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Together, Los Angeles-based marriage and family therapists Diane Reynolds and Rebekka Helford have spent a combined total of over 35 years working with children, families, and organizations, helping foster strong relationships and thinking long and hard about what helps them flourish. Join us for a journey into the mental playground we call "the Sandbox." We welcome you along for the ride as we think about all human relationships--romantic partnerships, parenting, friendships, work relations ...
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As anyone with young children will know, sleep is a precious commodity! Join Diane and Rebekka as they think about how to help families embark on the group project that is healthy sleep. This conversation offers a thoughtful understanding of human sleep/wake cycles, sleep associations, and mindful ways to support children in sleeping "in their own …
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Come on down to Burger Mom, the friendliest restaurant in town, where Diane and Rebekka are serving up delicious helpings of wisdom and wonderings about how to navigate feeding and eating in family life, while also bringing joy and connection back to the family table! Join us as we discuss picky eating, healthy choices, and how to avoid being a sho…
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It's been a year - baby Poppy is now 1 year old, and although the aftershocks of her birth have spread far apart, this big birthday spells a profound aftershock of grief for big sister Molly. The sisters are finding each other and becoming friends, and Rebekka is holding space for everyone's big, mixed-up feelings, including her own! We consider ho…
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As Jon Kabat-Zinn cribbed from Zorba the Greek, family life is the "full catastrophe." Newly mobile baby Poppy is struggling to organize herself and find her place in the family and the world, and it's taking a toll on everyone - mommy, daddy, and big sister alike. Tune in for mindful tips on dealing with biting, "poo-poo butt!", and and "Mommy, li…
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Rebekka's family is still adjusting to the not so recent arrival of its newest member, who is now 9 months old. Rebekka has reclaimed the role of "mommy" in the eyes of her oldest child: some ruptures have been repaired! In spite of the speed bumps in this family's development (and growing sibling conflict), big sister Molly is showing something ve…
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What is a toy, anyway? How can we use objects to deepen relationships and spark the imagination? Give a listen for playful ideas to bring into your family life on this episode of The Sandbox with Diane and Rebekka. Big shout out to Antoinette Portis's Not a Box and Not a Stick!By Diane Reynolds & Rebekka Helford
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The Sandbox Video Special: The Pillars of Relating Mindfully
35:46
35:46
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Join Diane and Rebekka for a special video episode. We discuss the origins of Mindful Parenting Groups, how we met, and the three pillars of mindful relating: observe mindfully, reflect kindly, and respond flexibly. How do these pillars look in a parent-child relationship? How can we use them to deepen and strengthen our connections with others? Tu…
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Now that Rebekka's 7-month-old baby has become more of a person in her own right, everyone wants to compare her to her big sister. Which one is happier? Fussier? A "better" child? On top of this, drama persists between Rebekka and her older child, who often tells her to "GO AWAY!" When family life is like juggling chainsaws, sometimes the best (and…
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All that talk about singing in the last episode got Rebekka thinking about even more ways for parents and children to engage meaningfully through music. Tune in for zipper songs, lullabies as a barometer and tool for parental self-regulation, rhyming games, and more!By Diane Reynolds & Rebekka Helford
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In late summer 2019, one of Rebekka's oldest friends, digital humanities professor Jo Guldi, posted a news article on her Facebook page drawing attention to the ongoing human rights quagmire at the border. Rebekka commented, "I feel sickened by what our country is doing, and sickened further by my sense of utter helplessness to stop it. I’ve given …
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The Truth about Motherhood: The Sandbox on Location
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40:14
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What is the truth about motherhood? Recorded live at Rebekka's kitchen table, this special episode peels back the curtain on family life to capture the extraordinary in the ordinary. Join Diane and Rebekka for a thoughtful investigation of how complex parent-child relationships can be, including mindful offerings about ways of relating more intenti…
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Family life is full of difficult moments: transitions, non-preferred activities, bumps, bruises, and outright pain. Although we can't take those away, we can make them smoother and less painful by using songs, play, and silliness whenever possible. Find your voice - and your "hip pocket" song - and bring a little music into your family! With specia…
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Sibling Reveries: The Developmental Tango
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10:53
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Rebekka's baby is now 6 months old and both kids have been doing "the developmental tango:" the messy journey of progress and regression that encapsulates our path to maturity. Tune in to hear how this dance has been looking for this new-ish family of four, and learn about how regression and growth go hand in hand for young children.…
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The baby is now 4 months old. The initial earthquake of her birth was quite an ordeal, and the aftershocks are coming farther and farther apart. Join Diane and Rebekka for this brief check-in on how things are settling down, and a look ahead at the shocks that are still to come for Rebekka's family of four!…
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It's been 7 weeks and the baby hasn't gone away. How is 4 year old big sister coping? Dynamics of control and cooperation loom large in this month's installment of Sibling Reveries, a yearlong accompaniment to the journey of becoming a family of four. Join Rebekka and Diane as they explore how 3-7 year olds begin to cultivate a cooperative relation…
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When you already have one kid, somehow the math of adding another one doesn't make sense. Family life becomes exponentially more complex, as do the emotions that accompany it. Join Diane and Rebekka for the first in a series of brutally honest boots-on-the-ground conversations about navigating this change - introducing our first special guest, Rebe…
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Fun fact: Diane and Rebekka share the same birthday! That explains a lot. Join us for a free-wheeling discussion of all things birthday: what do we really need and want on ours? What about little kids? And what about the original birthday, the one where someone actually gets born? On this very special episode of The Sandbox, we consider expectation…
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Whether young or old, no one is a stranger to tantrums. A constant source of frustration and consternation for parents, tantrums can actually be fairly predictable and--if you're engaging in good self care--straightforward to navigate. Here's the acronym from the show - remember, tantrums are MUCH more likely to emerge in a child or adult when that…
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TANTRUM bonus mini-episode: Tantrum Theater!
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Out of sheer desperation, Rebekka relied on her love of improv to respond flexibly and playfully to her 3 year old's breakfast table tantrum, leading to the development of...Tantrum Theater! Big shout out to Keren Guderman of Improv Parenting, who reminds us that "Anything can be a puppet!"By Diane Reynolds and Rebekka Helford
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Use this handout to bring the mindful magic of the Child Centered Activity into your relationship with your child today!
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TANTRUM bonus mini-episode: Child Centered Activity
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What if we told you there was a simple way you could connect deeply with your child that would help decrease their irritability and increase their attention span, that it was free, and would take less than 30 minutes a day? You're in luck. Sandbox listeners, meet the Child Centered Activity. Download a handout on how to do this at home here. Big sh…
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Relationships are challenging - it says so right in our theme song. That means conflict and ruptures are inevitable parts of parenting, friendship, and partnership. But how do we make things right again afterwards? Join us as we consider how to build the all important muscle of repair in all our most important relationships.…
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Mini episode: The story of what's going to happen
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In "Tell Me A Story," we thought about using storytelling to digest past events and changes. In this bonus mini-episode, Rebekka shares a technique for navigating future transitions: the story of what's going to happen. Join us as we consider the importance of helping others think about, plan, and prepare for bumps in the road of relating. Got a mi…
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Human beings are natural storytellers - we can harness the compelling power of story to help each other navigate the uncertainty and discomfort of transitions and changes both big and small. Join Diane and Rebekka as they add three powerful storytelling toys to the sandbox: the mini life review, the story of what happened (also known as the concret…
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Teaser 3: Mr. Rogers - "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
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4:04
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Diane recently saw the fantastic Mr. Rogers documentary, Won't You Be My Neighbor. In honor of the legendary Fred Rogers and his missionary zeal for radical kindness, we take a few moments to consider his legacy and its relationship to our time in the Sandbox. The Atlantic article on Fred Rogers' specific way of speaking to children can be found he…
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Teaser 2: Chad asks, "What's in the Sandbox?"
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4:28
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Rebekka's friend Chad was really excited when he listened to The Sandbox's first trailer, but had an important question: "What's in the Sandbox?" Take a listen as Diane and Rebekka give a quick preview of what kinds of fun relational "toys" we hope to offer all podcast listeners. Got a minute? Give us your feedback on the show here!…
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Ever had the frustrating experience of trying to calm down an upset friend or loved one by using feeling language? Telling them, "You're so angry!" only seems to add fuel to the fire. But this shouldn't be, right? Decades of thought have promoted the use of feeling language when empathizing. After face planting on this one many times, Diane stumble…
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Poop and poop problems: they are the funniest serious things family therapists get to think about. Join Diane and Rebekka for a look at how challenges related to pooping speak to deeper familial emotional challenges and represent an important transitional phase in the life of a young child. Plus an overabundance of SFW scatological humor! Resources…
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We use two arms when we relate to others; one holds the feelings, and the other holds the line. Join Diane and Rebekka on a thought-provoking, free-wheeling conversation about how we set boundaries in relationships, how our childhood experiences affect our parenting strategies, validation and improvisational comedy, and the importance of initiating…
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Join Diane and Rebekka for an introduction to the mental playground we call "the Sandbox." We welcome you along for the ride as we think about all human relationships-romantic partnerships, parenting, friendships, work relationships-and how to make them work better. Communication is challenging - dive into the sandbox with us for some new ideas and…
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