Children can challenge our desire for calmness and cooperation when their needs clash with ours. When you view these parenting struggles as opportunities for personal growth, then you will be open to embracing new parenting ideas and to discarding the old. My goal is to offer you an ally parenting approach that develops family harmony through respectful problem solving…
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As parents realize that pressuring children to get all A’s is stressing them out too much, they have shifted to saying “Do your best” instead. I propose that “Do your best” can also cause kids to feel pressured to meet their parents’ high expectations. Here is why I say this. When parents tell me that…
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Teenagers’ prefrontal cortex is in high developmental drive during the teen years. You can tell this because they can argue as if they were a lawyer. This means that their reasoning, logic, judgment, and planning skills are being developed and practiced. Teens can be so good at sounding logical, or blaming you for their misery,…
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Your director parenting role is to teach your children to become responsible and capable by learning important life skills, such as cleaning up after themselves, using respectful language, making commitments and sticking to them, getting along with others, and following rules set by authority. I encourage discussing these important values with your children as you keep…
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Summer 2015 Parenting Classes Turning Craziness into Calmness: Avoiding Power Struggles (Ages 7 – 14) Discover how to reduce your intensity so you can turn a potentially crazy time into a calm one. Learn from brain research and about the keys and solutions to your emotional turmoil. Take control of yourself so you can create…
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My husband and I are working with Cynthia and I learned that I was a part of my 10 year-old son’s outbursts. So, rather than trying to change him, which I would tried doing through arguing and yelling which never worked, I’m working on changing myself instead. My son gets upset with projects at school,…
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Summertime presents unique challenges with children. Many of you have figured out ways to manage your challenges. Some of you would still like some advice. This posting is primarily a place where my amazing newsletter readers can support each other. I’ll chime in with my idea on how to handle “I’m bored” and getting closer…
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When your child/teen has a problem they want to solve, embrace the supporter parenting role so you can help them develop their thinking in their prefrontal cortex. Here is an example of a parent following the first 3 steps of the 5 Step Problem Solving Process. Step 1: Stop blocking communication Step 2: Listen Openly…
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When kids don’t cooperate with you, it’s easy to take it personally as though they are against you. I call this response the “parent’s victim mentality.” When you see yourself as a victim, you think your kids are acting against you-that you are the target of their behavior. You may think, “They are being disrespectful…
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kidsdata advisory The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health | June 4, 2015 Survey: One in five 9th graders in CA considered suicide The percentage of students in California public schools who reported suicidal ideation within the past year is disturbing—nearly 1 in every 5 students in grades 9, 11, and non-traditional classes, according…
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