How small tweaks in language can make a big difference in cooperation – a video demonstration

MarcilieCooperation, Empathy, Encouragement, Kind and Firm Parenting, long term parenting, Parenting and Management, Parenting w/Positive Discipline, Positive Parenting, Problem SolvingLeave a Comment

In this video, I demonstrate a simple and effective tool that not only invites better cooperation, but it also teaches long-term life skills and helps children develop self-efficacy (belief in self) and self-discipline.

Top 6 Positive Discipline Tools for Preschoolers and Toddlers

Beth DargisCooperation, discipline, Parenting Preschoolers, Parenting Toddlers, Parenting w/Positive Discipline, Positive ParentingLeave a Comment

positive discipline for preschoolers

I’ve been through it three times and the thought of doing it again feels absolutely exhausting: parenting toddlers and preschoolers. It’s true that the teen years present some emotionally exhausting issues (and I mean seriously exhausting), but those early years wore me out in all dimensions: physical, emotional, and cognitive. Why were my car keys in the refrigerator? Because I … Read More

How Positive Discipline (and a chore chart) followed my son to college

MarcilieChores, discipline, Parenting w/Positive Discipline, Positive Parenting, Problem SolvingLeave a Comment

I visited my son at college last weekend. A sophomore in off-campus housing, he’d been complaining about the standards of cleanliness among his roommates (in his view, the standards are quite low.) For the first time in my son’s life, there is no one other than the 4 guys who live there to clean up the messes, dishes, or bathrooms. … Read More

Don’t take sides when siblings fight!

Marciliediscipline, Kind and Firm Parenting, Parenting w/Positive Discipline, Sibling Fighting, Sibling Rivalry4 Comments

I’ve heard it said that when siblings fight, the parent or caregiver should first attend to the victim by giving comfort and attention. This way, bullies aren’t rewarded with attention, and theoretically, they learn to never to repeat the behavior because they actually see the pain they’ve caused. This seems logical enough…but in the long term, deciding who’s right and … Read More

How parenting with a long-term view can transform behavior

Marcilieconsequences, discipline, Kind and Firm Parenting, Leadership, Letting Go, long term parenting, Parenting w/Positive Discipline, Positive Parenting, ResponsibilityLeave a Comment

While parenting with a long-term view (“long-term parenting”) can completely transform a situation and a relationship, I’ve struggled for years (literally) with how to write about it. I think it might sound a bit boring, and imply that one might not get immediate answers with its practice. Am I right? I imagine readers asking, How will long-term parenting help me … Read More

My child stole his teacher’s brownie. How and what came next…

Marcilieconsequences, discipline, Kind and Firm Parenting, long term parenting, Parenting w/Positive Discipline, Positive Parenting, Problem Solving, Responsibility4 Comments

Chapter 1: Mom Gets Dreaded Phone Call From School I was at work in the middle of the day when my phone began to ring. I looked down and noted the caller’s ID: it was my child’s school. Naturally, my heart began to race, butterflies fluttered in my gut, and my eyes got a bit wider. Do schools know that … Read More