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Being there for your kids

by Jonathan C. Robinson, PhD

Parenting is the most important job we have for which we almost never have any training. This podcast offers glimpses into effective parenting choices and communication.

From the show's RSS feed, refreshed Oct 18, 2026. Source feed.

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Episodes

  1. Being grateful for the bad stuff is part of healing

    It's easy to be grateful for the good stuff in our lives. We got lucky. We're living right. We're making good decisions. But what about the bad stuff. That's what keeps us stuck. Learning to soar on our healing journey begins with embracing the bad stuff and seeing how we grew from it. Find out…

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  2. Looking for Stress Relief--Try Becoming a Mompreneur

    Did you know you could become a "Mompreneur?" It's a fun and lucrative way to stay at home and provide for your children, while also adding to the family income. My good friend and colleague, Emily Graham (www.mightymoms.net) shared with me tips on becoming a mompreneur. And now I pass them on to...

  3. Positivity as a Source of Healing

    Do you typically find yourself bogged down in what's wrong? Or are you in search of what's right in your life. Focusing on the positive can make a huge difference in affect, activity, and accomplishment. Amanda's healing journey from stuck in depression to soaring in positivity is chronicled in…

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  4. Life Choices that Change Who You Are

    Lots of life choices chang who we are. Where to go to school. Who to marry. Having children. Add to the list your choice to get started in counseling or psychotherapy. In this podcast I share tips about what to include in finding an effective therapist. I also identify how mentalligent...

  5. Are You Loving Yourself?

    Loving yourself is both a skill and an art. It leads to increased self-esteem and self-confidence. It helps you soar as you overcome adversity. With mentalligent psychotherapy (MPT) patients can learn to love themselves through the seamless weaving of mindfulness, positive psychology, and…

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  6. Are You Raising Capable Kids?

    We need a degree, certification, license, or other such credentials to do our jobs. We get nothing to help us learn to be good parents. What's with that? In this podcast, I'm sharing with you one of the hallmarks of effective parenting. For more examples, buy your copy of my new book, The Healing...

  7. Kids Say the Darnedest Thinngs

    The most wonderful, curious, and confusing thing about parenting is what kids come up with. Each exchange is a challenge. Do you impart wisdom? scold? challenge? Or do you just go with it? My daughter, Rachel, asked me a question when she was 7 years old. "Who peed in your cornflakes?" Whoa!!…

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  8. Are You Benefiting from Neurogenesis?

    There's a word you don't hear very often. When your brain is working as it is supposed to, it's shutting down often used but unhealthy neuropathways and shifting to new, healthier ones. Over time, these new pathways become engrained, and you are changing how you think, feel, and react. Andy had a...

  9. How grateful are you?

    Being grateful is not just a moment. It's a mindset. Having an attitude of gratitude can set the context for each of your days. I know. You are grateful for your spouse, for your job, for life. That's the big stuff. How about the little stuff? She really made an effort to put together a great…

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  10. Be Mindful. Get More Out of LIfe

    Mindfulness is one of those funky words that only shrinks use. However, most of us know how to be present, to focus on your now. In Mentalligent Psychotherapy (MPT) this helps you set aside issues and redirecting your energy on what works to soar. Be mindful and embrace possibilities for soaring....

  11. Have You Ever Failed At Something?

    Sadly, or happily, all of us fail at something. Sometimes we fail often. I would contend, however, that there is no such thing as failure, only an arbitrary limitation of options. Continue finding options and your worst nightmare will be just another opportunity for success. Avery wants a...

  12. Stop Being Stuck. Start Soaring

    We all know what being stuck is like. How about soaring? Birds with large wingspans fly on thermal updrafts with their wings out, catching the current and soaring up and up on it. Imagine. If you find yourself stuck in lunhappy, unhealthy circumstances, starting your healing journey might just…

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  13. Same Ol' Same Ol'?

    Does it feel like you are always walking through deep mud? Slogging along but not getting very far. Going in the same direction but not getting very far? Does it feel helpless? hopeless? Ya know, insanity is not just being bat bonkers. Insanity is also defined as doing the same thing over and…

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  14. Your Stuff - Burden or Bridge?

    Things happen, ya know? We don't ask for the bad stuff. It just happens. For people with stress, anxiety, or depression, those things become a burden that weighs them down. What if we were able to convert that burden to a bridge. It would become a means to leave the past behind and forge ahead,...

  15. Are You Clueless?

    If you are living your life, not knowing that there is a problem, and you don't know that you don't know, then you are clueless. If they haven't already, hopefully a good friend, spouse, co-worker will let you know how your words and actions impact them. Then, with good motivation, you can begin...

  16. Is Being the Strong One Working for You?

    Being strong emotionally in relationships is mostly a blessing to both you and your partner, until it isn't. If you are the one always doing the right thing, always putting your partner ahead of yourself, always giving in, then that's not strength. That's sacrifice, but not the healthy kind. The...

  17. A New Word for you, Eudaimonia

    Eudaimonia is a Greek word that captures "Self-Flourishing." When you are eudaimonic, you are embracing who you are, living in the moment, being self-compassionate, and finding the positive. What a great opportunity to enjoy your life to the fullest. Follow more of Shannon's story in my new book,...

  18. A Cautionary Tale of AI

    AI, that is Artificial Intelligence, is here to stay. It's our job to use it wisely. I have resources to help you do just that. Don't let AI take control of you. Be you and stay in charge of how you use AI. When you, your kids, or others fall down that dark hole, understand your feelings and help...

  19. Don't Let Anger Geth the Best of You

    Did you know? While anger is probably the single most prevalent negative feeling, it is ALWAYS a secondary feeling. We can rant and bluster with the best of them, only to cover up what we are really feeling. The primary feelings are morel vulnerable and private. Yet, when they see the light of…

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  20. Nix the Blame Game

    When something goes wrong in your life, it's easy to fix blame, either on yourself or on others. While you may be right, how helpful is the blame game? Usually, it just stirs up hard feelings. On this podcast, I encourage you to nix the blame game. Go away from awareness of your performance. Try...

  21. From Stuckness to Soaring

    Being stuck in life is no fun. Ho hum. What's new? Or worse, more trouble. Why do I keep doing that? When you realize that you are stuck in a life that's going nowhere, begin your healing journey by starting therapy. Your therapist will be your guide on your healing journey, help you get there…

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  22. My Place or Yours?

    This is a pivotal question in a growing relationship. Kinda taking it all to the next level. Taking time to talk through such questions with your partner and your therapist gives you a leg up on getting it all right. Begin following Hayley and Jamie's healing journey and learn the 4 stages of the...

  23. Are You Ready?

    Starting psychotherapy is a big deal. Something's happened in your life and it's not going well. You know therapy is an option, but you're not sure it's "right for you." You've always been able to take care of yourself. But this time? Maybe you'll look into it and give it a try. There's this one...

  24. Bummed Out?

    Many of our life occurrences can leave us feeling bummed out. Part of soaring is not letting the bad stuff linger. In my new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life, I introduce what I call Mentalligent Psychotherapy (MPT). With MPT, you artfully weave three...

  25. Are You Living on the Edge

    Living on the edge is a precarious place to be. Not sure of your footing. Having to hold on. Too much going on. Feeling overwhelmed. People find themselves living on the edge when they use a lot of extreme words to describe their situation. Words like always, only, ever, never, should, would…

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  26. Are You Nuts?

    Life nowadays can be so overwhelming and crazy that it feels like you are going nuts, but probably not. However, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If this is you, counseling or psychotherapy may launch you on your healing...

  27. Focus on the Positive

    It's true. What you pay attention to grows. Focus on the negative, negative grows. Focus on the positive, and the positive grows. While we do need to address feeling overwhelmed and put the negative in perspective, your healing journey begins when you pay attention to the positive. Check out my…

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  28. Don't Take It Personally

    Ya know, each of us has so much going on all at once that life can be overwhelming. Making sense out of it all can be really hard. Other people's words can be hurtful and explosive, especially if you don't know where they are coming from. Ya know what else, when you are stuck like this, don't…

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  29. Take a Chill Pill

    Life can get so hectic so quickly sometimes that we all just need to breathe. Today's youth tell us to "Just take a chill pill." Good advice. In my new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life, I share my mentalligent psychotherapy (MPT) components in real-life...

  30. What you Focus On Grows

    Your choice. Focus on the negative and it grows. Focus on the positive and it grows. The negative spirals you down and into your stuck-ness. The positive spirals you upward on your healing journey to soaring. My new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life is a...

  31. Note to Self

    Your daily activities determine how you reach your goals and how you feel about yourself. When you are in a downward spiral of stuck-ness, there's not much movement. Progress is slow. To begin upward soaring, consider adding therapeutic journaling as a part of your daily regimen. It's a great…

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  32. Mind Your Own Business

    Sorry for messing with you to get your attention. Your business is your own, but I do want to talk about your mind and how you can traverse stages on your healing journey, actually changing how our brain functions. There are 4 stages to your healing journey. Making the commitment to healing…

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  33. Turn Your Hardship from a Curse into a Blessing

    We all endure hardships of one sort or another. If we let them, they will turn into downward spirals that leave us feeling helpless and alone. What if you could take all of that mess that is yours and turn it from a curse into a blessing? In my book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on…

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  34. Gratitude Affects Attitude

    When we grumble about what's wrong in our life, we stay on a downward spiral. I call it the "Woe is me." Eeyore syndrome. It's hard to function while grumbling, and grumbling affects your surroundings as well. Using mentalligent psychotherapy (MPT), I help guide my patients find things in their...

  35. Can You Be Worry-Free?

    We all worry, about all sorts of stuff. Is it possible to be worry-free? It is if you learn to trade in any budding worry for curiosity. When you do that, your "what if" worry questions become "I wonder" curiosity statements. Add a potential positive outcome to your curiosity and you generate...

  36. New Beginnings for a New Year

    As we let go of the past and look forward to the future for a new year, we become more hopeful. Mentalligent Psychotherapy (MPT) offers you that hope on your healing journey. Check out how high school senior Kelly climbs out of her despair of being dumped by her boyfriend and finds hope as I use...

  37. Do You Get the Holiday Blues?

    Everybody gets sad one time or another and for various reasons. What you do with that sadness can define your quality of life. The holidays are often occasions when feeling sad can overwhelm us and take us out of a good mood. Follow little Becky's exchange with her mama over the recent death of…

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  38. How about moving from fake happy to real happy?

    Are you one of the gazillion people who consistently wear masks? You know, the mask that hides what you are really feeling? Mask-wearers often engage in happy talk with others. Playing the game of socializing when you really don't feel like it. How about trading in your fake happy for real happy....

  39. Do You Want to Get or Give?

    Clinical depression lives in about 20% of our population. Yet, we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Clearly, money doesn't buy happiness. One of the sources of stuckness is having a consumer-generated perspective. The more I have, the better I'll feel. Nope. Not so. One of your...

  40. Is Your Skying Falling?

    ONe of the most difficult things for folks who are stuck is to overcome absolute thinking. Chicken Little ranted in a panic about his conviction that the sky is falling. This is a folklore example of extreme, debilitating anxiety. Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh's friend ambled around believing that...

  41. Moving from Being Stuck to Soaring

    Being a one and done thinker is the origin of your stuckness. As you become more curious, you challenge your stuckness and open the door to being more resilient. More options equal more opportunities to embrace you healing journey. This is your path from being stuck to soaring. Blessing, Dr. Jon

  42. How to Get from Here to There

    Your healing journey begins with challenging your mindset. There are 5 paths to take, navigating each path clears the way from your stuckness to soaring, becoming who you want to be. Today's podcast presents the first of five paths. Check it out.

  43. It's Okay to Be Messy

    Are you messy? Does being messy keep you from staying focused? Getting things done? If so, what can you do about it? News flash!! It's okay to be messy. Messy is a descriptor, not a definer. If you use messy as an excuse for not accomplishing your goals, then messy has a hold of you. Rather, you...

  44. Plant Seeds and Your Garden will Grow

    Seeds are the beginning of everything. Plant them and stuff grows. Gardens we know about. Let me introduce you to the seeds that grow your stress resilience. Check it out. Blessings, Dr. Jon

  45. Getting from Here to There

    Do you remember the old definition of insanity? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. With counseling and psychotherapy, we help patients change old, unhealthy habits and find new ways to get from here to there. My new treatment technique,...

  46. Getting to Know You, No, Really Know You

    When we're building a new relationship, we spend time getting to know each other. We plan, do stuff together, have fun. But really, that stuff is all about getting to know you, not getting to really know you. Sharing deep, intimate feelings with each other, being there in times of upset and…

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  47. Your Words Matter

    How many of your encounters ended badly because of misunderstood words? I bet it's way too many. It's really true that your words matter. When you have to add, "I'm just messing with you," or," Just kidding, Sheesh!" the damage of your words to your partner has already been done. In the…

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  48. Who are you? Finding the you that you like the best

    We all are who we are. But who is that? Many components over our lifetime make us who we are. The parts we like? We embrace. The parts we don't like? We can do something to change them. To look at how we form our personal identity, check out the following. For more, go to...

  49. Dieting? Ugh! Not again.

    Dieting is never fun. It seems like forever to lose to your goal weight. Once there, though, the reward in confidence, self-image, mood, and assurance is fantastic! Pattie needed to lose the final 30 lbs. to reach her pre-pregnancy weight. See how she got there. She's a whole new person. I have...

  50. Looking for Fun Summer Activities for your Kids?

    When summer starts and kids are out of school, kids go, "Yaaay!" Parents go, "Ugh! Groan." While there may be lots to fill the long summer hours, how about something new? This website, https://www,websiteplanet.com/blog/safest-coding-sites-for-kids/, is a great place to find some new stuff. It...

About this show

Parenting is the most important job we have for which we almost never have any training. This podcast offers glimpses into effective parenting choices and communication.

Hosted by

Jonathan C. Robinson, PhD

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does Being there for your kids have?

Being there for your kids has 336 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on October 24, 2026.

What is Being there for your kids about?

Parenting is the most important job we have for which we almost never have any training. This podcast offers glimpses into effective parenting choices and communication.

How often does Being there for your kids release new episodes?

Being there for your kids publishes weekly, based on its 336 episodes since February 2018.

Who hosts Being there for your kids?

Being there for your kids is created and hosted by Jonathan C. Robinson, PhD.
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