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communication | sibling rivalry | discipline | emotions | positive parenting
“We tried ___, it didn’t work.” Sometimes the blank is filled with a particular parenting method, other times it is filled with a laundry list of strategies. As a therapist and parent coach, this is one of the most common phrases I hear from exhausted parents. But, as a
Continue ReadingMany parents are surprised to hear my stance against punishment. I often get push-back from parents who feel that their children “can’t learn” or “won’t listen” without force, such as spanking, time-outs or yelling. When I offer another perspective parents sometimes feel that it is “too soft” and that it
Continue ReadingIt’s hard to imagine a 4-year-old feeling stressed. Why would they experience anything other than pure happiness – playing all day, snacks, nap-time!? Sounds like a great life. But think of all the challenges in your child’s daily routine. They are constantly learning – socially, emotionally, physically, and mentally. And
Continue ReadingAnxiety is a master at making us run away from our fears. It’s like the wrong side of a magnet, the closer we get, the more we try to push away. It’s no surprise, really. No one wants to feel uncomfortable. We don’t want to sweat or
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When we’re feeling good, we can usually handle minor bumps in our day without much trouble. Someone spills a glass of milk and we respond by saying, “Oops, let’s get that cleaned up” instead of yelling, “Why can’t you be more careful!?” Unfortunately, we don’t often sit back and
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I don’t know about you, but I spend an exhausting amount of time making sure life goes smoothly for my children. I wouldn’t call myself a “helicopter parent” necessarily, but I feel better knowing that my kids are more-or-less heading in the right direction. I can hear it in
Continue ReadingA special thanks to tentotwenty.com for allowing me to submit a guest post: Why Checking Your Teens Grades Online May Be Causing Them To Fail.
Continue ReadingImagine that your oldest kids are fighting…again. Or, your youngest just spilled his juice box on the floor. Or, your daughter is whining that life is “not fair.” What’s your knee-jerk reply? Are you a yeller? Do you criticize? Overreact? Maybe you ignore, walk away or throw up
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Do you ever feel like talking to your kids is harder than it has to be? You: “How was school?” Your Child: “Fine.” You: “So, what did you do?” Your Child: “Nothing.” You: “Come on, I know you did something.” Your Child (rolling his eyes): “Come on Mom. Leave me
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You’re arguing constantly and rarely talk anymore. You’re not sure when things started drifting, but your relationship has definitely changed. Thankfully, you can still repair the relationship! These 7 tips will help you learn how to mend a broken relationship with your son or daughter, even if it seems impossible.
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