There’s a quiet shift happening right now that many parents can feel, even if they haven’t fully put words to it yet.

The world our children are growing up in is changing, and it looks very different from the one we were prepared for. While traditional skills like reading, writing, math, and creativity still matter, technology is advancing so quickly that many of these skills are now being done faster and more efficiently by AI.

As a result, many parents are feeling behind, trying to catch up, and wondering what this all means for their kids. This episode isn’t about fear, it’s about awareness. Because as the world changes, so does our role as parents.

It’s no longer just about what our children know, but how they think, adapt, and connect. The goal isn’t to keep up with technology, but to raise grounded, thoughtful humans who can navigate it with confidence.

Jennifer's Takeaways:

The Shift in Parenting Focus Amid Technological Advancements (00:00)
The Importance of Soft Technologies in Child Development (03:34)
The Role of AI and Human Emotional Skills (05:51)
Practical Steps for Supporting Emotional Development (09:15)
The Role of Schools and Professional Support (14:47)

Meet Jennifer Kolari

Jennifer Kolari is the host of the “Connected Parenting” weekly podcast and the co-host of “The Mental Health Comedy” podcast. Kolari is a frequent guest on Nationwide morning shows and podcasts in th US and Canada. Her advice can also be found in many Canadian and US magazines such as; Today’s Parent, Parents Magazine and Canadian Family.

Kolari’s powerful parenting model is based on the neurobiology of love, teaching parents how to use compassion and empathy as powerful medicine to transform challenging behavior and build children’s emotional resilience and emotional shock absorbers.

Jennifer’s wisdom, quick wit and down to earth style help parents navigate modern-day parenting problems, offering real-life examples as well as practical and effective tools and strategies.

Her highly entertaining, inspiring workshops are shared with warmth and humour, making her a crowd-pleasing speaker with schools, medical professionals, corporations and agencies throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

One of the nation’s leading parenting experts, Jennifer Kolari, is a highly sought- after international speaker and the founder of Connected Parenting. A child and family therapist with a busy practice based in San Diego and Toronto, Kolari is also the author of Connected Parenting: How to Raise A Great Kid (Penguin Group USA and Penguin Canada, 2009) and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really): Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting (Penguin Canada, 2011).