A Family Chat
Explore parenting principles through vivid and honest family stories of a blended family with eight children. The host, Becky Olsen, shares stories of divorce, step parenting, and mothering that she has learned from two and a half decades of parenting.
Episodes
28 episodes
Books as Fuel: Unity in parenting in a second marriage by expanding your knowledge
In this episode, Becky discusses the importance of seeking knowledge to fuel innovative parenting.
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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9:01
A Chinese Foot Massage: Unity in parenting in a second marriage by prioritizing the marriage
In this episode, Becky discusses ways to prioritize your marriage. This is a critical foundation and the first in a series of episodes on creating unity in parenting in a blended family.
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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10:47
A Borrowed Christmas Tree: Involving children in family councils
In this episode, Becky shares stories that illustrate how family councils can create family unity and curb contention.
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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9:08
Talk it Out: Making your feelings visible to calm anxiety and build emotional resilience
In this episode, Becky talks about daily conversations that reveal helpful thinking routines so children can build emotional resilience and social confidence.
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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13:23
The Tennis Shoes Blunder: Getting curious to avoid false assumptions
In this episode, Becky talks about the importance of staying open and curious so we don't make false assumptions about our kids.
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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3:45
Take a Photo: Maintaining your child's support network
It can be particularly challenging to maintain extended family relationships in a blended family. In this episode, Becky gives recommendations for how to nurture your children's support network so they can feel grounded and secure.
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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8:32
Monsters or Friends: The power of words
In this episode, Becky shares principles of communication that show how words can unify or divide.
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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6:46
The Gift of Charity: How personal healing supports parenting
In this episode, Becky discusses how her search to understand charity led her on a path to healing after her divorce. She emphasizes the role that her faith in Jesus Christ played in this healing, and how that healing helped her in parenting.
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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9:15
The Value of a Dime: Teaching money skills to young children
In this episode, Becky discusses foundational questions to consider as you decide how to approach teaching money skills to young children. She shares a story about her children and how they learned to "change the world" through a charity fund.
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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12:50
Decision Moments: Fostering emotional regulation in children
In this episode, I share how a simple lanyard helped my son learn emotional regulation.
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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7:16
Responding to the Right Person: Turning away from contention and toward healing
In this episode, Becky gives two examples of how responding to the inner child led to healing.
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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4:42
Serving up Confidence: Integrating service to connect children to family, friends, and community
In this episode, Becky outlines principles and many, many ideas for family service opportunities.
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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14:02
Nontraditional Traditions: Creating a sense of belonging in a blended family
In this episode, we talk about celebrating nontraditional times in order to create a strong family identity and a sense of belonging in a blended family.
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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6:11
Family Work: Balancing individual and family responsibilities
In this episode, we discuss how to promote family work in the family while maintaining personal responsibility.
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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8:35
CASH: Nurturing social skills in our children
In this episode I give several examples of how to nurture social skills in our children so they can act with more confidence.
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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11:45
Stairwell Talks and Table Time: Counseling with our children to achieve personal and family goals
This episode focuses on the need for counseling with our children so they can stay in the driver's seat of their life.
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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8:55
Family, Friends, and Faith: Using moments of reflection to empower children
In this episode I share how pausing for moments of reflection with our children can help them identify the resources they have to help them through hard times.
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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6:57
Turkeys and Technology: Supporting kids in pursuing their interests
In this episode, we talk about how to support our children in pursuing their own interests instead of pushing the parent's agenda.
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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8:16
Mirrors and Missing Snacks: Putting pride aside to teach natural consequences
In this episode, we talk about how to, as parents, put our own emotions aside and focus on the learning and growth of our child.
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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9:22
Buy the Mangos: Treating those who hurt us with kindness
A brief interaction in the grocery store taught me great principles about making decisions that are consistent with my values and beliefs.
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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6:31
A Paper Toolbox: Empowering children to work things out
This episode gives ideas for young children and then for teens on how to find their own solutions to difficult situations and strong emotions.
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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11:00
Dinner Games: The power of mundane daily activities
In this episode I talk about how simple daily activities can transform a family.
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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8:44
Backwards Planning: A key to preserving peace
This episodes addresses the need for planning--backwards planning--to preserve peace as our families live many transition and potentially high-emotion moments in a day.
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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7:36