“I really want to be present with my kids,” one mom told me recently and while I applaud her desire, I started thinking about what it actually means to be present. We say that a lot these days and yet have we actually taken the time to figure out what it really means? I like…
Emotional Teens: Handle with Care
If you have emotional teens in your house, then believe me, you are experiencing a phase that just about every parent goes through. It’s been said that a teen’s highs are their highest and their lows are the lowest. The up-and-down emotions that a teen expresses can be exhausting for you as a parent as…
4 Ways to Help Your Child Grow Their Independence
How are you fostering independence in your child? As a parent, you may have a sense of satisfaction in knowing that you are needed. But as your kids get older, your need to be needed should fade and in fact, your child should need you less and less. Are you willing to give that up?…
Why Your Child’s Failure is Their Key to Success
It’s painful for parents to watch their child’s growing-up process because that almost always includes watching their child’s failure. One of the hardest parts of being a sports mom was watching my kids experience failure at something they’d worked so hard to achieve. And now that they are adults, it’s still hard to see them…
When Kids Push Your Buttons, Which One is You?
When kids push your buttons, they are testing the waters to see how you will respond. They are watching closely and measuring to see how far they can go. When this happens–and it will because that’s just what kids do–there are a lot of ways that a parent can answer. Which one of these is…
Stop Nagging Your Kids: 3 Steps to Break the Habit
Do you ever wish you could stop nagging your kids? Perhaps you hear yourself saying the same things over and over to your kids with minimal response. Maybe you have to repeat yourself several times to get your kids to cooperate. I don’t know about you but nagging wears me out. When my kids were…
Answering WHY? When Your Child Asks
Answering why can be a tedious part of parenting. When our kids are little, we often say NO without explaining why because we know they would not understand our reasoning. As they get a little older, they may become upset and ask, “Why can’t I do this–or have that?” Children ask a lot of questions….
Parenting Dilemma: To Share or Not to Share?
Here’s a parenting dilemma for you: How much do your kids really need to know? Growing up, I had no idea of the stresses and concerns my parents faced. They kept a lot of things to themselves. As a parent who now has three grown children, I often think back to how my parents kept…
Do You Allow Fearful Parenting to Rule in Your Home?
Fearful parenting is pretty common these days. After all, there are a lot of things that cause us as parents to be afraid for our kids. Sending your child into the world, whether it’s to daycare or go off to college is hard for parents. It’s the whole letting go struggle that causes parents a…
Do You Know Your Child’s Love Language?
Knowing your child’s love language is another tool that parents can use as they build a connection with their children, a connection which will enable them to have a stronger influence in their child’s life. As I talked about last week, a strong relationship with your child can make them more receptive to the boundaries…