Parenting with Honesty and Insight
You may know Salli Richardson-Whitfield as an award-winning actress, having seen her in Antwone Fisher or I am Legend, as the star of the SyFy series Eureka, or in any of her other many film or TV roles. You may know her as an award-winning director of shows including Queen Sugar, Blackish, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, and The Gilded Age. In this week’s episode you’ll get to know another side of Salli: that of a wise and compassionate mother of two, with lots of valuable parenting perspectives.
In one of my favorite moments of this episode, Salli and I talk about the importance of being honest with ourselves about our strengths and limitations, and honest with our children when we fall short of our good parenting intentions. She breaks it down so well:
We can't be perfect, and we are who we are, and we respond the way we respond, which sometimes can be hurtful to them. But I'm always, always, willing to come back in the room and go: “Hey. I'm sorry. Shouldn't have yelled at you, shouldn't have responded that way.”
Sometimes this is hard to do, especially since, as Salli notes, many of us did weren’t shown this behavior by our parents:
Most of us, I think, grew up with parents [who] didn't feel like they needed to apologize to us about anything. You know, you get that “I did the best I could. I did the best I could”. Yeah, you did. But your best may not have been right all the time. And it's okay to say, you know what? I was wrong at that time. Or maybe, guess what? Maybe it wasn't the best you could have done…. But I think being willing to be wrong and apologizing for it goes a long way with your children.
This is just a sneak peak of the wise parenting advice Salli dispenses in this captivating episode. We also talk about how she manages her life as a multifaceted mogul and a devoted mom, how she and her husband, actor and writer Dondré Whitfield, are working hard to raise two well-grounded kids in Hollywood, and much more! Listen to Salli Richardson-Whitfield: Parenting with Honesty and Insight today to hear relatable insights and wisdom that will resonate with parents everywhere.
Ground Control Parenting Live!: As promised last week, here’s more about the New Brownies’ Book event hosted by GCP. We celebrated Dr. Karida Brown and Charly Palmer, authors of The New Brownies’ Book: A Love Letter to Black Families, with a reception and program co-hosted with The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. The original version of The New Brownies’ Book was a magazine published by W.E.B. DuBois in 1920, and the Schomburg displayed a few original editions from their archives during the reception and program.
The New Brownies’ Book encourages conversation, reflection, and connection among grandparents, parents, and children, and is a must-add to your family’s bookshelves. And be sure to listen to my podcast episode with Karida and Charly with all the behind-the-scenes info on the book!
A few pics from the evening:
I'm showing NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks the original Brownies' Book created by W.E.B. DuBois
The panel in action: Karida and Charly are second and third from the left
Taking a quick pic with Joy Bivins, Director of the Schomburg
Karida and Charly signing books after the program
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Season 5 is almost done! Stay tuned next week for a Season 5 wrap up, and I will continue to reach out with GCP news and views while we work on the next season. As always, thanks to our sponsors Paramount and Seneca Women Podcast Network, and THANKS TO YOU for listening and sharing these podcasts with your communities!
Enjoy,
