quinn, licensed clinical professional counselor and certified alcohol and drug counselor with Rosecrance Health Network. He says the key to keeping our kids safe is education and communication.

Do you know about Fortnite? It’s a free game that centers on a last-person-standing fight for survival, and it’s being called a tech epidemic. Parents today are asking themselves what they had as kids that compares to this obsession. The answer? Nothing. Laura Tierney is founder and president of The Social Institute, a Durham-based company that […]

Have you ever heard of "ghosts in the nursery?" Apparently, the parenting styles of our moms and dads haunt us as we raise our kids. And sometimes we introduce our own ghosts to our unsuspecting children. Shanna Donhauser is a clinically trained social worker and psychotherapist who founded Happy Nest Therapy in Seattle. She joins Tracy Heuvelman Weiner and Anne Johnsos, two old-school WGN producers, as they tackle the topics of life's most difficult and rewarding job: parenting. P.S. You'll get a special slice of advice from WGN's morning-drive host, Steve Cochran.