FREE DOWNLOAD: 20 Ways to Find Calm & Connection with your Kids
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communication | sibling rivalry | discipline | emotions | positive parenting
Imagine 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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Recently, I was struck by the number of mixed messages parents send to their kids. I believe that most of these are unintentional, and would probably go unnoticed unless someone pointed them out (in a blog post, maybe?). However, some of these are common sources of tension between parents and
Continue ReadingYou walk into your child’s room. Toys are EVERYWHERE. Your son forgot the book he needs for his homework…again. Your daughter refuses to go to her school dance. After you bought the dress. A very normal response to these infuriating situations is to
Continue ReadingYour child comes home from school with a note from the teacher listing 6 missing assignments. This is the first you’ve heard of the missing homework, so your parenting brain probably decides: “This is a great time for a lecture!” You sit your child down at the table
Continue ReadingDo you feel like your kids never listen? They tune you out, ignore your requests, and respond disrespectfully? It’s time to try something new. It may seem counter-productive, but it may be the key to getting a reply from your children. Instead of talking more…try talking less. Imagine being questioned,
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This list of 45 open ended questions for kids will fill those awkward silences and eliminate one-word answers to keep your family talking! Car rides sure can be awkward. Your son is in the seat next to you, eyes glued to his phone. You try to make conversation… “So, your baseball
Continue ReadingDeciding to talk to kids about difficult topics can make even the most confident parent squirm. Bombings, kidnappings, divorce, death, growing up, financial uncertainty. The list goes on. In these moments, parenting becomes blurry and confusing. The parent who has so much to say about everything from eating healthy
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It’s not always easy to know what to say to our kids. You don’t want to yell, you don’t want to make things worse, and you don’t want to make things more complicated. Sometimes you just want a few simple go-to parenting phrases. A phrase that is still powerful
Continue ReadingAre you tired of being ignored? Feeling frustrated that your kids respond to you with grunts and “I don’t know?” Sometimes, the way we phrase things can make a big difference. It’s not always easy to remember what to say or how to say it, especially when your child
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