The Happy Human Life

Have you ever wondered how to handle situations where family members label foods as "good" or "bad" in front of your children?

In this episode, we dig into the following question from our community:

"My mother-in-law is always labeling foods as good or bad in front of our daughter. She came home yesterday telling me that Grammy said, 'All I eat is junk food.' How do we handle this?"

Here’s our tip…

Empower kids by educating them about the nutritional content of foods.

There's no such thing as inherently "good" or "bad" foods. Instead, it's about understanding the macro and micronutrients that foods provide (or lack).

By emphasizing education over stigmatization, we equip children with the tools they need to develop a healthy relationship with food so they don’t fall victim to the diet culture that so many of us were raised in.

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore our growing library of self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days! Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

Are you struggling with disciplining your children? Do you often find yourself using threats or removal of privileges as a quick fix to stop unwanted behavior?

You're not alone! In this episode, we dive deep into the common parenting problem: "Should I be using removal punishment with my kids, or are there better ways?"

We all know how challenging parenting is, and it's easy to feel like you're running out of tools when your kids misbehave. We often turn to threats or punishments, like taking away toys or screen time, because it seems to be effective in the moment. But is this really the best strategy? Let’s dig in!

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days! Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

Are you struggling to manage screen time in your household? Wondering how much is too much for your kids?

In this episode, we explore the often asked question, "How much screen time is appropriate for my kids?" and we share our personal experiences and tips on finding the right balance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidelines and limitations, but like many parents, we often find that screen time can be a valuable tool. Whether it’s bonding over a family movie or using a kid-friendly show to keep them occupied while we handle essential jobs, screens can play an important role in our daily parenting practices.

It's all about setting limits while also being flexible and understanding the needs of your family.

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days! Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

“I’ve heard about helicopter versus free range parenting and I’m having a hard time finding a balance. How much freedom should we give our kids?”

In this episode, we dig into the world of parenting styles as we discuss helicopter vs. free-range parenting.

If you're struggling to find the right balance of freedom and guidance for your children, this one's for you!

We start off with a quick overview of what helicopter parenting and free-range parenting involve, and then discuss how much freedom is too much. We dive into the challenges of balancing control with independence, and how to tailor your approach to best suit your kid's age and maturity.

You’ll gain practical tips on how to be supportive of your kid’s interests and self-expression without overstepping, learning how to model flexibility, acceptance, and support. Let's dig in!

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days! Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

In this episode, we dive into a topic that every parent grapples with: kids testing boundaries.

We discuss the challenging moments when our kids push limits and how we should respond to them.

Is constant kindness and support realistic? Should empathy and understanding be unconditional?

We all face those tough parenting moments when our kids are confrontational or are just getting under our skin and it's natural to wonder if we need to maintain a facade of “perfect” patience and understanding.

Whether you’re a new parent or have been in the trenches for years, we provide insights into managing and understanding our kid’s boundary-testing behaviors. Let's dig in!

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days! Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

In this "burning question" episode, we remind ourselves that our young children are still in the process of developing a slew of skills, so even though they don’t always follow directions immediately, we need to approach these situations with patience and empathy.

We discuss the importance of first connecting with your child, spending a few minutes in their world before expecting them to engage in yours.

Our goal is to move away from traditional fear-based parenting and towards more connection-based parenting. But what does this look like in practice?

We provide actionable tips like breaking tasks down into small, manageable steps, as well as offering choices to tap into their innate need for autonomy and control.

Whether you're struggling to get your child up in the morning or battling the dreaded bedtime resistance, we’re here to help!

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days!

Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

In this "burning question" episode we talk about how we can ease sibling rivalry and dial up the sharing.

We dig into why being a bit possessive is totally normal and how to gently steer our kids toward more sharing.

We encourage cooperative play (think fun stuff like building forts and playing board games) to build the skills of turn-taking, teamwork, compromise, and flexibility.

Also, we share how we should lead by example (i.e., model the behaviors we want to see) and set clear family expectations around the concept of sharing.

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days!

Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

In this "burning question" episode we dig into the common (yet challenging) area of preschooler behavior.

If you're struggling with your 3-year-old's emotional rollercoaster, just know… you're not alone!

It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed when our little ones are pushing, hitting, or roaring, but our first major takeaway…

Let’s forget the idea that your kid needs “fixing”... and instead… let's focus on how we can adapt their environment to better meet their needs.

We share our own toddler’s journey at preschool where some simple adjustments transformed his experience and also discuss the power of co-regulation (e.g., offering calming activities and support to guide them through their storms).

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days! 

Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

In this "burning question" episode, we share strategies to nurture your kids' self-esteem.

We discuss how we need to first validate their feelings while promoting a growth mindset that encourages effort and perseverance.

From specific praise to modeling confidence and resilience, we share our practical tips that’ll help your child develop a more positive self-image like engaging in confidence-boosting activities and the importance of celebrating small wins to promote self-efficacy.

✨Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Come explore all of our self-paced workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days!

Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg

In this "burning question" episode, we discuss common triggers that lead to sibling conflicts and offer practical strategies to support your kids (and yourself) during these challenging moments.

It's important that we reframe these conflicts as opportunities for learning rather than viewing our kids as being "mean". Understanding that they're still developing conflict resolution skills can help us approach these situations with a bit more empathy and some much-needed patience.

When we’re in the middle of a conflict, the most important thing that we can do is stay calm, and as we like to say, “stay on their team”. We need to remember that their emotional regulation and problem-solving skills will be lacking in the moment, so we should focus on helping them regulate their emotions instead of assigning blame or dishing out punishments.

Proactively, we can model what collaborative problem-solving looks like by engaging in cooperative activities that promote teamwork and communication. By practicing “getting on each other's team” in low-stakes situations, we'll be helping them build the skills of flexibility and compromise that they’ll need to resolve conflicts throughout their lives.

✨ Looking for more support? Come grow with us in The Happy Human Collective, our education and support community.

✅ Access all our interactive workshops, live virtual meetups, and group chat threads free for 7 days!

Tap here to learn more.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

-Jenilee and Greg