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 my warnings: "Be careful!" "Slow down, you might … [Read more...]
Do You React or Respond to Your Kids?
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 your hands in … [Read more...]
9 Communication Tips to End the Grunts, Groans, and Eye-Rolls from Your Kids
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 alone." Ugh. Round and round you go, and it always ends the same … [Read more...]
5 Things to Check Before You Correct a Child
Correcting starts early... "That book's upside down" or "Your shoes are on the wrong feet." As our kids get older, it seems that there are more and more things to correct. "2 plus 3 equals 5, not 6!" "Pour the juice with both hands!" One of our jobs as parents is to guide our children and help them make good … [Read more...]
11 Mixed Messages Parents Send (And How to Stop)
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 children, I hear about it from the families I … [Read more...]
7 Questions to Ask Your Kids Instead of “Why?”
You 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 ask: "Why?!?!" "Why did you take out every single toy you own?" "Why did you forget your … [Read more...]
The key to making a good parenting decision
Your toddler is having a tantrum in the middle of Target. Or, maybe your tween is having a tantrum in the middle of Target. You look around. People are starting to stare, most are actually glaring. You feel judged. You feel like a horrible parent. In desperation, you plead with your child to calm down, but they just ramp … [Read more...]
Get your kids to listen using this simple tip
Do 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, reminded and directed repeatedly … [Read more...]
How to Talk With Your Children about Difficult Topics
Deciding 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 to good … [Read more...]
5 Tips for Tired Moms
I know you've been there. The days when you can hardly open your eyes because you are so tired. You shuffle through the morning routine, get your children out the door for school, and then dream of climbing back into bed. It's the days when getting enough sleep is pretty much impossible because there is so much that needs to be done - … [Read more...]