Safe teen driver. No, that is not an oxymoron. You can prepare your teen and guide them to being safe drivers. Maybe the whole license thing is bitter sweet for you: you’re looking forward to giving your teen more freedom and at the same time you are nervous about the risk that comes when they…
Getting Kids to Cooperate: 4 Ways to Guarantee it Won’t Happen
Getting kids to cooperate is a daily challenge for parents and as a parenting coach, I spend a lot of time coaching parents on how to get their kids to do that. Today, however, I am going to approach it from the opposite spectrum and talk about ways that parents can pretty much guarantee that…
Quality vs. Quantity Time: Does it Really Matter When it Comes to Your Kids?
My dad talked about quality vs. quantity time when I was growing up. His philosophy was that quality mattered more than quantity when it came to spending time with his six kids. I’m not sure what brought him to that conclusion–maybe it was his way of making himself feel better about the fact that he…
Your Child’s Friends: 8 Things to Be on the Lookout For
It’s easy to choose your child’s friends when they are little because you are in total control of their schedule and who they spend time with. But as your kids get older, they start choosing their own friend groups. If your kids struggle to make friends, you may be grateful that they’ve connected with some…
5 Things That Will Give Your Kids a Sense of Security
Kids need to feel a sense of security. It is vital for them to grow up to be healthy, strong adults. British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby, the founding father of attachment theory explains the need for security this way: Attachment is an emotional bond that impacts behavior from the cradle to the grave. Safety and…
Parenting Burnout: 5 Signs That You are Running on Fumes
Parenting burnout is a real thing. Research published by Clinical Psychological Science states that parent burnout is: an exhaustion syndrome, characterized by feeling overwhelmed, physical and emotional exhaustion, emotional distancing from one’s children, and a sense of being an ineffective parent. As a mom who raised three kids, I know that there were days when I was…
5 Ways to Help Your Children Succeed Without Being an Overbearing Sports Parent
Would you say you are an overbearing sports parent? Throughout 21 years of being a sports mom and 33 years of being a coach’s wife, I have never met a parent who did not want their child to succeed in youth sports. Each one had their own unique way of supporting and/or pushing their child…
How to Stop from Becoming Micromanaging Parents
Are you becoming one of those micromanaging parents? Do you constantly interfere when your child has a friend over to play? Insist they always wear clothes that meet your standards? Hover over them on the sidelines as they play sports? Constantly check on them as they do their homework? Micromanaging, also known as over-parenting, shows…
Parenting Love Looks Like WHAT?
Parenting love began the moment you held your child in your arms, whether they came from your womb or someone else birthed them. At first, it may seem easy to love our kids, when they are helpless, cute, and oh-so-innocent. But as they grow older, parenting love takes on more challenges as kids become resistant…
What Will Keep Your Home From Falling Apart When Trouble Comes?
When trouble comes, will your house stand strong? Every household is going to face difficulty at some point. It may be a job loss, a relationship crumbling, sickness, or financial stress. It may be as tragic as death or as simple as annoying neighbors. Whatever the problem is, it rattles your peaceful home and can…