The demands on our time and energy are greater than ever before. And many of us have already TRIED taking things off of our plate and decreasing our expectations of ourselves…but we’re still feeling overwhelmed.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why many of us are...

We may believe that it’s our job to foster responsible, respectful behavior in our children. But what if we try to talk to them about their behavior and they refuse to acknowledge that they’ve done anything wrong? What if, when we bring up things they’ve done (or...

Most of us want to raise responsible, resilient, confident children -- without feeling overwhelmed ourselves. I started my business over a decade ago (and this podcast a little over a year ago) because I genuinely know how to help parents do just that. When the...

It’s relatively easy to show kids how much we support them when they’re doing what we want them to do. But what happens when they are not doing what we want? During those times, many of our children feel that we are NOT supportive… which often makes them think that we...

As the novelty of a new school year is starting to wear off, kids’ behavior may be becoming more and more frustrating. Often our instinct is to respond to this behavior by asking “How can we make them do what they’re supposed to do?” instead of “WHY aren’t they doing...

Many of us were raised to believe that when you’re responding to kids’ behavior, you can either be firm OR you can be respectful -- not both, and definitely not both at same time. Not only is it possible to balance firmness and respect, but it’s actually essential to...

No matter how many strategies you have, no matter how good your intentions are, you’re going to make mistakes as a parent. You’re going to do things you regret. And while you may acknowledge that you’re human -- that you’re far from perfect -- you may still worry...

We know it’s our job to teach our kids how to act more responsible. But what happens when you can’t find consequences that work to motivate long-term responsible behavior? In this episode, you’ll learn: Why trying to find the “best” consequence often leads to more...

Many parents these days are feeling guilty, especially as we’re stressed or depleted and taking that Yuck out on our families (or dealing with Yuck in other ways that we regret). The truth is that most of us DON’T know how to deal with our Yuck in a healthy way....

Because kids have been home for so long, many of the activities that they used to enjoy are no longer engaging them. So they are bored, and as a result, their behavior has become more negative. While many parents recognize that kids’ boredom leads to misbehavior, most...

As parenting seems harder and more depleting these days, it’s easy to focus on the things that we’re doing wrong. We may worry that we’re letting our kids spend too much time on screens… or that we’re not supporting them in the “right” way. Unfortunately, focusing on...

You may know all of the reasons that spending one-on-one time with your kids is important, and you’ve probably experienced the positive effects of having this time with them. But these days most of us are just trying to get through the day, so finding the time and...

Parenting takes energy. Even at the most basic level, we have so much to do because we are taking care of multiple people who depend on us. However, many of us are spending more energy than we have to spend… and as a result, we’re more depleted, irritable, and...

One of the most frustrating behaviors for many of us as parents is when we try to tell our kids something… or teach them something… or ask them to do something... and they act disrespectful or even defiant. So how can we set effective boundaries if they won’t even...

There is a lot of negativity in many of our homes right now. We’ve been home together for a long time, and it’s likely that we will continue to be in this situation for a little while longer. Unfortunately, the way we usually approach our unwanted behavior, moods, and...

Few of us have extra energy these days. Between trying to get things done and trying to keep kids entertained, off of screens, and not fighting, we are exhausted. We certainly don’t feel like we have the energy to be consistent. Yet it’s consistency -- following...

While we were home 24/7, many kids and teens were on screens more than ever before. They used technology for school, they used technology to connect, they used it to entertain themselves. But summer is here and many parents are asking how they can decrease the amount...

No one wants to raise an entitled child… so we know we have to set boundaries, rules, and limits. But we also know that when we set those boundaries, rules, and limits, we’re likely to get pushback in the form of whining, complaining, disrespect, meltdowns, or even...

Most of us believe we’re listening to our kids. And we are listening sometimes: We listen when they’re telling us about things that they like or want. We ask them questions about things they’ve done, and we listen to what they’re telling us. But many of us, when our...

We want our kids to get along, to be there for each other now and in the future. But what happens when our kids AREN’T getting along most of the time? Many of us either assume they’ll work it out on their own… or we step in and become judge and jury, trying to figure...

When I speak to parents about staying calm, they often say things like “I would stay calm if only my child would stop acting that way!” And it may be true that we can be more calm when our kids (or spouse or anyone else) is doing what we want them to do. But do we...

If you have a school-aged child, you’ve probably experienced more than one argument or power struggle over schoolwork. In our defense, it is incredibly frustrating when kids take way longer to start (and finish) assignments than they need to. And it’s hard to see them...

We know that we need to teach our kids how to act responsible and respectful. But how do we respond when they don’t do what they’re supposed to do? Most of us rely on “traditional” discipline strategies like yelling, nagging, or taking away things that they care about...

In this episode, listen in to a real coaching / problem-solving session as I offer suggestions to a mom named Sara, whose daughter worries frequently -- even at events that might normally be cause for celebration.  Not only are the suggestions meant to support Sara’s...