Successful Parenting | Samantha Barkley of A Mom Around Town

Kalob talks with Samantha Barkley about parenting and how to be a successful parent. Samantha is a mom to a crazy little two year old, wife of 7 years and creator of A Mom Around Town.Enjoy!About SamanthaWebsite: A Mom Around TownFull-time EngineerA Mom Around Town is a side hustleMarried 7 years2.5 year-old sonParenting: The hardest jobIt requires self sacrificeIt demands so much more than some of the most difficult jobs“It’s all kinds of hard”Advice for starting out as a parentListen to yourself!There are so many opinions and mixed messages. “Take what works for you and leave the rest behind.”“Be confident in yourself” Advice for DadsIt can be easy to feel like you don’t have a role as a parent. Get in there! Be involved in the parenting. Make opportunities to spend time with the kids and give your spouse a break. Both parents should work together.Expectations vs. RealityReality - Expectations = HappinessExpectations erode at the reality of situationsThings aren’t going to be perfectHigh expectations set ourselves up for failureLet your kids be kidsDon’t compare yourself to everyone you see on instagramComparisonIt’s easy to compare your kids with other’s kids. Comparison is part of our human natureRecognize the comparison and that it is okayEvery kid has different gifts and talentsThe Happiness GuideGet the guide here7 Focus PointsEach morning, use a new Happiness Guide template. Write in the date and choose ONE of the 7 Steps to Happiness to focus on for the day.PrayServeMoveBreatheTalkRelaxPriorityPreparing for TeensSet the stage! The things you do when a child is young affect how they turn out when they’re older.Model how you want them to be.5 Love Languages - Gary ChapmanParenting to your kidsEvery kid is differentOur job is to help our kids be successful in lifeWhile they won’t always be happy, we need to help them progress.Give children choices!Let them have power and accountabilitySet the boundaries and let them live where they want in the boundaries. Decide what is non-negotiableDisciplineThe language of listeningPositive ParentingEvery kid is differentExperiment and figure out what forms of discipline your child responds to. Make consequences logical and related to the behavior.Give yourself grace! :)Connect with SamanthaA Mom Around TownFacebookInstagramFollow Jacob:WebsiteLinkedInTwitter: @jacob_m_harmonFollow Kalob:LinkedInFollow SuccessQuest:WebsiteBlogFacebook PageCommunity (Facebook Group)LinkedInTwitter: @MySuccessQuestSupport SuccessQuestWe work incredibly hard to create our podcast, newsletter, Facebook group and more. ALL of these resources are 100% FREE and we wouldn't have it any other way. We believe that success should be accessible to everyone!Support our showListen & SubscribeApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsOvercastSpotifyWe’d love to hear from you!Have some feedback about the show? Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or your favorite app to help more people discover the show!