Inspiration from this Episode

“Grief doesn't just go away. It becomes a part of the fabric of our lives.”

“Grief is so unpredictable and so messy. It's important to have somebody be able to go along on the ride to hold your hand.”

“Take care of yourself with permission to grieve and permission to live well in people's honor and memory.”

105 | Us & Kids: The Two Griefs of October

Intro 

On today’s show, we are talking about grief and that's not always so very easy when we contemplate what October is in memory of. October is both Infancy and Pregnancy Loss Awareness month, as well as breast cancer awareness month. 

And for me, both of those titles hold significant weight because they have happened to me in our family, my immediate family with my kids, but also in my extended family. I also know that so many people are affected by one or both of these so I think it’s an important topic to cover today.

...

Inspiration from this Episode

“You might just be exhausted and trying to see the good but it's hard.”

“Along with this grieving, When you have the energy, you might also note in writing or in your mind, why you grief these things or people.”

“These were things you haven't done in other years, so they are going to create new memories around this new mix of experience.”

064 | Us & Kids: Thanksgiving

Intro 

So, it's Thanksgiving week! A week to give thanks for all the good things that we have in our life. Perhaps, if you're lucky, you get to go Black Friday shopping, or Cyber Monday shopping!

But, for some of us, this year has been anything but thankful. It has had challenges, death, loneliness, loss of income, fear of the unknown, and a new sense of things we cannot control and the unsettling emotions that come with it.

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• What to do with Thanksgiving?
• How to acknowledge...

Inspiration from this Episode

“It is a grief no one is anticipating. In the pregnancy process, we are anticipating life, not death.”

“It is really impacted in some ways by what our hopes and dreams and our plans were.”

“If you need to, be your own advocate. If you need another opinion, get another opinion.”

058 | Us & Kids: Pregnancy and Loss

Intro  

On today’s show, we are talking about how to stay married forever and parent together even when you have experienced a miscarriage or early infant loss. It can be hard to keep a marriage together under such great emotional strain.

I interviewed Nancy Kingma, MA, LLP. She is an expert in my area who has worked in pregnancy loss and infant loss for over 40 years. We talk through the experiences no one ever wants to have happen so I asked a variety of questions and I will share today some of her responses.

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• The...

Inspiration from this Episode

“There's a hole in the bucket but for us, there might be a hole in our heart.”

“We often have to throw out seven ideas before we come up with a reasonably good idea and then that probably has to be fine tuned.”

“They're going to tell me about the hole and I'm going to listen carefully so that I understand it.”

041 | Us & Kids: Hole in the Bucket

Intro 

On today’s show, we're talking about a hole in our bucket. I'm curious, do you know this song? It's about two characters - Henry and Eliza. Henry has a leaky bucket and Lysa just wants him to fix it. The song describes a deadlock situation where the things you need are dependent on the things you currently don’t have.

My question for you is, are there decisions made in your house that sounds like this song. Is there one parent who always needs something done or fixed and just wants it finished now? Does the other parent always seem to...

Inspiration from this Episode

“They have less emotional knowledge, and less emotional awareness. Not necessarily less emotional experience.”

“I want them to be able to absorb pain and use pain in a healthy and okay way.“

“Because I wanted her to be empowered by talking about it out loud on her own, forming her own thoughts, gathering her own courage to say her own experience and letting me just be the listener.”

038 | Us & Kids: Grief in a Child

Intro 

On today’s show, the topic we're talking about today isn't necessarily a really happy one. But it's a rather common one. And the topic is about grief or loss for a child and how they experience it, but also how we can help them develop skills to get through it. We usually think we know what grief means to us or other adults we know, but it might look a lot different to the kids in our life. 

To children, the loss or grief happens because someone or something...

Inspiration from this Episode

“We don’t have control over other people.”

“You’ve decided how you’re going to act—with grace and maturity.”

“How should we help our children grieve?”

013 | Us & Kids: Lost and Found

Intro 

On today’s show, we're talking about all the things we lose in our day to day lives.

When we lose things, no matter how small or insignificant, how do you react? Do you think you’re losing your mind and get mad? Do we have tendencies to sometimes blame other people when things get lost?

Many times when we lose things, it isn’t just the thought of them being lost that really bothers us. It can be what that specific item represents to us and it no longer being around that upsets or bothers us. The loss of a family member or loved one in our lives can also be a time where we lose sense of ourselves and we must learn how to reconnect. 

What You’ll...

 Inspiration from this Episode

“Remember, those who knew you before still know you.”

“Your needs and desires can shift.”

008 | Us & Kids: Breast Cancer Awareness

Intro 

On today’s show, we are talking about something that can be hard to talk about but something that is necessary to bring awareness to—breast cancer. When someone gets diagnosed with cancer, there is a lot of uncertainty in their lives. They become unsure of who they are as a woman, as a wife and as a mother. 

There are so many ways we can deal with this diagnosis in our own lives as well as for those around us. We want to ensure we can embrace the new things to come while also keeping the normal things in our lives. This month let’s take the time to bring awareness around breast cancer and how it can affect everyone. 

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• Breast cancer as a woman & a wife.
• How to bring normalcy back into your...

Inspiration from this Episode

“Feelings from miscarriage looks different for everyone.”

006 | Us & Kids: Miscarriage & Loss

Intro 

On today’s show, we talk about the hard topic of miscarriage and losing a child. Miscarriage is never an easy thing to go through no matter when it happens. We often feel as though we are alone because no one talks about what they might also be going through. 

As a friend, we often don’t know what to say or how to support our friends through this time. We don’t want to risk saying the wrong thing or potentially upset them more. We are going to discuss some of the many ways you can support a friend or loved one during a miscarriage. 

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• When we think no one else is going through it.
• How to support a friend through miscarriage.
• Not forgetting the grieving spouse.
• Dealing with the different emotions.

Resources in Today’s...