Latest / Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families / #680 The Simple Things

Transcript

#680 The Simple Things · Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: It's the Happy Families Podcast.
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  Speaker 2: It's the podcast for the time poor parent who just
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: wants answers.
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  Speaker 1: Now. Hello, this is doctor Justin Colson. I'm here with Kylie,
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  Speaker 1: my wife from Under our six Kids. This is the
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  Speaker 1: Happy Families Podcast summer series, a quick podcast to remind
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  Speaker 1: you of the basics this week. Each day this week,
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  Speaker 1: we're going to focus on one or two really basic
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  Speaker 1: things that can make your family happier. Kylie, when you
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: think about the simple things, and that's what our topic
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  Speaker 1: is today. It's the simple things that make family life work.
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  Speaker 1: What do you reckon is the simplest thing that you've
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  Speaker 1: been mindful of over the last couple of weeks, the
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  Speaker 1: one little hack that every parent should remember to make
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  Speaker 1: their family happier.
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  Speaker 2: Lime in your sparkling water.
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  Speaker 1: Right, So, a lot of people won't like sparkling water
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  Speaker 1: full stop and desert. It's like, what do I do
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  Speaker 1: with the bubbles? I don't like the bubbles in the water.
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  Speaker 1: I love sparkling water, love my sodas dream Lime. That's it.
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  Speaker 1: That's the simple thing that makes life worth.
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  Speaker 2: Living, so so refreshing on a hot day.
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  Speaker 1: Surprise, I was waiting for something really profound and you've
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  Speaker 1: given me lime in the sparkling water.
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  Speaker 2: My second thing is just choosing to sit on the
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  Speaker 2: deck instead of my bed to read a book.
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  Speaker 1: You know what, that's just love.
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  Speaker 2: There is just something so enlivening about sitting outside, feeling
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  Speaker 2: the breeze, seeing the greenery, and reading a good book.
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  Speaker 1: So this is what happens when I ask questions without
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  Speaker 1: notice doing a parenting. Does that help you to be
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  Speaker 1: a better parent? I think it does in your sparkling water.
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  Speaker 2: Not in the way that you think, but those little
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  Speaker 2: pleasures allow me to be more grounded and more in
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  Speaker 2: the moment, I.
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  Speaker 1: Feel like life is right, everything's right with the world.
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  Speaker 1: When I've got lime in my sparkling water and on
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  Speaker 1: the couch on the balcony. That sounds like parenting made easy. Well,
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  Speaker 1: you know what, where are the kids while you're doing this?
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  Speaker 2: They usually end up outside? Yeah, they do, because the
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  Speaker 2: rule is right, Mum stops and all of a sudden,
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  Speaker 2: the kids are all there because they want your attention,
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  Speaker 2: whether that be sitting on the loo or But.
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  Speaker 1: They see you on the door, even if you're reading.
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  Speaker 1: They see you on the deck, they see you outside,
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  Speaker 1: and then they gravitate.
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  Speaker 2: To gravitate, be outside. That's right, and then conversations are
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  Speaker 2: able to happen. And do you know what it is? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: What it's actually because we've stopped right right, Yeah, we
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  Speaker 2: are accessible.
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  Speaker 1: So maybe that's the simple thing. Yeah, because that ties
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  Speaker 1: in with what I was going to say, ask me
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  Speaker 1: what my simple thing is?
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  Speaker 2: What is your simple thing?
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  Speaker 1: So I was thinking when we came up with the
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  Speaker 1: topic of simple things. I was thinking. Just the other day,
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  Speaker 1: Emily came into the bedroom while I was reading on
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  Speaker 1: the bed, not on the deck, and she said, Dad,
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  Speaker 1: can I give you a hug? I put the book
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  Speaker 1: down and she hopped into my arms and she just
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  Speaker 1: hugged me. This sweet little eight year old wanted to
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  Speaker 1: give a dad a hug. And I just laid there
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  Speaker 1: for I reckon. She hugged me for about thirty seconds
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  Speaker 1: and she said thanks, Dad, and then she got up
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  Speaker 1: and walked off. But for that thirty seconds, well, it
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  Speaker 1: didn't just last thirty seconds. I basking in the glow
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  Speaker 1: of it now, and it came down to stopping, actually
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  Speaker 1: stopping and being in that moment with her. I'm thinking
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  Speaker 1: of we've got our brand new puppy, a little puppy
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  Speaker 1: dog called Ruby and we walk along the beach with
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  Speaker 1: her each night, and that makes life awesome. I'm thinking
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  Speaker 1: spending time with the kids running and surfing, and there've
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  Speaker 1: been some of the best.
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  Speaker 2: Just say they're not simple.
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  Speaker 1: Well they are for me because I just put my
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  Speaker 1: shoes on, we go for a run, or we throw
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  Speaker 1: the boards in the car and we headed down to
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  Speaker 1: the beach.
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  Speaker 2: I have loved, absolutely love. It's not something that I
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  Speaker 2: share the experience with, so I am at home with
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  Speaker 2: Emily when you guys go and do that stuff. But
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  Speaker 2: I have absolutely loved just seeing the girls being able
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  Speaker 2: to have that time with you and get up, go out.
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  Speaker 2: And the other day we had the kids had haircut
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  Speaker 2: appointments and so instead of me taking them all, you
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  Speaker 2: actually got on the bike with Miss eight You've got
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  Speaker 2: a brand new bike for Christmas, and road to the
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  Speaker 2: shops and met me there. And I just love seeing
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  Speaker 2: the girls being able to have those experiences with you,
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  Speaker 2: because so often when you're traveling they obviously miss out
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  Speaker 2: on them.
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  Speaker 1: And for the people who are currently working and saying, well,
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  Speaker 1: I've got to go to work and at school holidays
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  Speaker 1: and it's the worst. We've been doing a lot of this,
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  Speaker 1: not all of it, but we've been doing a lot
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  Speaker 1: of it before seven am. Like we've gone for our
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  Speaker 1: run and we're home by seven. We've gone for a
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  Speaker 1: surf and we're home by seven seven thirty. You can
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  Speaker 1: still have a life in the morning before everyone heads
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  Speaker 1: off to work, even during school holidays, and it makes
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  Speaker 1: such a difference. So I guess attention is the currency
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  Speaker 1: of relationships. Take time and make sure you have some
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  Speaker 1: of those little pleasures. They are the simple things that
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  Speaker 1: we want to remind you about in today's Happy Families
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  Speaker 1: podcast for our summer series. Tomorrow on the podcast, we're
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  Speaker 1: going to share with you some basics back to basics,
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  Speaker 1: focusing on when you've been your very best as a parent.
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  Speaker 1: Can't wait for that as much for listening today. I
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  Speaker 1: hope you have a wonderful school holiday day and we'll
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  Speaker 1: see you tomorrow on the podcast.