The world is a scary place, but that doesn’t mean we have to be slaves to fear and keep our children clothed in bubble wrap. Parenting through fear is tough, but it can be done. Learn how to calm your biggest parenting fears. Continue Reading
Cooperation Begins with Trust
Category Archives: Parenting
The Mess. The Chaos. The Power of Pause
The Mess. The Chaos. The tearing out of your hair, the constant negative self talk of, “How are my kids going to tick me off today? What’s going to blow today?”Maybe it is the getting out the door that leaves you exhausted and frustrated. Maybe it is bedtime and the constant climbing back out of… Continue Reading
Using Empathy to Connect with Your Kids
Positive parenting educators and mental health therapists talk a lot about empathy. When when parents want to know how to respond when their kids are angry or anxious, I suggest responding with empathy first. I tell parents to think of empathy as “finding the feeling” in what their child is saying or experiencing. If your… Continue Reading
Positive Discipline for Attention Seeking Behaviors
You’re feeling annoyed. Your child keeps bothering you with the same behavior. “Stop!” you huff for the tenth time, but it happens again. Why can’t my child just listen to me, you think. You’re confused as to the reason your child would continue to do something over and over again when you’ve made it clear that… Continue Reading
How Can I Get My Kids to Listen?
How Parents Can Increase Cooperation with Positive Discipline How Can I get My Kids to Listen? This is by far one of the most frequent questions I am asked in my parent coaching practice. After ruling out a true hearing issue, I often remind parents of the saying “It’s not what you say, but how you… Continue Reading
How To Set Limits on Your Child’s Behavior in a Positive and Respectful Way
Positive Parenting essentials for setting limits on your child’s behavior The other morning at playgroup, a little boy kept running up to his mom and punching her. It was a light, somewhat playful punch. Repeated over and over again it seemed quite annoying too. All this mom really wanted, was to have a conversation with a friend. You’ve been… Continue Reading
9 Respectful Ways To Stay Involved In Your Teen’s Life
Snooping or Shaming Teens Will Not Give You More Control or Respect: Here is What Will. Teens…One minute they want all of our attention, and the next they want nothing to do with us. What happened to my open, sometimes clingy son? He used to share everything with me. He became secretive and elusive. My questions… Continue Reading
Seven Essential Steps to Help Your Child Manage Unhelpful Habits Like Chewing, Nail Biting and Nose Picking
Does your child fidget with everything, chew on their shirt sleeves, bite their nails, make noises with their mouth? It is challenging to know how to address these problems without making your child feel embarrassed or defensive about their behavior. My daughter is a chewer. She chews on everything — shirt sleeves, blankets, markers,… Continue Reading
The Important Question to Ask After Yelling
We are walking up the stairs to school. It’s been a difficult morning. I am feeling drained by the need to repeat myself over and over. The feeling that I’m doing everything for everyone. That no one else in the family is doing their share and once again I am over functioning for all of… Continue Reading
Encouraging Children to Listen: 3 Steps to Avoid Yelling
When children don’t listen, being calm and confident can take extra effort, but really it is the key to getting kids to listen. To encourage children to listen more, and stop yelling you can try these three steps. Continue Reading