Kindness Must Be Modeled

There is a Chinese proverb that suggests this thought: “Peace in the world begins with peace in our homes. Peace in our homes begins with peace in our hearts.” It is part of a parent’s duty to be a role model for their children. If we want our children to …

Words Do Not Teach

  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 …

10 Best Practices for Encouraging Positive Behavior

  1. Set up consistent, predictable routines. Be careful not to confuse this with being rigid. You are aiming for a safe and nurturing environment where children know what to expect.   2. Have clear, consistent, age appropriate expectations. Children will push, test and manipulate when boundaries are inconsistent or …

Mantras for Parents

When we generate an attitude of gratitude wondrous things begin to happen because the Universe matches the energy of the feelings that come from thinking that way. Appreciation is like a GIANT MAGNET that brings more positives into our lives. Here are some mantras you can use to affirm a positive …

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 …

New Definition of Discipline

Say the word ‘discipline’ out loud three times quickly. Which part of the word gets the most emphasis? The ‘dis’ part. I looked up the meaning of the expression ‘diss’. Popular agreement seems to be that it means to insult someone; speaking rudely or disapprovingly about someone. According to the …

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 …

Our Inner Little Girl

We still carry our little girls around inside of us and our physical, emotional and spiritual history sometimes gets in the way of being the mother we dreamed of being. Moms are just little girls who grew into a bigger body. Becoming a mom is a rite of passage that …

Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are obstacles to attracting and manifesting what we want. They color our perceptions and can render us powerless. Our behavior and reactions stem from an unconscious set of truths that are very powerful and, ultimately, determine our parenting style. Many limiting beliefs sound like this: “I’m not good …

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 …

Getting Them to Talk

Parents sometimes 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, …

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.  

Our Work as Parents

Our role as parents is not to please others so they will complement us on the good job we are doing in raising well behaved kids. Our purpose is to support and unconditionally love our children as they discover who they are, who they came to be and to give them the …

Enoughness

The new little babies come into life knowing their value. They trust they are enough. Toddlers are certain that they are deserving of the best that life has to offer them and from their vantage point they expect to have it all! So when do we start believing that we …

Emotional Mindfulness

;”>When you talk to your children about your own emotional reactions (what you were thinking and how it made you feel), you let them know that we can shift how we see and interpret things. ;”>By modeling this emotionally mindful way of being, our children learn to connect with their …

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 …