PODCAST · kids
uh-PARENT-ly
by WGN Plus
uh-PARENT-ly with Anne Johnsos and Tracy Heuvelman Weiner on WGN Plus from WGN Radio in Chicago. Former WGN Radio producers, Anne and Tracy are now absolutely average parents and created this parenting podcast to share information with other parents looking for information about raising children, family issues, education, and more.
Episodes
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Emotional lives of teenagers: Why mental health isn’t what we think it is
In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an urgent advisory regarding the youth mental health crisis in America. The pandemic took an already strained system and pushed it to the brink. Dr. Lisa Damour, bestselling author of Untangled and Under Pressure, has a new book, The Emotional…
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What you don’t know until it’s too late: How to prepare your family for unexpected tragedy
Anne and Tracy have always centered their podcast episodes around topics in the news, at the soccer field, or in their mom groups. This particular episode, however, is highly personal and painful for both of them. Last month Tracy’s brother-in-law died unexpectedly, leaving behind his wife and...
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College tuition and merit aid explained
As families of high school seniors navigate things like college visits or the “Common App” this fall, it could be helpful to revisit an episode from Season Six. uh-PARENT-ly co-hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talked to Ron Lieber, the Your Money columnist for the New York Times, about his…
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The cost of childcare: How to fix a system on the brink
Whether from headlines or tweets or conversations with friends, the message lately has been clear: Inflation is on the rise. But the price of gas and groceries is nothing compared to the cost of childcare. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, since 1990 childcare…
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A hard reality: Lessons in threat detection and prevention to keep your kids and families safe
According to a recent poll conducted by John Zogby Strategies, 56 percent of adults say concern for their public safety has influenced their decision not to go out. Reports of carjackings and random shootings bombard the news. Just outside of Chicago, two days before Christmas, a mall shooting…
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The Pursuit of Happiness: How ‘Positive Psychology’ can be a game changer in your family
Human beings are prone to negativity bias. Scientists have discovered that for every negative emotional experience you have, you need at least three positive ones to offset it. A three to one ratio. Feels like a big hole to dig out of, right? Positive Psychology researchers have conducted more…
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Managing the ‘Screen Scene’: How to help your kids take charge of their own digital worlds
According to a new book, the average teen spends nine hours a day on a screen. Nine hours. Even more alarming, we continue to learn about BIG TECH companies (like Facebook and Instagram) and their algorithms that hijack our kids’ attention. Snapstreaks, Likes, Shares, you name it: These...
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Return to Learn: How to prepare your kids to go back into the classroom
More than 55 million children will be heading back to elementary, middle or high school this fall. And after the last year and a half, they might be carrying more than pencils and notebooks in their “backpacks.” Dr. John Duffy, clinical psychologist and author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age...
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Raising thrivers: How to teach kids the seven character traits that lead to success
This past year has been incredibly challenging for many families, and mental health has really become a top priority. Dr. Michelle Borba, author of Thrivers: Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine, joins uh-PARENT-ly hosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos to talk about how kids…
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Talking to your tweens and teens: Author Michelle Icard explains how to get the conversation started
With COVID-19 and lots of “together time” at home, there may be more shut doors. This week uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner talk to Michelle Icard, educator and author of a new book, Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids…
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Understanding ‘The Price You Pay for College’ with NYT financial columnist Ron Lieber
As COVID-19 upended daily life, many families wondered why they were writing large checks for tuition, room and board to send their kids off to college for remote classes or very limited in-person connections. In the first episode of Season Six, uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos...
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Back in the booth: uh-PARENT-ly hosts relaunch their ‘absolutely average’ podcast
When uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos left the studio in March of 2020, they thought they’d see each other again the next week. They were wrong. Now after months of watching the world spin out of control, they’ve figured out a way to join the conversation. (Tracy could use a...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Managing social media: Screenwise author Devorah Heitner explains why parents need to mentor rather than monitor
Thinking of getting your kid a smartphone for the holidays? Maybe you’re contemplating allowing Instagram or Snapchat or TikTok. Before you open that door, you should know what to expect. Devorah Heitner, founder of Raising Digital Natives and author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and…
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uh-PARENT-ly | Bringing a pet into the family: Expert Steve Dale explains why, when and what kind.
Thinking about putting a furry or feathered friend under the Christmas tree or next to the menorah? You might want to avoid impulsive decisions. Did you know rabbits have acrophobia (fear of heights), and Amazon Parrots can live for 75 years? Are there "baby steps" to getting a dog? Are certain...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Graphic novels: Cartoonist Raina Telgemeier explains why they help kids become readers
According to research from the University of Oregon, comic books average 53.5 rare, or complex, words per 1,000. Children's books average 30.9, and adult books average 52.7 per 1,000. Studies also have found that graphic texts promote learning and better reading comprehension. Raina Telgemeier,...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Food allergies: How to manage the anxiety around potentially life-threatening situations in your child’s everyday life
Food allergies are on the rise in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. Managing these allergies requires more than reading labels. Psychologist Gianine D. Rosenblum...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Introverts: how to parent, teach and celebrate a quiet population in a loud world
Think back to your days in the classroom. Did you get a “participation grade?” How was it calculated – by quantity or quality? Kids today are asked to behave like extroverts, but 25-40 percent of the population is introverted. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Priscilla...
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uh-PARENT-ly | The vaping epidemic: what to look for, why it’s dangerous and how to get help
A federal study released by the Centers for Disease Control shows 27.5 percent of high school students have used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Now the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state and local health departments are investigating a multistate outbreak of lung disease...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Grandparents as caregivers: the pros and cons of asking your parents to watch your children
About 2.7 million grandparents in the United States are the primary caregivers for children in their households. Long working hours for young parents, along with the rising costs of professional childcare, have transformed grandparents from occasional babysitters to critical safety nets. Susan...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Adolescence in the age of anxiety: how to parent your stressed, depressed and overwhelmed tweens and teens
Young people today deal with so much more than the generations before them. They’re exposed to information, thoughts, emotions and pressures they’re not prepared to process. Dr. John Duffy, author of The Available Parent and his brand new book, Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety, tells...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Grown and Flown: The thriving online parenting community is available as a book
When you have a baby or toddler, the advice comes from all sides. But when your child hits the teen years, the questions increase while the resources dwindle. Mary Dell Harrington and Lisa Endlich Heffernan cofounded the number-one site for parents of teens and young adults. Now they’re offering…
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uh-PARENT-ly | The social media misnomer: how so-called connectivity leads to loneliness and depression
The American Medical Association published a report in May 2019 linking social media to teen depression and calling the role of social media among adolescents “an urgent public health issue that merits further investigation.” In one five-year period, the suicide rate for girls increased 65…
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uh-PARENT-ly | The pornography talk: not just your dad’s Playboy anymore
According to a study published in Pediatrics, 42 percent of Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 have seen PORN. And 66 percent of those kids reported unwanted or accidental exposure. Dan Rice, interim executive director of Answer at Rutgers University, joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Hamilton actor Miguel Cervantes and wife Kelly talk about parenting a medically fragile child
Kelly and Miguel Cervantes join uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to talk about what parenthood looks like for couples navigating endless doctors, tests and treatments in search of answers for their medically fragile children. Kelly and Miguel are trying to help their daughter...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Cyberbullying: What can parents do to protect their kids on social media?
Bullying doesn't look like it did 30 years ago. Kids these days have no relief after the school bell rings because bullies continue online. Detective Rich Wistocki from Be Sure Consulting joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner again -- this time to talk about the apps kids use…
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uh-PARENT-ly | Using the martial arts to build strength, confidence and mindfulness
Parents want their kids to grow, thrive and learn to take care of themselves, and that happens through hundreds and thousands of life lessons. Some of those lessons might come in the form of self-defense: teaching our kids to overcome actual physical dangers. Jen Zanotti is an esthetician and...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Body image and eating disorders in the “selfie” culture
According to the National Organization of Women, 53 percent of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies” by age 13. That number grows to 78 percent by the time girls reach 17. How can parents help their kids accept and even celebrate what they see in the mirror? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Marriageology: Belinda Luscombe offers tips and tricks that can save your relationship
Journalist Belinda Luscombe has been writing about relationships at TIME for more than a decade, so when she came out with Marriageology: The Art and Science of Staying Together, uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos couldn’t wait to talk to her. Luscombe uses six F-words to describe...
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uh-PARENT-ly | The Mom Project: a new way for moms (and some dads) to reenter the workforce
uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Colleen Curtis, Head of Community and Marketing at The Mom Project, about a new effort to connect talented women (and some men) with world-class employers who respect work-life balance.
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uh-PARENT-ly | Early learning: why the development of our babies’ brains is No Small Matter
June 20, 2019 is No Small Matter Day in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued the proclamation to increase awareness of a new documentary about early childhood. According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, during the first few years of life, a child forms more than one million...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Columnist Heidi Stevens talks about blended families, work-life balance, dress codes and the double doink
Should college women wear leggings to church? What about moms at school drop-off? What can sports failures teach our kids about life? And, speaking of life, how can we balance work commitments with family time? Heidi Stevens writes the Balancing Act column for the Chicago Tribune, where she has...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Parenting a gay child: how coming out is a process for the whole family
Kristin Russo cofounded Everyone Is Gay and My Kid Is Gay, both organizations that provide advice, guidance, and education to LGBTQIA youth and their families. She also is the co-author of This Is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids. She tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos that...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Tips for expecting moms from the founder of Bump Club and Beyond
Have you heard the term “mompreneur?” It refers to a mom who merges parenting with business. Lindsay Pinchuk did just that when she founded Bump Club and Beyond. Now the site serves parents and almost-parents across the country with blog posts, webinars and live events. Lindsay joins uh-PARENT-ly...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Death: how to talk (and listen) to kids about loss and grief
Everyone knows death is unavoidable. But does it have to be a dinner-table topic? What do you do when your child comes home asking about a school shooting or the murder of 5-year-old A. J. Freund? How do you break the news that Grandpa "went to heaven?" Barbara Coloroso, author of Parenting…
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uh-PARENT-ly | Infertility: why we need to demystify and destigmatize the obstacles to building a family
Everyone’s road to parenthood is unique. One in eight couples has trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. It’s intended to increase awareness surrounding infertility, which affects the reproductive systems of both women and men....
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uh-PARENT-ly | Choosing a college: Are the most selective ones really the best?
As college admissions letters roll in, many students are facing the biggest decisions of their lives. Add to that the fallout from the admissions scandal involving dozens of parents, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, and the stakes get even higher. The story made…
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uh-PARENT-ly | Boys: How do we protect them from societal stereotypes?
Is our culture’s narrow definition of masculinity harming our boys and men? What does it mean to “man up” or “be a man?” The Mask You Live In documents the pressures boys face: to disconnect from emotions, to devalue friendships, to degrade women and to resolve conflicts with violence. Michael G....
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uh-PARENT-ly | Student privacy: Who is collecting information about our children?
Cassie Cresswell is co-director of Raise Your Hand, a grassroots parent group advocating for high-quality public education in Illinois. She tells uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos the lack of information about what’s being collected and by whom is alarming.
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uh-PARENT-ly | Divorce: lies couples tell themselves, choosing the best time and parenting through the process
Analysis out of the University of Maryland shows the divorce rate in America dropped by 18 percent between 2008 and 2016. That's in part because Americans are waiting to get married, and people married at older ages are less likely to get divorced. But according to the American Psychological...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Parenting a child with limited mobility and how Microsoft is leveling the playing field
Did you see the Microsoft Super Bowl ad? It features kids with physical differences who love playing video games and who now can benefit from an adaptive controller. Jennifer Manley happens to be the mom of one of those kids, Grover. She joins uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Anne Johnsos and Tracy Weiner to...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Vaccinations: what they are, how they work, what risks exist and why scientists are calling for change
The American Medical Association is urging big social media and technology companies to help stop vaccine misinformation. In a letter to the CEOs of Facebook, Pinterest, Amazon, Google, YouTube and Twitter, the nation’s largest physician group called for a fight against anti-vaccine groups using...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Social-emotional learning: why it matters and how to develop it
Social-emotional learning provides an added dimension to education. It focuses on improving cooperation, communication and decision making. But how is it taught? And how can parents keep up with what their kids are doing in school? Barbara Burgess, COO and Chief Vision Realization Officer at the...
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uh-PARENT-ly | Dyslexia: identifying and treating the disorder that affects one in five people
People with dyslexia have difficulty reading or interpreting words, letters and other symbols. The disorder is not a reflection of general intelligence, but it can make traditional learning very difficult. Leslie Murphy, certified academic language practitioner at Resourceful Academics, tells...
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 32 | Why helicopter parenting might not be so bad (and why NOT to move to Sweden)
In his 1969 book Between Parent and Teenager, Dr. Haim Ginott talked to teenagers who said their parents hovered over them like helicopters. Since then the term “helicopter parent” has focused on overprotective parents who failed to let their children grow for fear of them being hurt. Now a new...
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 31 | Stress and anxiety in girls: how to flip the switch from harmful to healthy
If you have a teenager, or if you were a teenager, you know the twists and turns on the social-emotional path toward adulthood -- especially for girls. It was hard enough for the daughters of yesteryear, passing notes and hogging their parents’ land lines, but girls today have it much worse....
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 30 | The importance of play: how to build healthy brains while having fun
Do you remember playing “dress up” as a kid? Did you take orders and serve fake food in your basement “restaurant?” How about running around without supervision until it was dark? Children are doing less of that today, and uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos want to know why. They...
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 29 | Yelling at your kids: why it doesn’t work and what you can do instead
It’s time for school, but the kids aren’t ready. You yell, “Get in the car!” Nothing happens. You yell again. And again. And again. Sound familiar? Want it to change? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to Dr. Alan Kazdin, Sterling Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry…
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 28 | Letting go: How to stop helicoptering your college-aged kids
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Here’s one: Let your kids resolve their own issues when it comes to college. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos share stories of parental interference at the highest level and admit they’re guilty (occasionally!) of overstepping. That’s why...
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 27 | Overscheduled kids: Why we need to clear the family calendar and plan for “down time”
Are your kids “joiners?” How many activities do you allow? Is it possible to be too involved? uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos uncovered some hard truths in their conversation with Nicole Wise, author of The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap.
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uh-PARENT-ly Ep. 26 | Santa, the Tooth Fairy and other traditions: magical or manipulative?
Warning: This episode is not safe for little ears. Do not play it in front of your kids. Have you faced the dilemma of lying about Santa? Is the Elf on a Shelf something you love…or dread? What about Mensch on a Bench? A recent Facebook thread made uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
uh-PARENT-ly with Anne Johnsos and Tracy Heuvelman Weiner on WGN Plus from WGN Radio in Chicago. Former WGN Radio producers, Anne and Tracy are now absolutely average parents and created this parenting podcast to share information with other parents looking for information about raising children, family issues, education, and more.
HOSTED BY
WGN Plus
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How many episodes does uh-PARENT-ly have?
uh-PARENT-ly currently has 82 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is uh-PARENT-ly about?
uh-PARENT-ly with Anne Johnsos and Tracy Heuvelman Weiner on WGN Plus from WGN Radio in Chicago. Former WGN Radio producers, Anne and Tracy are now absolutely average parents and created this parenting podcast to share information with other parents looking for information about raising children,...
How often does uh-PARENT-ly release new episodes?
uh-PARENT-ly has 82 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to uh-PARENT-ly on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts uh-PARENT-ly?
uh-PARENT-ly is created and hosted by WGN Plus.
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