Playlist: Lucy Lundt's Portfolio
Featured
Better than You Think 10-26-2013
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:33
Parents despair over their children’s disappointing behavior
- Playing
- Better than You Think 10-26-2013
- From
- NPR Illinois
Parents despair over their children’s disappointing behavior, but here’s some good news: Odds are, your children are probably turning out better than you think at every point along the way.
The Kindness of Strangers 6-22-2013
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:26
For the remainder of the flight, that parent felt as if she had an ally. She knew someone really saw and valued her family.
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- The Kindness of Strangers 6-22-2013
- From
- NPR Illinois
Kindness is a welcomed relief to a lonely soul, a hurting heart, or a stressed parent. A soft word accompanied by a warm smile may make a real difference in one person’s experience.
Great Expectations 03-17-2012
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:55
I’ve recently observed many parents frantically trying one punishment after another as they react to the ornery antics of their little ones. Children sit grinning like Cheshire Cats watching the acrobatic efforts of their befuddled parents trying to maintain order.
- Playing
- Great Expectations 03-17-2012
- From
- NPR Illinois
And so they spend their days reacting to one bad behavior after another as their children spin out of control, hoping desperately for some adult to show up and set them straight.
Great Expectations 03-17-2012
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:55
I’ve recently observed many parents frantically trying one punishment after another as they react to the ornery antics of their little ones. Children sit grinning like Cheshire Cats watching the acrobatic efforts of their befuddled parents trying to maintain order.
- Playing
- Great Expectations 03-17-2012
- From
- NPR Illinois
And so they spend their days reacting to one bad behavior after another as their children spin out of control, hoping desperately for some adult to show up and set them straight.
A Firm Foundation 9-16-2013
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:26
Each morning my little dog and I venture out in our neighborhood for a brisk walk. She employs her excellent nose to read messages from other dogs, and I try to notice things a little higher up.
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- A Firm Foundation 9-16-2013
- From
- NPR Illinois
In the same way, in constructing kids, as in constructing houses, it’s the foundation that assures long-term health and survivability.
Just Say Thanks 11-23-2013
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:19
Most parents will tell you that what they really want for their children, bottom line, is a life of happiness. And I have one surefire, works-every-time suggestion to contribute to that goal: Help them learn to be thankful.
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- Just Say Thanks 11-23-2013
- From
- NPR Illinois
But some of the happiest people I know practice gratitude the other eleven months of the year, too. And some of them teach their children the same thing.
Joy in the Quiet Times 01-04-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:24
After the holiday hustle and bustle, an empty datebook can seem anticlimactic. But in my estimation, those empty calendar pages feel like a benediction to the frenetic season just past.
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- Joy in the Quiet Times 01-04-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
While we live by the calendar, they live by what their senses teach them in each moment.
Fill Up to Give Away 01-11-14
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:10
Your day is too full already with too many places to be. As you race from one point to the next, you glance down at your fuel gauge and discover you’re running on fumes.
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- Fill Up to Give Away 01-11-14
- From
- NPR Illinois
Because you know without a doubt that your day of driving will come to a screeching halt when those fumes run out. And yet parents try to keep driving on an empty tank when it comes to their kids. They give and they give, running on fumes when their own tanks are woefully low.
Parenting is Primal 05-04-2013
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:20
A new baby monitor has more bells and whistles than ever before. This monitor maintains information on everything about a baby: the temperature in his crib, how deeply asleep the baby is, and even exactly how much urine is in the baby’s diaper.
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- Parenting is Primal 05-04-2013
- From
- NPR Illinois
When it comes to the care of their infants, primal instincts tell parents what their babies need.
What Words Can't Say 01-18-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:29
I love words. A well-turned phrase gives me goose bumps. Words play a significant role in my life. But sometimes in the life of a family, words are nearly worthless.
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- What Words Can't Say 01-18-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
In these cases, words fail to provide the remedy our kids need. But our loving presence has the power to make a real difference.
What Words Can't Say 01-18-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:29
I love words. A well-turned phrase gives me goose bumps. Words play a significant role in my life. But sometimes in the life of a family, words are nearly worthless.
- Playing
- What Words Can't Say 01-18-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
In these cases, words fail to provide the remedy our kids need. But our loving presence has the power to make a real difference.
Voice from the Past 01-25-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:24
The middle-age woman spoke tentatively as she reached for words to express her meaning. She was raised in the south, the great-grandchild of slaves. “When I was growing up,” she said, “We were taught that children are to be seen and not heard. I wanted to be a good girl, so I spoke very little until I went to school. There, I struggled to keep up with other children whose language skills were light years beyond my own.”
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- Voice from the Past 01-25-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
“I encouraged them to express their feelings. This created friction with my parents and grandparents, who I still loved so much. But I knew I wanted my children to have a different experience which I hoped would better prepare them for school.”
This woman describes the cost of choosing to raise her kids differently. She found it possible to still have a loving relationship with her own parents, but it took conscious effort.
Parenting Partners 02-15-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:29
My years of marriage have taught me that raising kids with another person is rarely a smooth ride. Any two adults bring very different upbringings to the table, causing them to often take a different view of kids’ behavior.
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- Parenting Partners 02-15-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
But the single most important thing parenting partners do for each other is that every day, we can count on this: No matter how difficult their behavior, we know that our kids are desperately loved by at least one other human being who would walk through fire for them.
The Anchor 02-22-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:33
Every parent understands that your joy and sorrow rises and falls with your child. Your heart vacillates between those two extremes as your child faces tragedy and triumph.
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- The Anchor 02-22-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
The problem with this level of investment is that our commitment makes us emotionally vulnerable to the point of occasionally threatening our own stability. Parents must safeguard against losing their own perspective as they join kids in their highs and lows.
The Chaos Crescendo 04-05-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:24
Every parent can take some level of stress with children. But for each of us, there’s a tipping point at which our own resources for peace and perspective falter.
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- The Chaos Crescendo 04-05-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
This chaotic crescendo is a frequent reality when we’re raising kids. The challenge is finding our way off the ledge when our stress has gotten the best of us.
Be Impeccable with Your Word 03-08-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:30
Parents can provide the model to our children that we only speak the truth to them. This involves their watching how we conduct our lives with honesty, following through on commitments and only making promises we can keep.
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- Be Impeccable with Your Word 03-08-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
But when parents are “impeccable with their word” consistently, their kids negotiate less. Like Pavlov’s dogs, when children know they can sometimes change their parents’ minds, they will ring that bell again and again. When they learn that “no means no,” they accept their parents’ decisions more easily.
Don't Take Anything Personally 03-15-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:39
I would like to think about the Second Agreement, “Don’t take anything personally,” as it applies to the lives of parents.
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- Don't Take Anything Personally 03-15-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
Refusing to take anything personally frees us from the burden of sensing judgment when our friends raise their children differently. It safeguards our relationships with other parents when we can stop reading their choices as indictments against our own.
Don't Make Assumptions 03-22-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:29
When we make assumptions it’s because we believe we know what others are thinking and feeling. When it comes to our children, we blindly assume their lives will mirror our own.
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- Don't Make Assumptions 03-22-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
Our assumptions bear examination. Clarity in communication and a listening ear enable us to enjoy our children and to create the unique, loving relationship with them that fits our family best.
Always Do your Best 03-29-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:34
“Always do your best.” Notice, the concept is not “Be perfect,” but is instead “Do your best.”
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- Always Do your Best 03-29-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
Doing our best with our kids involves enjoying our life together and watching them grow without judging every step as a reflection on our parenting prowess. If we can learn to enjoy the path traveled with our children, the destination will often take care of itself.
Always Do your Best 03-29-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:34
“Always do your best.” Notice, the concept is not “Be perfect,” but is instead “Do your best.”
- Playing
- Always Do your Best 03-29-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
Doing our best with our kids involves enjoying our life together and watching them grow without judging every step as a reflection on our parenting prowess. If we can learn to enjoy the path traveled with our children, the destination will often take care of itself.
Raising Imperfect Kids 08-09-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:35
When that peace-shattering event occurs, all our smugness evaporates. At first we recoil in denial. And then reality sets in when we’re faced with truth.
We’re forced to accept that this child of ours is human after all, with feet of clay just like ours. We’re confronted with the possibility that, if our child owes her successes to us, then surely her failures must sit squarely on our shoulders as well.
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- Raising Imperfect Kids 08-09-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
If you’ve not yet experienced this dark night in the journey of raising your child, let me assure you it will happen. And when it does, you’ll earn a parenting merit badge in an event you never wanted to enter.
The Three Stages of Life 08-16-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:36
Unwilling to allow his son to continue in this self-centered orientation, he chose to have a much-needed talk with this otherwise-terrific young man.
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- The Three Stages of Life 08-16-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
At this, the color drained out of the young man's face as he recognized how far short he was falling of that description. The story illustrates social responsibility in a time when carefree childhood has been extended to older adolescents and young adults. Even though many of them have impressive resources, we often expect little of them in terms of their contribution to others.
The Ages of Children 09-20-2014
From NPR Illinois | Part of the Let's Talk Kids series | 02:44
When the world sees our children, it sees them as they are at this moment and in this environment, through a narrow lens. Their teacher at school sees how well they internalized today’s math lesson (or not). Their dentist sees the condition of their teeth as they are today, including that new cavity in a molar. The neighbor sees them as the sweet child who brought in their garbage can for them or the nasty brat who littered in their front lawn.
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- The Ages of Children 09-20-2014
- From
- NPR Illinois
When the world sees our children, it sees them as they are at this moment and in this environment, through a narrow lens. Their teacher at school sees how well they internalized today’s math lesson (or not). Their dentist sees the condition of their teeth as they are today, including that new cavity in a molar. The neighbor sees them as the sweet child who brought in their garbage can for them or the nasty brat who littered in their front lawn.
At any given time, our children are assigned identities based on their current performance in one of many areas of their life. But mothers and fathers observe their children with a very different set of eyes. When parents look at their children, they don’t just see them as they are in that moment. They see all the ages they’ve ever been, as well as imagining the ages they will be in the future.