Cecilia and Jason Hilkey

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DAY 2 OF THE HAPPILY
FAMILY CONFERENCE

Cecilia and Jason Hilkey

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DAY 2: Communication Builds Connection

Dr. Kirstin Barchia

How to Handle Teen Moods, Refusal, Closed Doors and Reconnect Again

Dr. Kirstin Barchia is a clinical psychologist who has worked with teenagers and their families for the past 25 years. She developed the Calm Connection Program and other online resources to help parents of teens because she’s watched so many great parents unknowingly make mistakes, because they didn’t get the support they needed. As a researcher who has conducted studies on teen bullying and aggression, lying, delinquent behavior, and resilience, Kirstin wants parents to have access to strategies that are based on scientific and psychological research, along with practical support and guidance.

SUMMARY:
For parents of teens (and tweens) who are dealing with eye rolls, moodiness, or slammed doors, it might seem like the only choices are: 1. punishments and consequences that don’t work, 2. ignoring them and walking on eggshells, or 3. waiting until they’re 25 years old. Dr. Kirstin Barchia talks about what is going on with our teens and shares what parents can do to make things better. She talks about the most common mistakes that good, well-intended parents make with their teens and simple things that we can do differently. Kirstin says that many teens are sad about losing the closeness and connection with their parents. For teens, growing up is inevitable; growing apart is not.

Kristina Nation

The Power of Connection When Your Teen Is Depressed

Kristina Nation is a best-selling author of the Perfectly Imperfect Family and other books, international speaker, youth and family therapist, and parent coach dedicated to helping families of teens struggling with depression. Kristina provides parents with the tools to deeply connect with their teens, provide unwavering support, and advocate effectively for their mental and emotional well-being. She is a mother of four and foster mother, whose clients benefit from her years of personal and professional experience and her degree in Youth Development.

SUMMARY:
Kristina Nation supports parents of teenagers with depression, a topic that is intensely personal to her. She knows firsthand the fear and helplessness that parents often feel when their child is struggling. Kristina talks about the importance of self-care for parents, maintaining a strong relationship with your teen while still having healthy boundaries, and building a support system around your family. Kristina shares advice about how to create a safety plan with your teen, how to find professional help, and how parents can work through their own feelings of shame or guilt. Finally, Kristina urges parents to keep your relationship with your teen strong and to have hope by “believing it can get better”.

Melanie Zwyghuizen
How a Mindset Shift Can Build Stronger Connections
Melanie Zwyghuizen has spent over 30 years working alongside families, in addition to raising her own three children. She believes that with the right mindset, tools, and knowledge, parents can create a peaceful, joyful home while raising confident, emotionally healthy kids. Through personalized coaching, workshops, and small-group classes, Melanie has helped many parents, with littles to emerging adults, have stronger connections, better behavior, clearer communication, less stress, and greater harmony at home.
SUMMARY:
When Melanie was teaching high school students, she struggled with parenting her own kids. The solution was when she realized that she just needed to apply the same principles in her home that she did in her classroom. Over time, Melanie shifted her parenting approach from managing her kid’s behavior to guiding their growth. She shares how to pause and reflect with our kids, ask open-ended questions, practice empathy, and do active listening.
Sheryl Ang

Get Unstuck and Reconnect During Family Meetings

Sheryl Ang

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 Sheryl Ang is an educator, coach, homeschool mom of her three boys, and an advocate for child-centered learning. She understands the overwhelming challenges parents face in balancing life, educating their children, and fostering meaningful connections. With certifications in Peaceful Parenting, Wunderled Education, Mindfulness, Woman-Centered Coaching, and her study of neuroscience and social-emotional learning, Sheryl takes a multidisciplinary perspective to help mothers find aligned ways to create the greatest ease in their lives.

SUMMARY:
Want a parenting tool that will help get you out of overwhelm, unstuck from patterns that don't work for you, and build closeness and connection in your family? Sheryl Ang says to try a family meeting. Family meetings aren’t just another thing to add to an already overflowing to-do list; rather, they will make the “to-dos” disappear by creating the kind of family that you want to have now and for the future. Listen to this interview to hear how to get started with family meetings.

Heather Schalk

Managing Meltdowns During the Toddler Years

Heather Schalk is a twin mama, the founder of The Toddler Toolkit Podcast and The 3-Steps to a Calm, Kind, and Caring Toddler Course. She has a master's degree in education, and for the past ten years, she’s taught pre-K through ninth grade. Her passion is helping parents develop long-term, customizable strategies that work.

SUMMARY:
Heather Schalk explains that if a young child is having a meltdown and the parent solves it by distracting them with a phone, or saying “no, stop that!” or removing them from the situation, the child misses a learning opportunity to develop their advocacy skills. In this interview, you’ll find out what advocacy means, why it’s important, and how to help your child develop their advocacy skills. Heather shares her 5-step process for handling using emotional moments, like meltdowns, as learning opportunities for kids and their parents, and explains how to use these steps with a child who has limited verbal ability.

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