Chad Hayenga
Your child is “playing doctor” with a friend
The Connected Families Framework is an effective tool for parents to utilize in a variety of challenging scenarios, including teaching children healthy boundaries. It provides four powerful messages to kids; even in hard situations as we desire to pass along…
Youth Sports: Is It All Worth It?
Like many parents, I have a strong interest in athletics. I competed in four sports in high school and continued with track and field in college. My three kids have all competed in a variety of sports and to my…
Got an Attention-Seeking Child in the Classroom? Try This Strategy
So your child is the child engaging in all the attention-seeking antics in the classroom? Or, at least, that’s what the teacher tells you… Hearing from the school that your child isn’t doing well or is causing problems for the…
“I’m the Parent. I Don’t HAVE to Say Please”
Have you heard ungrateful demands (like the ones below) from kids who seem to expect you to drop your life in order to take care of them? “Mom! Where’s dinner?” “Dad, I need a ride to the gym!” “Bring…
Telling vs Asking
What’s the difference between telling and asking? I’m a teller by nature. It seems easier. Maybe just more efficient, really. I tell my child what to do and then she does it. I tell her the answer to the question…
So You Killed The Cat….Now What?
“Do you think we should tell the kids what really happened? What they don’t know won’t hurt them, right?” We received this question when a parent accidentally ran over the sleeping, aging family cat. What would you say if they…
Sometimes I Cry About My Parenting Mistakes
There are some mornings when I wake up with a knot in my stomach and questions on my mind. Sometimes I even cry about my parenting mistakes. Maybe you’ve been there too. (Or questions and worries nag you while you’re…
I’m a Therapist, But I Choose to Coach. Here’s Why.
Coaching parents has been the greatest joy in my professional life! I’ve seen countless kids’ lives change for good while witnessing greater parent confidence and satisfaction. Those results are why I stopped providing therapeutic services to teens and began coaching…
Feel Like Swearing at Your Kids? This Is for You.
As a parent coach, primarily working with parents of teens, I’ve found commonality in the issues parents want to address—especially wanting their kids to obey. NOW! For the past 20 years, I’ve been doing some form of helping parents and…
Are We Setting Our Kids Up to Be Uncooperative?
Parents can get in ruts. That’s true for me and I’m pretty sure it is for you, too. One rut that is familiar to many is the hurried race out the door because “we’re going to be late!!” Or how…