Connected Parenting Raising Kids Who Know What Love Feels Like | CP242
Dating can bring up a very specific kind of parent anxiety, especially when you add in social media, texting, AI, and changing relationship norms that look nothing like what many of us grew up with.
In this guest episode, I sit down with Lianne Lee and Sarah Winstanley from the ConnectED Parents Project (powered by SHIFT: The Project to End Domestic Violence at the University of Calgary) for a grounded, non–fear-based conversation on how to prepare kids for healthy relationships long before dating begins.
Instead of “lock it down” parenting, this episode focuses on building skills early, strengthening connection, and helping kids develop an internal compass for what feels safe, respectful, and aligned.
Jennifer's Takeaways:
- Overview of the Connected Parents Project (01:07)
- Challenges of Modern Dating for Parents (03:42)
- Navigating Relationship Stages and Labels (06:33)
- Building Connection and Trust in Parenting (16:03)
- Addressing Digital Influences and Technology (30:34)
- Teaching Relationship Skills to Children (30:46)
- Balancing Privacy and Secrecy in Parenting (46:00)
- Supporting Boys and Healthy Masculinity (47:07)
Learn more:
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).