Should I be concerned about my child’s lying?  After one of my recent in-person workshops, a Dad approached me to ask for some advice about lying.  He was concerned because his kindergartner had gotten caught in quite a few lies recently, and he wasn’t sure if he should be concerned about it or what he should do.

I started our conversation by reassuring him that it was completely normal for...

Are you raising a “difficult”  or an “easy” child?  As parents, we tend to put our kids into one bucket or another based on how easy or difficult they are for us to parent.  If they listen well, are flexible, and go with the flow, then we label them as “easy”.  But if they are more opinionated about what they want and don’t bend easily to how others think...

As parents, we all take pride when other people tell us that our children are great kids…  and that they are so well behaved.  It makes us feel good, and we tend to make that mean that we’ve done a good job as a parent.

But what about when they “misbehave”?  Especially if you are out in public with an unruly child, do you worry about what other people might think?  Do you...

As a parent, when your kids are whining, fighting, or not listening — do you find yourself ending up irritated, frustrated, or even angry?  Let’s face it, our kids can be very frustrating at times, and they can bring out the worst in us.

Unfortunately, the more annoyed and frustrated we get at our kids, the less effective we become as a parent. When I ask parents how they respond when they’re...

Kids are faced with all sorts of different challenges at school and can come home with a multitude of different emotions and moods at the end of the day.  When it's a good day, we are so happy to celebrate with them.  But when kids have a bad day at school and are struggling through challenges, what do you do as a parent?  Is your first instinct to try to help solve it or fix their feelings so they can...

Do you have a child that is an angel at school but turns into a hot mess as soon as they walk in the door at the end of the day?  If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s so common that it actually has a name — after-school restraint collapse — as coined by parent educator Andrea Loewen Nair.  

This is an issue that I often run into with the parents I work with.  Kids that...

With kids going back to school, do you wonder what mood they’re going to come home in at the end of the day and nervous about what you’re going to get?

When kids are little, most parents dread the “witching” hour that often happened later in the day.  As parents, we often want to wind down as the day goes on — but late afternoon to early evening is often when children are extra...

Is your child excited about the upcoming school year, are they a bundle of nerves, or are they dreading going back to school?  If you have a child entering a new stage at school or a  first-time college-bound teen they are likely experiencing a mix of all three!  Your child could be excited to see friends, but nervous about a new teacher, new sport or activities, or having schoolwork and homework again.

Do you have a child that’s nervous about going back to school?  Even when kids are excited, each year is new and unknown which can bring up back to school jitters and worries for many kids.  As parents, how we handle our child being nervous can have a major impact so it’s something that I coach and teach around often this time of year.

I invite you to take a minute and think about your typical...

Do you have a child that struggles when they’re faced with new situations?  Kids that struggle with big emotions also tend to struggle when dealing with new situations, and they can get testy and anxious as they get closer to going back to school.  

Although it may seem like going back to school is a way out, if you have a child that struggles with change I highly recommend that you start preparing...

Do you have a child that struggles with new situations or change? While some kids embrace new situations and look forward to them with excitement, others can resist change, and get testy and anxious as upcoming changes get closer.  Every child is wired differently, and it’s not uncommon to have one child breeze through new situations while the other struggles.  

I say this from personal experience...

Do you struggle figuring out the best way to parent?  Do you read articles and books, listen to podcasts, and talk to other parents looking for the best way to address challenges with your kids? 

In last week’s article I covered how perfect parenting is never the goal.  There is also no one best way to parent, because every child and every family is different.  

You are never going to be...