Episode 42: Explaining Tough Topics to your Little Ones: Interview with Dr. Micah Johnson

02/14/21 • 26 min

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In today’s episode you will hear the great conversation that I got to have with Micah Johnson. Dr. Johnson is a sociologist and serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida. Dr. Johnson’s research centers around childhood trauma, behavioral health, and juvenile justice. Dr. Johnson trains, speaks, and teaches internationally on topics related to trauma, poverty, antiracism, and sustainable peace. Dr. Johnson recently published a children’s book entitled “Never Had a Friend.”

In this episode we discuss the topic of explaining tough topics to your kids. This is such an important conversation and I find it very fitting to release it today, on Valentine’s day, because our discussion and Dr. Johnson’s work is all about promoting love and making this world a more compassionate and caring place.

In this episode we discuss:

Dr. Micah Johnson’s background

Goal: building peace and investing in young people
Passion is to use creativity and art to deal with adversity

Dr. Johnson’s new children’s book: Never Had a Friend

Discussing tough topics

Empowering parents to have hard conversations with young kids
Even as early as in pregnancy parents can start discussing with each other what moral foundation they want to establish for their family
Parents can get used to talking about difficult topics with each other

Age appropriate ways to introduce these topics

Books!
Don't make it a huge deal or one time conversation
Explain things as they come up and look at this as a lifelong discussion

How to get in touch with Dr. Johnson:

How to get in touch with me:

Follow me on Instagram
Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillagepod.com
Email me at [email protected]
Monthly Newsletter

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

In this episode we discuss:

Dr. Micah Johnson’s background

Goal: building peace and investing in young people
Passion is to use creativity and art to deal with adversity

Dr. Johnson’s new children’s book: Never Had a Friend

Discussing tough topics

Empowering parents to have hard conversations with young kids
Even as early as in pregnancy parents can start discussing with each other what moral foundation they want to establish for their family
Parents can get used to talking about difficult topics with each other

Age appropriate ways to introduce these topics

Books!
Don't make it a huge deal or one time conversation
Explain things as they come up and look at this as a lifelong discussion

How to get in touch with Dr. Johnson:

How to get in touch with me:

Follow me on Instagram
Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillagepod.com
Email me at [email protected]
Monthly Newsletter

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

Previous Episode

Episode 41: How to Transition your Toddler out of the Crib: Interview with Nicole Johnson

In today’s episode, I had the privilege of interviewing Nicole Johnson: founder of The Baby Sleep Site! I am particularly excited about this interview because I have been following The Baby Sleep Site for several years and it was very cool to get to interview Nicole who started it all! In this episode, Nicole provides us with tips and advice on how to transition your toddler from a crib to a toddler bed. We had a great conversation and Nicole explains what readiness signs to look for, how to transition smoothly and what to do when pitfalls arise.

I am also really excited today for another reason...this week marks the one year anniversary of the Finding Your Village podcast! I launched this show on February 4th of 2020 and cannot believe that it has been a year already. I love getting the chance to discuss birth, postpartum and parent mental health topics with other advocates and educators in the hope of making the early days of parenting more connected. Thank you so much for listening to this show!

In this episode we discuss:

Nicole’s background and how she came to start The Baby Sleep Site:

Advice on how to transition a toddler from a crib:

Age range recommendation: 2-4 years old
Readiness signs to look for: can they follow directions and are they interested in a bed
Use a ready to wake clock, like: The Hatch
Use a lovey or an attachment object
Make sure that sleep is going well in the crib and you have good baby sleep habits before you transition them
Climbing out of crib: you do not necessarily need to transition them right away if they start climbing out! They might only do it once. Transition them if it seems dangerous!

Common pitfalls and how to handle them

Try not to stay in the room with them for too long after doing the bedtime routine
Start naptime routine 20 minutes earlier in the beginning and expect them to test the limits at first
Don’t give up on naps if they are under 3!

Potty training and crib transition!

If night training while potty training, either transition to a toddler bed a few weeks before
Or keep them in the crib if your potty trained child still needs your help going potty at night

How to get in touch with Nicole

How to get in touch with me:

Follow me on Instagram
Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillagepod.com
Email me at [email protected]
Monthly Newsletter

Visit www.keepsakecastle.com today!

Support the show

Next Episode

Episode 43: Safe Co-Sleeping Practices: Interview with Gail Root

In today’s episode, we are discussing safe co-sleeping or bed sharing practices. Our guest to discuss this topic is Gail Root. With a life devoted to teaching, counseling, and guiding new parents into their most important role as loving caregivers, Gail Root has the perfect combination of child development knowledge and Perinatal Psychology experience.

I've heard it said before that co-sleeping is like teenagers having sex. We can tell them not to do it, but at the end of the day many of them are going to do it anyway, so you might as well teach them how to do it safely.

In this episode we discuss:

Questions to consider concerning sleep for your family

Child’s temperament
Your gut instinct
How you sleep

Attachment Parenting: can mean many things, most consider it to be an approach to raising children by listening to the cues of your child and responding to those cues

Being responsive and sensitive
Nurturing child through touch
Holding/carrying baby a lot

Co sleeping/bed sharing: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns against bed sharing, but it has quadrupled in US in last 25 years. AAP position, understandably, seeks to keep babies as safe as possible, appears to emerge from an abundance of caution

Breastsleeping: coined by Dr. James Mckenna, PhD, Director of the Mother-Baby Sleep Lab at University of Notre Dame

Cuddle curl: breastfeeding parent lays on side with knees up and stacked with arm tucked under head and curled around baby to create a protected space

Safe way to co-sleep/bed share:

On a flat and firm surface
With blankets away from baby
In cuddle curl position
Breastfeeding parent must be free of mind altering substances (alcohol, etc.) and should have not smoked cigarettes either
Moms with long hair should have their hair pulled back into pony tail
Ensure there is no gap between the bed and the bed frame
A dock-a-tot is not recommended/considered safe

This is a way that the nursing parent can nurse during the night in the side-lying position

Gail’s Recommended Book List: