One of the biggest troubles that we have as humans is believing that our hardest problems in life exist outside of us, not inside of us. It’s much easier to be finger-pointers than problem-solvers. As you’ve probably noticed, your kids are very skilled at explaining away their mistakes or misbehavior by pointing to the situations,…
3 Simple Steps to Helping Your Child Handle Their Anger
As a child, my parents frowned on my anger and I often felt that I had to NOT get angry in order to not get in trouble. As awesome as my parents were, this was one parenting tactic that I do not feel served me well. As a child, I had to hide my anger…
Entitlement: You Can Stop the Spread of This Infection
Can you agree with me that there’s a problem with entitlement in our society? It’s like an infection in our culture that is spreading everywhere. The dictionary states it as the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. Think about that. Entitlement is seen in a person who believes they deserve…
4 Leadership Models: for Parents, Coaches, and Other Leaders
True leadership is a tricky balance of supporting and challenging — whether you are a parent, coach, teacher, or leader on the job. It’s a hard balance to maintain. You want to push kids and challenge them to do their best AND you should encourage them so that they will keep trying. Unfortunately, parents, coaches…
Are Parenting Challenges Getting You Down? If So, my question is: If Not Now, When?
Everyone needs someone to cheer them on, encourage them, and challenge them to grow… including parents. Parenting is the hardest job on the planet. Unfortunately, in our culture, parents often feel alone as they navigate the challenges of a growing kid and an ever-changing culture. Have you ever felt desperate in your parenting? Like nothing…
What’s Your Parenting Style: Sherpa, Snowplow or Drone?
Are you a sherpa, snowplow or drone parent? I recently read an article, spurred by the recent college admission scandals, that examined these parenting styles. If you haven’t heard about them, catch up here. The helicopter parent describes “a parent who hovers over a child in a way that runs counter to the parent’s responsibility…
4 Ways to Avoid Accidental Parenting
Accidents are what happen when people drive cars, ski down the slopes and cut up vegetables with sharp knives. But accidents do not have to characterize the way you parent. Accidental parenting means you fly by the seat of your pants, winging it day after day, month after month, and year after year. Accidental parenting…
3 Ways That Parents Handle Their Kids’ Bad Behavior –Is One of These You?
Although there are as many different ways to parent as there are families in this world, it does seem that parents tend to default to certain ways of handling their children’s bad behavior. In an article on Romper.com, the author listed three parenting stand-bys for disciplining their children: The time-out parent. Parents who put their…
5 Ways Coaches and Parents Can Work Together in Youth Sports
If you talk to coaches, they will tell you stories about overprotective, controlling parents. If you talk to parents, they will tell you about unfair coaches who don’t let their kids play enough or play the position they want. There’s a lot of finger pointing in youth sports. And the result is that many parents…
4 Foundations Your Child MUST Have to be a Success in Life
New parents, veteran parents, confident parents, insecure parents–calling ALL parents with kids of all ages—this post is parenting 101. No matter how long you’ve been parenting, there’s never a better time to lay the foundations in your children than NOW. If your child is still in diapers, start laying the foundations. If your child is…