Host: Gloria DeGaetano
Are you frustrated, stressed out, and maybe even a tad guilty for how much time your kids spend with TV, computers, and digital devices every day?
Do you want to stop the madness—for you and your child—once and for all?
You are not alone!
Join us for Gloria’s creative ideas and the show’s knowledgeable experts to reset your household norm and gain control over all those screens. Gloria’s coaching expertise will lead you to dig deeper into your well of wisdom and gain access to your priorities and power.
Become a part of the growing community of moms and dads dedicated to parenting well in our digital world!
Parent Well in our Digital World with Gloria DeGaetano
Parent Well in our Digital World with Gloria DeGaetano
My passion and purpose are to help mom and dads navigate today’s media/digital landscape with greater ease through accurate information while listening deeply to their inner wisdom.
This is my story…
In 1984 I went through a difficult divorce. My sons, then 2 and 4, were quite rambunctious. I loved them dearly but they were driving this single, working mother mad. So, like any self-preserving mom, I used television to keep them safe and silent and to keep me sane—to a degree—because whenever they were away from the TV they were still uncontrollable. I resigned to parenting “active boys.”
Then something interesting happened. My ex wanted the television. To keep our tenuous peace, I said, “OK,” when secretly I shook inside, “How will I survive even one day without a TV?” I vowed to buy a new one as soon as I received my next paycheck.
In the meantime, I braced myself for making it to the end of the month with all of us in one piece. The first few days were hell. The boys were cranky and hyper, nagging, and complaining, yelling, and whining, fighting at every turn. After a busy day as a school district administrator, I would pick them up and come home to figure out: What to do with them? I decided to do what I thought would be fun. I loved playing pretend so I put on dress-up clothes making dinner as a pirate some nights, as Princess Leia other nights—they loved this. We listened to classical music and I told them stories about all the instruments. Books on tape became a magic savior to rescue me night after night, keeping them entertained and calm. After two weeks of this, a miracle happened. My “little hellions” transformed into curious, cooperative, creative boys—of course, they still had their moments—but what a difference! Frankly, I was shocked by all the positive changes.
Thus began my research about the over-use and misuse of screen technologies on the developing brain. By 1987 I changed careers to share this vital information with parents and educators. (And in 1987 I finally got that TV. But’s that’s another story!) In 1995 I wrote a popular book, Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media Literacy (Houghton Mifflin) and in 1999 I co authored, Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence, with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (Crown). In 2007, my book, Parenting Well in a Media Age won the I-Parenting Award. My most recent book is a book of poems, Left to Their Devices, What’s Left? (Westbow Press, 2012).
In 2000 I began the Parent Coaching Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization, (www.ThePCI.org) to offer the evidenced-based Parent Coach Certification® Training for family support professionals. I love the coaching model for its ability to open up new possibilities! Today, PCI Parent Coaching is used successfully with a wide variety of parents to pro-actively address diverse parenting challenges. PCI Coaches can be found in the U.S., Canada, China, Brazil, Turkey, Dubai, and other countries as well. (www.ParentCoachInternational.com).
I feel blessed to be able to help moms and dads all over the world now at this stage of my life. I invite you to tune in and join our growing global community of like-minded parents who are working hard with lots of heart to parent well in our digital world.
P. S. Along the way, I have been a guest on The Today Show and Lifetime’s Balancing Act for Women and national radio shows, including NPR’s Fresh Air, Marketplace, The Tavis Smiley Show, and a few others. For more information, please visit www.GloriaDeGaetano.com or my Blog: www.LeftToOurDevices.com
P.P.S.: My sons are now competent, caring adults living fulfilling lives. Whew!