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communication | sibling rivalry | discipline | emotions | positive parenting
Your daughter slams her backpack on the table and rustles through the fridge for a snack. You know something’s not right, but when you ask, she responds with, “Nothing.” Ugh. Why can’t she just tell you what’s going on? Unfortunately, thoughts and feelings can be complicated. They can leave your
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What do the neighbors think? If they only knew the begging, pleading, and negotiating that goes on in your home. Maybe they’d understand why yelling is the ONLY way your kids do what you ask. You’ve tried being the “nice mom” who doesn’t yell, and no matter how hard you tried,
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The kicking on the back of your seat is getting more intense. “That’s enough!” you say, glancing at the grimacing face in the back seat. “You can’t make me!” she responds, kicking harder now. Your muscles tense. You hold your breath. You want to scream, “Oh, I can too make
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“Mom! Sam won’t turn off the water in the bathroom!” “Mom! Sarah took my iPod without asking…and now she won’t give it back!” “Mom, Mom, MOM!” Like nails on a chalkboard, most parents have come to dread the sound of a child tattling. It seems so needy, so desperate. Why can’t
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“Settle down,” you say above the screaming. It sounds more like a threat than a caring suggestion. “I don’t know how!” your child jeers back. You shake your head, sighing. How many times do you need to remind her to take a deep breath when she’s upset? Obviously, something’s missing
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The concept of positive parenting has many parents feeling baffled. There’s no strict manual. No “if this, then that” list of appropriate consequences. Even parents who are on board with skipping time outs or grounding scratch their heads and ask, “What do I DO instead?” Positive parenting doesn’t always call
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I was so upset. I didn’t have a choice. The decision was made and it caught me off guard. Suddenly I was in fight-or-filght mode. I was angry! I texted a friend about the situation: “I didn’t even have a say! This was decided for me…no one even asked how
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It’s a lazy Saturday. One of those rare weekends when you have nothing planned. Your kids have been parked in front of the TV all morning. It’s a beautiful day, so you innocently announce, “Alright, guys! Time to turn the TV off and go outside!” Suddenly, they snap out of
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School’s out for summer! Which means summer break is here. (If it’s not, it will be here soon.) Have you started panicking yet? Or are you organized and calm, ready to embrace the chaos? As a work-from-home mom, my days are about to get complicated. So, I turned to you
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Your daughter crawls over and takes your son’s toy car. He freaks out. Grabbing the car back from the baby. She starts to cry. You swoop in to intervene. Cradling her while you glare at your son, you say, “She’s just a baby. She doesn’t know better.” Setting your daughter
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