Episode 110 | How to Raise Resilient Kids

What the link between family schedules and life expectancy tells us about teaching kids to be resilient adults.

Bio

Dr. Rhonda Spencer-Hwang is an epidemiologist and associate professor in the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University. Through her groundbreaking research, she has developed a program to help prepare families for whatever life throws their way—increasing resiliency, happiness, and likelihood of positive performances (from academics to athletics and beyond). She is a mom of three and lives in Loma Linda, California.

What We Talk About:

• Centenarians: people who live 100+ years.
• The surprising answer they gave when asked about childhood hardships.
• How childhood experiences impact longevity.
• What long life has to do with overcoming hardship.
• Life experiences including an early-century pandemic, the Great Depression, and what how these events affected their resiliency.
• “Are we preparing ourselves for what may come?”
• How much adversity do we need to build our resilience?

Bringing it Back to Families

• Rhonda’s own hidden habits that you might relate to.
• The lie we might believe as the pandemic numbers decrease.
• Centenarian advice for parents:
• Be okay that your schedules are not slam-packed
• Try not to eat food on the fly
• Be okay that we lost a year. We’re all in this together.
• Spend time outdoors. You can find nature wherever you live. Just slow down and embrace it.
• Why our life is a metaphorical time closet.
• Parenting Styles that are structure and “doing” oriented.
• What to say to the inner critic who tells you “You’re not doing enough.”
• Let’s talk about sleep and why we need so many sleep supplements.