Sarah, over the years, we've talked about milestones for kids of all ages and how often they

don't quite pan out the way we think they will. So I'm really excited to be sharing a new

podcast called Let's Begin with our audience today because the episode we're sharing

digs deeper into that exact idea. This episode of Let's Begin questions traditional milestones and really

puts the emphasis on your child's self-discovery and sense of wonder. Yeah, Megan, I am really loving

their approach to this topic. Let's Begin is hosted by activist, author, and mother, Jenna Arnold,

in partnership with the early learning experts at

Begin. In this episode that you're about to hear, Jenna is joined by licensed therapist and

father, Kier Gaines, and they have an honest and revealing conversation about what milestones

actually matter most to them, which ones they're working on, and which ones we can all

probably spend less time thinking about. Listeners, if you enjoy this episode, don't forget to check out, let's begin on your podcast app.

Each episode provides a fresh perspective on the parenting and child development topics keeping us up at night,

like parental mental health, processing the news with our kids, and how to raise our children to be

confident, curious, and empathetic. We're, and how to raise our children to be confident,

curious, and empathetic. We're excited for you to listen. And now, without further ado,

let's begin. Hello, friends. You like me, might be part enthusiastic, part curious, part confused, and then a large part flat out scared about navigating what was supposed to feel natural, straightforward, and constantly blissful, raising children.

Hi, I'm Jenna Arnold, a mother of two with a handful of degrees in childhood education who in partnership with the early learning company

begin is calling into question the ways we should reframe what achievement looks like for our children

today. We'll also hear from their brilliant chief learning officer, Dr. Jody, at the end of this

episode. I found myself questioning a number of these societal suggestions like these age and stage

based benchmarks that help us track

progress but also cause wild levels of anxiety for caretakers already stretched too thin.

...