During an outing, observation, detective and quick thinking skills are essential. Pay attention to your children’s cues that they are going “off-track”. They may become inflexible, irritable, combative or uncooperative. Rather than forcing compliance to “get with the program” you will be more effective and everyone happier if you take time to stop and reflect.…
Parents can have a hard time speaking with authority to their children without raising their voice or using threats. Actually, you lose the status of authority when you resort to these powerless tactics. When Jen was growing up, I had an unchanged policy that I would not buy popcorn or drinks at the movies. Nor…
Children who are easily distracted, disorganized and have difficulty prioritizing can drive their parents crazy. Out of frustration, you may resort to judgmental statements that start with: “Why can’t you……?” “Don’t you care about……?” “If you’d only try harder you would…..” “When are you going to learn how to be more…….? “ “If you made…
I’ve always admired Alfie Kohn’ s willingness to question the status quo and find new answers. Here is a synopsis of what Working With Children means from his book Unconditional Parenting. Here is his home page https://www.alfiekohn.org/ The Discipline Model of Working With Children Rather than Doing To Children Source: Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn…
Having a child (or spouse) that is easily distracted can bring out feelings of frustration, resentment and confusion that can end up being expressed with anger. The first step is to understand your own emotional triggers and the second is to realize that your child or spouse has an overabundance of ideas that makes focusing…
I’m a dad of an eight year old girl. Here is my story of how just one parenting class from Cynthia taught me how to gain greater cooperation from my daughter. I have struggled like many dads with getting my 8 year-old daughter up and to school on time. I took a parenting class with…
Listening Builds Connection Mom Builds Bridges of Understanding With Her Teen Daughter Recently I started working privately with a mom who was struggling with getting into frequent arguments with her teenage daughter. The closeness they used to share was evaporating. She arrived to her second session very upset and feeling hopeless that the…
A philosophical approach by Cynthia Klein, Parenting Coach and Educator bridges2understa.wpstagecoach.com “How do I get my daughter / son to clean their room?” “How do I get my kids to stop fighting?” “How do I get my child to do their homework and stop chatting on the internet?” Do you notice a pattern from these…
What was her experience with the human world? Pretty unpleasant. Her reaction was to cry, as if to say, “Leave me alone!” These difficulties played out at every stage of her development. As she got older, she was at times inattentive and easily distracted because she was so sensitive to the array of sounds, sights,…
The Strong-Willed Child Common beliefs about self and others I can be a powerful, magnanimous leader OR I can control and intimidate others. I deserve to be treated fairly and justly. I believe that my thoughts and feelings are as important as yours. I may need to push loudly to be heard because I fear…
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.