Here is a list of Happiness Matters Podcasts you may have missed in October:

Giving Thanks

A new slew of tips from Rona and I for fostering gratitude—and combating entitlement—in our children.

Working on the Weekend?

Are your weekends relaxing? Do you find time to rest and rejuvenate? If your answer was no, no, and no: you aren’t alone. Many parents today—myself included!—find themselves rushing from one thing to the next over the weekend. Rona and I give tips for making the weekends more enjoyable.

Do You Have Enough Friends?

Feel like you no longer have any time for your friends? While you certainly aren’t alone—especially among parents—friendships can profoundly affect our happiness for the better. Rona and I discuss strategies for keeping adult friendships alive and well.

Check out my podcast Happiness Matters with Rona Renner either here on the Greater Good website, or here on iTunes. Happy listening!

Do you think you worry too much about your children? Too little? How much is enough?

Generally, I believe worry is a waste of time and energy. For nearly 20 years I battled what was probably an anxiety disorder disguised as perfectionism, so I know what a happiness killer anxiety is.

So I rarely write posts that will make parents more anxious about their children, or parenting.

But, I am worried about my children and their friends. It would be irresponsible of me to tell you that our kids are alright. Many are not.

I’ve just returned from a board meeting at a highly selective prep school that is fending off the “specialization ethos” that dominates the culture of higher education: the notion, created by the astoundingly competitive college selection process, that kids should not necessarily be well-rounded, but that they should have specialized, honed, and unique talents by the time they reach puberty. It isn’t enough to be a varsity soccer player or elite cellist anymore; kids need to be the best striker in town, or to have played at Carnegie Hall.

Pressuring our children to specialize young, to achieve, to compete with more and more kids for few spots at elite colleges is soul-crushing for them. It destroys the peer culture so important to teens; it ingrains cliques; it heightens their stress.

Continue this post here–on the Raising Happiness blog at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center–where I provide some numbers for you to consider and advice for raising kids who don’t fall into the large minority of kids that is really struggling.

It’s not too late to sign up for the November Coaching Group!

Participate in fun group discussions where you can share your experiences and seek expert advice on the issues you’re facing in your family!

Join us as we discuss how to foster kindness and gratitude in kids.

This is what you get when you enroll in LIVE GROUP COACHING:

• Three 1-hour video conference calls with me and a small group of other parents. Coaching is focused on providing fun — but science-based — solutions.
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• SCHEDULE FLEXIBILITY — we know juggling parenting and everything else can make it difficult to find time. This class is MADE for parents and busy people!
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• Four training videos and access to an online classroom where you can watch your training videos anytime. By taking small but steady steps, you will see the difference in your children right away.
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• Instant access to on online conversation: post a question online and I typically respond within 48 hours.
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• Access to a private Facebook group where you’ll be a part of a 24/7 community of like-minded parents where we post bonus materials and host a lively discussion about being a happy parent and raising happy kids.

Learn more here, or sign up here: