How to Break the Cycle of Crabbiness and Negativity
“I’m bored. No one wants to play with me. I hate my classes and that teacher. I’m no good at anything! Everything is just dumb!” Sound familiar? Kids can be pretty good at complaining and crabbing their way to get parents’ attention. And to make matters worse (if you’re anything like I was as a […]
6 Survival Tips for Parents of Teens
In our work coaching hundreds of parents of tweens and teens over the years, we’ve uncovered six common themes that leave teens feeling a little more encouraged and willing to respect their parents. (And, if you’re a parent of a tween or teen, we’ll be featured Saturday, Sep 23 on the FREE online Parenting […]
Should We Demand Immediate Obedience?
Back to School
No matter the type of school – preschool, public, private, home-school, or alternative school – the transition from summer activities to educational studies generally has a few bumps in the road for both parents and kids. Because of feedback from parents just like you, we know the following four articles are worth the read to […]
First Step to Helping Intense Kids
Staying Connected With Your Teen
How can you stay connected to your teen when they push you away? Learn how to build security and connected even when it’s hard.
Beat Boredom This Summer With These 4 Tips
“Can we go now?” While it’s not always this easy to help kids overcome their boredom, there are some basic principles that guided me that day, and that we’ve seen be helpful for many parents. Once kids come up with some ideas, you can support them by getting any needed supplies. One mom stated she […]
Do You Offer Empowering or Trapping Choices?
You’ve likely heard the wise advice to give two choices to help empower kids and significantly decrease power struggles. What you may not have heard is how kids often feel “trapped” by the choices parents present to them. In partnership with Family Life Canada, we produced a number of short videos. Watch to learn how […]
Encouragement from a Dad Who’s Been There
Hey, dads! I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately. You see, Lynne and I have this amazing opportunity to speak to groups of parents all over the country. Most of these workshops, however, are filled with a majority of moms. We love connecting and encouraging moms! To be honest, though, I’m often nervous about […]
Should I Require Fighting Kids to Apologize?
Sibling conflict can be discouraging as parents wonder, “Will these kids ever learn to get along? Will they ever be close?” Jim and I wondered that. Our online course, Sibling Conflict: From Bickering to Bonding, is packed with the insights and practical tools we learned. We guided our kids from hurtful, even aggressive conflicts, to […]
