Raising Strong Children

01:30 - The ladies start off by telling us what they’re sippin’ on today. Meek and Nique are enjoying a tea blend that Monique brought back from her vacation to the Netherlands, called a Blue Detox. Nique explains it’s got some pineapple, green tea, other herbs; sounds amazing!   02:18 - Tea Topic for today! The selection from the tea jar today gives us the topic of “How are you raising strong children?” Between our hosts, there are seven, strong, different children to talk about, aged 2 years to 18 years old. To have children who are strong, independent, young people, when Meek and Nique were raised more in an age of “children are seen, not heard,” is so rewarding.   05:18 - How do we cultivate this strength and individuality in our kids? Meek and her husband are like yin and yang - they balance each other out in life and in parenting. She details how her kids are unique, how they interpret the world and react to situations, and how she coaches them through life and growth. Meek practices words of affirmation and encouragement with her children to build them up and let them realize their value.   10:15 - Nique agrees so strongly with what Meek says and does; raising their kids with love and encouragement, talking with them, strengthening their confidence, and taking the time to explain situations. Nique and her husband reinforce this with their children by emphasizing that strong and good people lift others up and look out for people in need.   12:18 - Nique’s husband entered her life when her eldest daughter was only five years old, and he helped Nique to reinforce the value of caring for others (especially those without friends) in their daughter. Lessons in how to be confident without putting others down is so critical in confidence-building and helped avoid a lot of mean-girl situations.  Her middle child, her son, has a wonderful sense of the world and exemplifies wise, gentle leadership, while Nique’s youngest daughter is a bold, studious firecracker with the funniest one-liners.    16:55 - Raising strong kids can mean some generational tension, especially with grandparents. Meek and Nique’s children are confident, truthful, and are unafraid to speak their minds (politely), which can go against the way older generations were raised and believe children should behave.    18:28 - Both Meek and Nique have common parenting themes: Giving their children autonomy over their bodies and their worlds, letting them make choices that they want to make for themselves, and encouraging them to use their voices to speak their truth (for better or for worse). 20:00 - The ladies talk about the “managed chaos” of life as mothers, how they strengthen their children and families through experience and travelling, and how to be confident out in the world, anywhere in the world. Nique shares some about her family’s experience in the Netherlands, and Meka shares her upcoming world travel plans to London and Paris!   28:00 - Meek and Nique share their Drive Tracks, what they’ve been listening to as they Uber their kids around town, to school, to activities, to… everywhere. Lately, Meka has been vibing to “Don’t Be Jealous of Me” off of the new Lion King album that Beyonce released. The afro-fusion vibes get her going! After all her world travels, Nique has been listening to Charles Bradley’s “Good To Be Back Home,” finding herself again in his soulful voice.    Make sure to follow Meek and Nique on social media!  Meka’s blog is Hanging with the Harrells and her instagram is @xomekaharrell. Nique can be found at White Coat Wifey and followed at @whitecoatwifey! Make sure to follow the show at @teawithmeekandnique on Insta to see behind-the-scenes and more content, say hello to your fearless hosts at meekandnique.com,  and tune in for the next episode!