Holding the Light While Naming The Dark | CP243

This episode is one of the most difficult Jennifer has ever recorded.

Like many parents, she is feeling the weight of the news cycle and the stories involving children that can shake our sense of safety and stability. When events like this appear in the headlines, it can leave parents asking the same painful questions:

How do I talk to my child about this?

What if they’ve already heard about it?

How do I keep them informed without frightening them?

This episode is not about fear, sensationalizing tragedy, or overwhelming children with information. Instead, Jennifer focuses on practical ways parents can support their children emotionally when disturbing news enters their world.

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)

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).