About Author Karen Thurm Safran on Playful Parenting

Hi there! I’m Karen, a mom with two grown kids and author of Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It. Enjoy every minute because it goes by fast… my daughter and son are now in their twenties.

I’ve spent my life immersed in playful parenting, and I love making learning fun.

For over twenty years, I’ve worked in K-12 Ed Tech (Education Technology) engaging kids in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). When my children were young, I structured my career to be home each afternoon. We spent a lot of time together.

Let’s Get Real

While parenting is rewarding, it’s also stressful.

When your child is uncooperative, argues, and throws a tantrum. When you rapidly blink away tears before they stream down your face.

Sound familiar?

I remember those overwhelming, disheartening, downright exasperating days. And being divorced made it especially difficult since I could no longer depend on another adult in the house to help. Nope, I was on my own.

To make matters worse, I was a stressed-out, single parent. I had to do something.

What Did I Do?

Luckily, my parents set a positive example with playful parenting.

Instead of nagging and yelling, they incorporated playfulness. They embraced a “can do!” spirit, used their imagination, and created games to turn around challenging moments. When I became a mom, I experienced firsthand the benefits of this positive, playful approach.

It made parenting more fun, empowered my kids, and connected our family.

Goodbye annoying power struggles. (Did I mention that one of my kids is VERY strong-willed!)

Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It

To share this playful approach, I wrote a book of entertaining short stories playfully showing how to make parenting a game.

Parenting—Let’s Make a Game of It is not your typical parenting book.

The “how to” messages are told through entertaining, short stories that only take 5 minutes to read. It sparks your playfulness, encourages out-of-the-box thinking, and eases frustrating moments. As a result, you’ll have more fun being a parent. You’ll empower your kids. And your family will spend more quality time connecting.

Fun Facts About My Book

• Entertains and inspires- It reads like fiction.
• Only 5 minutes- That’s how long it takes to read a story. Super quick for super busy parents.
• School-age kids as well as toddlers- It works with the terrible twos, effing fours, sassy sixes, and troubling tweens.
• Flexible- Flip through the book and read in any order based on your parenting challenge.
• Been there- The tone is down-to-earth and the situations are relatable.

Fun Facts About Me

• I’m from Boston but have lived in California for a long time… so I consider myself a Californian.
• I graduated from Mount Holyoke College, attended Santa Clara University for an MBA, and then earned a MOM degree with my two kids.
• LOL, I was not a tech lover when I moved to Silicon Valley, but now I engage kids in STEM learning.
• I’ve worked for many innovative EdTech companies (Apple, iD Tech, and now consulting), but my favorite job is being a mom.
• When my kids were in college, I visited them each quarter. We still continue this tradition today!

So next time you’re feeling frustrated and overwhelmed…

And you don’t know what to do…

Spark your playful spirit and create games to ease challenging moments.