You've had Blue's Clues, Daniel Tiger, and Super Why on repeat. But have you ever stopped to think about who's behind those shows, and what your kids are actually absorbing while they watch?

This week Angie sits down with Angela Santomero, the creator behind those beloved programs and a Peabody and Emmy Award winner with a master's in child development from Columbia. Angela has built her career on one radical idea: what kids watch can teach them how to handle big feelings, not just keep them busy.

Together they get honest about the screen time guilt almost every mom carries, and Angela offers a freeing reframe: think of media like a healthy diet, full of variety, that still has to taste good. She shares the "pause" technique baked into her shows, why what's mentionable is manageable when it comes to kids' fears, and how to use imagination and play to walk children through worry. They also dig into resilience, the trap of snowplow parenting, and why letting kids stumble in a safe place is one of the kindest things we can do.

You'll walk away with practical tools you can use tonight, plus a lot less guilt about the tablet.

Connect with Angela Santomero:
Website: angelasclues.com
Instagram: instagram.com/angelasclues
Facebook: facebook.com/AngelasClues
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angelasantomero
YouTube: youtube.com/@AngelasClues
Make a Kids Show: makeakidsshow.com
New: Princess Penelope's Purse of Preposterous Things (YouTube series + book series; first two books out now, next two in November)

Connect with The Parent Toolbox CALM Family Planner:
https://www.theparenttoolbox.info/the-calm-family-planner
Essential Minute: https://link.doterra.com/Wuunbl
Podcast: theparenttoolbox.info/podcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@TheParentToolbox
Instagram: instagram.com/TheParentToolbox
Facebook: facebook.com/TheParentToolbox
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angieweber

Ever looked around your house and thought, "How did it get like this? I used to have it all together"? You are not alone, and according to this week's guest, that mess is not a character flaw. It is a sign your life has outgrown your system. And that is fixable.

Angie sits down with Tia Toso, founder of Room for Serenity, a home organizing service in the Twin Cities. Tia isn't the kind of organizer who swoops in, makes everything pretty, and leaves you with a bin system you will never maintain. As a mom herself, she coaches families through the decisions so the change actually sticks.

In this episode you will learn why there is no quick hack to organizing when you have kids, how to organize for function instead of for the perfect Instagram shelf, how to get your spouse and kids genuinely on board, and a low-pressure way to declutter a little at a time. Most of all, Tia reframes the guilt and shame so many of us carry, reminding us we were built to live in community, not to handle it all alone.

If you have a counter that hasn't seen daylight in weeks, press play. Follow Mom Essentials, leave a review, and visit theparenttoolbox.info for more.

Connect with Tia:
https://www.roomforserenity.com/book-free-consult
http://instagram.com/room_for_serenity
http://www.linkedin.com/company/roomforserenity

Essential Minute: https://link.doterra.com/aHuOcj
Family Planner: https://www.theparenttoolbox.info/the-calm-family-planner

Ever sat in a parent-teacher conference and heard the words "we're seeing some attention issues"? Or found yourself Googling your kid's behavior at 11 p.m., wondering if it's normal or something more? ADHD is one of the most talked-about and most misunderstood diagnoses out there, and this week Angie sits down with two women who live in it every single day.

Sam Straub, LCPC, is a parent coach and licensed therapist. Dr. Melissa Wellner is a child psychiatrist. Together they co-host the Parenting Shrink Wrapped podcast, and they pull back the curtain on what ADHD actually is: why it's so often misnamed, why "lack of focus" misses the point, and the executive-functioning delays that make everyday tasks so hard.

You'll learn why your kid can play Minecraft for twelve hours but can't finish ten math problems, how to tell the difference between a "can't" and a "won't" (and why it changes everything), simple tools like visual cues and eye-contact reminders, and how to support yourself without burning out or drowning in guilt.

If you've ever felt like you're doing something wrong, this episode is the permission slip and the toolbox you've been needing.

Connect with Sam and Melissa:

Parenting Shrink Wrapped podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCrSp2PWEYmQg8qSSLAizA1Q
Sam's free "You Screwed Up Convo" guide: https://samantha-straub.mykajabi.com/you-screwed-up-convo-sign-up-page
ADDitude Magazine (mentioned in the episode): https://www.additudemag.com

CALM Family Planner: https://www.theparenttoolbox.info/the-calm-family-planner
Essential Minute: https://link.doterra.com/PHOGCI
Listen on all platforms: https://www.theparenttoolbox.info/podcast
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheParentToolbox