There may be several changes you would like to see within your family to make it a happier environment. Perhaps you would like more cooperation, a greater sense of connection, or for your children to respect you and each other more. These are wonderful dreams. However, my examples are not specific enough to know how…
A new year brings out new determinations. Perhaps you want to get along with your kids better. Maybe you want to yell less and win cooperation more calmly. Or, you just wish your kids and teens would be more open with you. Whatever your challenge, know that by you just making a small change can bring…
Have you gotten yourself into a rut of doing most of the planning and preparing for the holidays? Perhaps you end up “asking” for help and you get resistance such as “Why do I have to? Can’t you do it? “I’m too busy.” “I don’t want to help.” In this scenario, you are acting…
The holiday break is a great time to practice having collaborative discussions about how the family will spend the time as well as other fun topics. Most of the time parents want to talk about having kids do chores. While I’m all in for doing chores, try using the 5-Step-Problem Solving Process on things that…
Raising kids is so challenging because we are emotional beings at our core. Our children’s words and actions can easily trigger our childhood memories so quickly that we react emotionally rather than logically. Our parent-child interactions may trigger feeling hurt, rejected, ignored, disrespected, etc. as a child, so we lash out as if we were…
Terms of Use: The articles in my blog are a matter of my opinion and perspective, offered to help stimulate parents' thinking about their child raising and common concerns, conflicts, and changes that typically occur. They are meant to be educational only. Because they are general in nature, they should NOT be used as a substitute for getting qualified professional psychological, medical, or legal help should serious need arise. The resources I recommend are mostly consistent with my parenting approach. Use them at your own discretion as you would my articles. The parents’ success stories are particular to their family situation. This does not mean that you would get the same results. They are to be used for inspiration that by you changing first, you have the greatest chance of creating a positive change in your family.