Most parents have experienced the “morning from hell” more often than they care to admit. I don’t even have to describe it — I’m that certain you know what I’m talking about. When I say good-bye to my kids after that kind of morning, I’m left with that terrible, icky, dark cloud lurking over my head for the next several … Read More
In parenting, I do better when I feel better. How about you?
When my 3rd baby was born, something happened to my 2nd-born. She transformed from a sweet, cheerful, optimistic and easy-going child into a needy, super-sensitive, irritating being. She was bugging the crap out of me. I didn’t like the way I was feeling, and I definitely did not like the parent I was being. So I enrolled in my first parenting … Read More
Going back-to-school in chunks
About a week ago, I found myself feeling unsettled and anxious about the coming of a new school year. My son will start high school this month which presents all sorts of new emotional and logistical issues, I lost my carpool partner for my two younger daughters, and I had a lot of questions about what the extracurricular schedule would look like. … Read More
My kid uses my own parenting tool on me . . . and it works!
“I need a hug” is an actual parenting tool from “Positive Discipline.” You can use this tool almost any time, in any situation, and it often works wonders. Imagine that your child is having a tantrum. You say, “I need a hug!” Your child can’t hear you at first because he is tantrumming (or arguing, or negotiating, or … Read More
The power of perspective when parenting
“Your explanation of your child’s behavior guides your intervention.” — Ross Greene I will forever be transformed by having read, “The Explosive Child” by Ross Greene. Poorly named, this book describes both a perspective and a process for solving behavior problems jointly with kids (all kinds, even non-explosive ones.) His work, along with “Positive Discipline,” inspired the curriculum for … Read More
If only I could care less . . . a story about fear, wet towels, and letting go
There it was again. A wet towel lying on my 11-year-old’s bedroom floor. I’m not a neat freak, I swear. I like things to be relatively clean, and I appreciate an organized pantry or filing system. But there are often dirty dishes in my sink at bedtime, and every horizontal surface in my office is covered with something that … Read More
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