Healthy friendships play a powerful role in a child’s confidence, emotional well-being, and even success at school. In this episode of Connected Parenting, Jennifer explores how parents can help their children become leaders in their own lives rather than simply following the crowd. She looks at what healthy, balanced friendships can offer children and why strong social health can be such an important protective factor as they grow.
Jennifer also shares guidance for parents whose children are struggling socially, following others into poor choices, or having difficulty developing healthy friendships. You’ll learn how to support your child without trying to manage their social life for them, while helping them build the confidence, judgment, and sense of self they need to make healthier choices. And if your child is already thriving socially, Jennifer explores how you can continue nurturing the skills that will help them maintain strong, balanced relationships as they grow.
Jennifer's Takeaways:
- Helping Children Become Leaders, Not Followers (0:00)
- Modeling Empathy and Integrity (3:14)
- Teaching Children to Navigate Social Situations (7:58)
- The Role of Parents in Improving Social Skills (9:24)
- Incorporating Empathy into Family Values (11:39)
Meet Jennifer Kolari
Jennifer Kolari is the host of the “Connected Parenting” weekly podcast and the co-host of “The Mental Health Comedy” podcast. Kolari is a frequent guest on Nationwide morning shows and podcasts in th US and Canada. Her advice can also be found in many Canadian and US magazines such as; Today’s Parent, Parents Magazine and Canadian Family.
Kolari’s powerful parenting model is based on the neurobiology of love, teaching parents how to use compassion and empathy as powerful medicine to transform challenging behavior and build children’s emotional resilience and emotional shock absorbers.
Jennifer’s wisdom, quick wit and down to earth style help parents navigate modern-day parenting problems, offering real-life examples as well as practical and effective tools and strategies.
Her highly entertaining, inspiring workshops are shared with warmth and humour, making her a crowd-pleasing speaker with schools, medical professionals, corporations and agencies throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
One of the nation’s leading parenting experts, Jennifer Kolari, is a highly sought- after international speaker and the founder of Connected Parenting. A child and family therapist with a busy practice based in San Diego and Toronto, Kolari is also the author of Connected Parenting: How to Raise A Great Kid (Penguin Group USA and Penguin Canada, 2009) and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really): Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting (Penguin Canada, 2011).
