This weekend I had the privilege of meeting an amazing dad. Our chance interchange happened as I was walking through the booths of a local photography exhibit. I stopped to admire some photos and the man started to tell me about his work. He said he had always loved …
Giving Away Our Power
“If only the kids would act differently, I’d feel better.” We also think, “If only my partner, my friend, my sibling, my parent, my boss, my president would act differently I would feel better.” Whenever we turn our well being over to the actions of someone else we have given …
You Can Control How You Feel
“You cannot change a circumstance but you can control the way you feel about it.” This message has been coming to me over and over again in recent days. It has become one of my daily mantras. It is fuel for personal empowerment. For most of us it is natural …
Perspective
Most disagreements and misunderstandings come from different perspectives. We each experience life through our own unique filtering system and what appears to be absolute truth to one person may take on a totally different view to someone else. It is only natural that we will have different points of view. …
Parents Must Model Wanted Behavior
When children feel threatened their ‘lower’ brain immediately responds with a fight, flight or freeze reaction. It is vital that parents not take these responses personally. When your child runs away from you, fights back or just gives you a blank stare it is an indication that their lower brain …
5 Tips to Help Children Master Self-control
What do impulsivity, self-discipline and willpower have in common? They often require a conscious decision to delay gratification and for many people, that is a real challenge. Here are five strategies you can begin practicing immediately that can help your children experience success with delayed gratification: 1. Make Waiting …
Thought Playlist
I asked my daughter to put some of my favorite songs in my iPhone. She showed me how to create a playlist and told me I had the ability to listen to the songs in any order that felt good for me. I was entering a whole new world …
The Remedy for “TGF” (Taken for Granted)
Ah; how many times has a parent felt taken for granted? Children seem to just expect that laundry will be done, food will be prepared, they will be chauffeured to activities and the ‘stuff’ of daily living will be taken care of…. The remedy for TFG is awareness, consciousness and …
Getting Kids to Talk
Parents often lament that their children don’t talk to them and when they do they give one word answers, “Fine.” “Nothing.” When children are little they jabber freely, sharing their thoughts, questions, desires, needs, feelings and vivid imaginations. Many times adults meet this outpouring of their inner world with condescendence, …
Natural and Logical Consequences
We all make choices and engage in behavior that creates the next experience. Consequences should not be used as punishments~ They need to be: • Naturally or Logically connected to the behavior • Known in advance when possible • Given in a firm but calm voice • Easy to apply and …
Judgement to Joy
We were sitting in a restaurant when I noticed the young couple in the corner. They were snuggling and kissing and just plain lovin’ each other. My initial thought was that it seemed inappropriate, but I realized if I stopped judging I would free myself to enjoy their sweet energy. …
Redefining Discipline
The reason using emotionally healthy discipline is hard is because PARENTS MUST DISCIPLINE THEMSELVES and model the very behavior wanted from the children. Listen to our MP3, “Redefining Discipline” to learn more about this very important topic.
The Art of Appreciation
Become an appreciation detective! Model for your children, through your own behavior, the power of appreciation. Seek out reason to be thankful for throughout your day. Look for the good in everyone and every situation that you encounter. Teach your children through your own example that there is always some …
Same Opportunity, Different Experience
I was sitting in the lounge area, waiting for my car to be washed when two moms walked in, each with a little boy. The children were about 3 years old. I could sense that a nugget was quickly developing. One mom was engaged in conversation with her child, explaining …
Living With ADHD
Each human being comes into life hard wired with his/her own unique blueprint. It is the intricacies of this design that determine the way we perceive and interact with the world. When parents experience life through a blueprint that makes it easy for them to concentrate, sit still, stay focused, …
Positive Behavior
It just comes with parenting! It seems so easy to notice when our kids are behaving in ways that need improvement. While there are many things over which we have no control, the following are ten key elements that set the tone for positive behavior. Notice that none of …
Building Self Esteem
Modern parents have so much to think about! They worry about their children’s grades, bullies on the playground, the negative influence of the media and too much time spent on computers and electronic games. Instead of worrying about the things over which they have little control, moms and dads …
Understanding Laziness
I recently had a conversation with a mom who was discussing how anxious she was feeling about her struggling second grader. She sighed and said, “The problem with my child is that he is lazy.” I passionately responded with, “NO, NO, NO!” That is not necessarily the truth!!! Let’s look …