With all of the marketing going on for the Holiday season, do you get concerned about keeping your kids grateful and grounded?  This is a question that I commonly hear from parents this time of year, and my response is to teach children about gifts from the heart, and how to increase gratitude.

Most of us associate “gifts” with something that we buy for someone else.  We think of a present as a...

As a parent, when your child is being unkind or exhibiting other unwanted behaviors is your first instinct to correct their behavior?  Big feelings can bring about a host of unwanted behaviors in our kids and trigger a number of responses from us.  As parents we want our kids to be kind and happy — and when they’re not, we can think that something has gone wrong or that we’ve done something...

Does your child struggle with BIG feelings and are their emotions all-consuming?   Are your child's emotions unpredictable, keeping you on edge because you're not sure how to parent through it or what to do? You are not alone.  Parenting kids through big feelings can be hard and scary.  Many parents find it either maddening or anxiety-provoking — and some parents find it a mixture of both and...

Given that we’re in the season of gratitude, we tend to talk and think more about what we are grateful for — and given that gratitude is associated with increased levels of happiness it’s no wonder that this can be more of a “feel-good” time of year.  This time of year also has many parents asking how they can raise more grateful kids, especially as the holiday marketing season ramps...

When your kids challenge you, do you find that you tend to think of them as difficult, defiant, or strong-willed?  Our kids seem to challenge us at all the most inconvenient times, when we have the most going on and the least bandwidth.  When this happens our thoughts tend to go down the path of I don’t have time for this right now, and why can’t they just do what I need them to do for once?

We...

When you look at all the things on your list that you’re juggling, and the list of things you want to get done, do you ever stop to think about what you’re doing it all for?   Sometimes we get so caught up in the list of things we think we should be doing, that we forget WHY we're doing it to begin with.  Keeping the end goal in mind can help.

When my kids were little, I always really struggled...

Is overwhelm as much a problem for you as it is for the parents I work with?  My clients tell me they’re tapped out, at the end of their rope, and it feels like one more straw will break the camel’s back.  They are struggling to keep up with everything — homework, activities, the emotional ups and downs — and it’s all so overwhelming.

Please know that I have walked in your shoes...

When I ask my clients what top feelings they experience most often, “overwhelmed” is almost always on the list.  Given all the activities and school work for our kids added to our own responsibilities — as well as emotionally supporting our kids in navigating today’s social landscape — it’s no wonder that parents are overwhelmed!

I was having a discussion with a client...

Do you often find yourself in a battle of wills with your kids and wish they would cooperate more easily?  When this happens I hear parents describing their kids as stubborn, difficult, obstinate, or even defiant.  They tell me that their kids know better and that they don’t understand why their kids don’t simply do what they’re supposed to.  These parents are usually frustrated, and at...

Does the thought of holding a boundary make you feel mean or insensitive?  Do you find yourself holding boundaries from a place of anger or punishment?  If either of these is true for you, then you’re not using boundaries effectively and not getting the results you want with your kids.

In my last article, I reviewed three reasons why boundaries are important for kids: They help kids feel safe and...

What would you tell me if I asked you how good you are at implementing and maintaining boundaries?  Most parents I work with know that boundaries are important, but they struggle to establish them and then consistently and effectively maintain them.  While boundaries can be difficult, they are an essential tool to have in your parenting toolbox to help equip your child for successfully navigating the demands...

As parents, we want to teach our kids appropriate behaviors to help them best navigate through life, but what’s the best way to go about correcting our kids for hitting, yelling, or throwing a fit when they don’t get their way?    These types of behaviors can trigger us as parents, and we may respond by putting our kids in a timeout, taking away privileges, or yelling and throwing a fit...