Why Your Discipline Often Backfires

Squeeze in some affirmation BEFORE the fidgeting. Estimate how long your child might be able to sit reasonably still. Then before the inevitable squirming starts

So you’re raising a feisty spitfire? Cool!

  Julia was a spitfire. When she was a tyke, she was ready to take the world by storm. All who knew her mom, Maggie,

A Creative Alternative to Those Endless Reminders…

  Big sister Bella bounces and crashes her way through life with Tigger-like abandon, unaware of the impact of her big movements and energy on

Beat the Monday Blues with Sunday Lavender

In a coaching session, Karen shared that their family’s weekly schedule seemed to take them captive every Sunday night. Lilly, their third-grader, unofficially declared it

A Simple, Fun Cure for Dinner Time Chaos

Is dinner at your house a bit crazy? Perhaps it needs a little injection of purpose. When the meal is all about getting kids to

The Golden Opportunity of “I’m so STUPID!”

“I’m so stupid, I’m SO STUPID!” Most parents at some point are faced with a discouraged, self-condemning child. That’s painful to hear. Our anxiety often

A Parenting Fairy Tale…

Once upon a time, near a woods far away, there was a family named the Scrumpkins. Bingle (the dad) and Kalinda (the mom) were fearful

An Often Overlooked Motivator of Good Behavior…

Many parents think that some sort of painful punishment is the best motivator for kids to improve their behavior. Other parents “focus on the positive”

WWJD… with a Liar?

You notice the slight nervousness as your child answers, somewhat evasively. You have that parental intuition that he is lying to you, and as you

Is My Anxiety Holding My Child Back?

You have good desires for your kids. You probably want them to learn neatness, diligence in homework, good eating patterns, and all sorts of other

7 Practical Tips for Picky Eaters

Building the Family Team: A Solution to Chore Wars

7-year-old Bryce was a master “chore evader.” When asked to help with chores, this distractable drama king would slump over and whine, “But I wanted