Extraordinary Parenting Episodes

Do you want to develop a parenting style and family culture that nurtures instilling values through individual autonomy INSTEAD of through parental control? Parents face many challenges -- and the temptation to control their children -- when they are overly attached to specific outcomes for their family. Greg and Rachel emphasize the importance of letting go of control and cultivating an environment that encourages children to make their own choices and paradoxically is better at actually creati...

Are your kids picky eaters? Are you concerned about their short and long-term health because of a lack of nutrition? Then listen to this episode where we discuss the importance -- and strategies -- for instilling good dietary habits in children and overcoming pickiness. To begin, Greg and Rachel shed light on the significance of food choices and the impact it has on a family's well-being. They emphasize the role of parents in setting a positive example and creating an environment where children ...

Would you love to know how to EFFECTIVELY & correctily discipline your kids? (There is a wrong and right way.) Would you like to be able to discipline without the drama, yelling, punishing, or nagging, AND do it in a way that strengthens your relationship with your child in the short and long term? Sound too good to be true? Trust us, it's actually possible. In this episode, we share not only our personal experience raising and disciplining our 7 children -- but also what we've learned by workin...

If you've been a parent long you know that parenting often feels like a series of problems to solve. This is accurate. So it only makes sense that if you become a better problem-solver, you will become a better parent. Continuing on the theme from the last episode about how to create family stability, we explain HOW to improve your problem-solving skills -- and how to do it without damaging relationships or becoming controlling and domineering. We also explain how to PREDICT and PREVENT problems...

In this very important episode, Greg and I discuss first-hand knowledge we have about the growing industry of human trafficking . We also talk about sexual abuse, how it happens, and how to protect your kids. If you think it doesn't happen in your neighborhood, church, or community -- think again! It is a REAL threat and it is EVERYWHERE . It's happened to us, too. What actions can you take to protect your family? That's what we cover in this episode, along with WHY and HOW human trafficking has...

We've never told any of our 7 children there is a Santa Clause or a Tooth Fairy. That's because we always wanted to be seen as people our children can believe and trust -- NO MATTER WHAT -- especially when it comes to discerning truth in the world and discovering what is real and what is not. And while it's not just about Santa Clause, this approach of ALWAYS speaking Truth is one of the key philosophies that has helped us to raise children, teens, and young adults who truly trust, believe, and ...

"Do you have a podcast episode or advice somewhere where you talk about how you instilled a love of reading in your children ? As parents love reading and have read a lot to our children when they were young. Sometimes we still do now, but no matter which book we suggest, they hate reading , and it breaks my heart ." In this episode, we answer this question from a mom and share specific strategies -- and book recommendations -- for helping children of all ages learn to fall in LOVE with 'reading...

No matter if you homeschool or send your kids to public or private school, YOU are responsible for the outcomes of their education. The first step is for YOU to define what EDUCATION means to you . Is it academic learning? Grades, tests, and ACT scores? Getting into the 'best' colleges. Or is it MORE than that? Does it include their mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, social, and financial development? If it doesn't, it should. What about experiences and exposure to people, places, and ideas...

"I'm feeling sooooo burnt out of motherhood... My kids are fighting so much . Last week we did a 'no fighting' challenge for 7 days. They did pretty well and each got a prize. This week has been a total dumpster fire . I keep circling back to me. Making sure I am good, but I'm just not. I feel so drained at the end of my day after so much fighting . Any advice?" Conflict is often seen as an unavoidable part of family life —whether it’s sibling rivalry, marital disagreements, or parenting struggl...

We received a great question from a mom which we answer in today’s episode. Just a reminder — we love receiving questions. Feel free to ask us anything by visiting podcast.extraordinaryfamilylife.com where you can leave us a voice or text message. This mom asked: “I have a 13-year-old daughter. She gets homework from coop & every week it’s a battle. I remind her about her assignment- she says yes, I know… and gets mad at me every time I bring it up but then either doesn’t do it or is up late th...

In this episode, it seems as though we start talking about one subject and end with another. Yet, they are connected. We begin discussing how to deal with children who are ‘high spirited’ with minds of their own (which can sometimes be aggravating or embarrassing) and who grow up feeling ‘not good enough’ or as though there’s something wrong with them because of the constant correction they receive. We also mention the ‘quiet’, ‘good’ kids that ‘go along to get along’ but who internally might be...

We truly love receiving emails and questions from followers, clients, and listeners because it gives us specific situations and challenges to address. We’ve learned that even though we (as humans) often feel that we’re the ‘only one’ dealing with a problem or circumstance , the truth is, we’ve discovered, if it’s happening to one person it’s likely happening to hundreds of others as well . That’s why we answer these questions in a podcast episode so that it doesn’t just help the person who asked...

We received another question from a mom who was interested in joining my Family Charts & Systems course and community . In an email I sent out, it said: As a mother of seven children, my life seriously changed forever once I learned how to FINALLY get organized. So when moms tell me they don't have a system for chores or study time, I'm like... "Say what?!" I get it. Some of you don't like systems . You'd rather live free-flowing and in the moment. I was that mom too , about ten years ago. But t...

Welcome to today’s episode, we’re coming to you from Vienna, Austria this time. We just finished leading a WWII trip where we learned about the start of the war with the invasion of Warsaw, visited Auschwitz & Birkenau concentration camps, and explored Krakow and Vienna. We love to receive questions from listeners, coaching clients, and members of the Extraordinary Family Life Formula . One question we’ve received more than once in the last month is about misbehavior in young children . What do ...

Welcome to the podcast! We’re coming to you from Warsaw, Poland. Our kids are on the other side of town in an Airbnb and we’re spending the weekend at a luxury hotel to celebrate Greg’s 45th birthday. (Please excuse any sounds of the city such as sirens, etc.) There is a philosophy in parenting and education (perhaps started by TJED) that states ‘Inspire, Not Require’. The idea is that instead of requiring your children or students to do things — chores, reading, studies, being kind — you inspir...

We spent the New Year in Tallin, Estonia! We’re keeping the Denning family dream alive with family adventures . In December, we traveled through NYC, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, & Estonia. We’ve had some questions about the logistics of traveling with a family which we’re going to discuss in this episode. How do we do it? What do we do with our stuff? How do we make it work? We also get philosophical and talk about how travel has been a tool for helping us (and our children) to become asse...

Hey everybody! Greg and I are in Oslo, Norway with our family, recovering from jet lag. In a few hours, we fly to Tromsø, 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle . Tomorrow begins our first Norway trip where 18 other people will be joining us for reindeer sledding, dog sledding, and the Northern Lights. ( Check out our 2023 travel schedule and join us here! ) This week’s podcast is audio taken from our most recent coaching sessio n for the Extraordinary Family Life Formula. We discussed why boys an...

2:20 "If you haven't played video games in the last 10 years, they have become more addictive. The people who create games, and other media, are strategically using their knowledge of psychology and neurology in their favor. In schools, competition is being removed and discouraged and many boys are turning to video games. 7:17 From your experience, being married, raising boys, and working with boys, what have you perceived boys want and need? Tony Robbins teaches every human being has 6 basic ne...

We like to get our podcast topics from issues that really ‘fire us up’ (it makes for better discussions). This week, I was fired up by some comments left on an Instagram Reel I created about allowing ‘boys to be boys’ with audio taken from our recent Workshop on Boys Adrift — The Growing Epidemic of Undermotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men . Some of them said things like: This post really misses the mark. The toxicity that exists around masculinity has nothing to do with children having ...

"My husband and I have been struggling a great deal in our marriage, mostly over parenting issues . We have specifically been struggling with our 13 year old daughter who told us she is gay ." Many emails and questions we receive from parents begins with something like this statement above. Spouses are struggling in their marriage, and it's often because of disagreements in parenting approaches or issues they're facing with their children that they're not sure how to handle . They will tell us t...

We’ve been asked several times over the years by coaching clients and others regarding masturbation . Specifically, they want to know how to approach masturbation in general — with their children or teens , and in their marriage . Is it normal for teens to masturbate? What are the side effects or outcomes? And what about in marriag e? Is masturbation okay or normal, especially if your sex drive doesn't match up with your spouse? We’ve also been asked by young adults and college students IF or WH...

We are busy people. And so are you. We have a LOT going on, as I’m sure you do too. Human nature often makes us feel that we’re “too busy” to do things like morning routines or rituals. We’re “too busy” to do morning discussions with our family. But because you are so busy is exactly why you MUST do family discussions and devotionals . (When we use the term devotional we don't necessarily mean it as a religious activity, although it certainly can include religion and spirituality.) Daily family ...

Can we start with a ‘slap’ in the face? In all sincerity, most of us suck at communicating with other people, especially in our family relationships. Plus, ‘communication’ seems like such a vague or broad topic. What exactly does it mean? And how do we improve it? We’re not the experts. And we still struggle communicating in some relationships or situations. We came to our marriage with giant deficits in ‘communication skills’. We both suffered with shyness and were terrified to even talk to peo...

Many of us have been taught or grown to believe that unconditional love is the highest of virtues. And in many ways it makes sense. Loving others — without conditions — seems to be the highest level of love possible , partly because it sometimes seems so unrealistic, especially when it comes to family members. (It’s even difficult to get clear on exactly what we’re talking about because we only have one word for ‘love’ in English. In Latin there are at least three — Eros, Agape, and Philia ). Bu...