Pumpkin Seeds: A Halloween Story
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A Halloween story to read with your little ones.
Read MoreThe Screen Time Dilemma: It's Not Really About Screens
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How can we as parents keep our children safe in a world of screens? If we give them free reign on electronics, we expose them to a host of dangers. Yet if we withhold screens…
Read MoreAsk a Narcissistic Parent
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The Kind of Parent You Are (TKOPYA) sat down with a narcissistic parent (NP) for a quick chat, which we hope you will find entertaining and informative.
Read MoreHelping Children Build Emotional Literacy
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For children, big emotions can be intense and confusing. For parents, big emotions can easily be misconstrued as a distraction from whatever else is happening in one’s life.
Read MoreWhy to Answer That Question During the Movie
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Why do the best times to connect have to present themselves at the least convenient times? Part of the reason is the child’s maturity level...
Read MoreWhy to Coach Instead of Criticize
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Are you planting seeds with your child today that can grow with his growth? Or are you cultivating weeds that will get in his way?
Read More2 Rules for Talking to Children About Politics
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Over the past couple years, political discourse has steadily devolved. Consider the nature of the dialogue your children may be exposed to on any given day.
Read MorePutting the Phone Away
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What does your child feel like when you are paying attention to your phone?
Read MoreWhen You Could Have Done Better
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But sometimes, in emotionally charged moments, it is not possible to think clearly. If in the heat of the moment you fail to consider the perspective questions...
Read MoreQuestions to Build Patience
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For parents, exercising patience is not easy. Your children will not always follow your instructions, appreciate your efforts, or prioritize your deadlines. They will generously provide you with frustrating circumstances...
Read MoreThe Meaning Within the Mundane
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In my previous post, I posed the question ‘what if today is the day they come back?’ The question was a reference to the play Our Town, in which...
Read MoreLiving Every Moment
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Life as a parent is full of paradoxes. We cherish our children, yet don't always cherish our time with them. The days can feel like they will never end, yet the years can go by before we know it. Moment by moment...
Read MoreParenting Styles, Part III: The Gottman Model
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Dr. John Gottman, a psychology researcher known for his studies on family dynamics, has defined and studied a model of parenting styles. Like the Baumrind model, Gottman identified four main parenting styles...
Read MoreParenting Styles, Part II: Self-Determination Theory
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At the closing of the previous post, I asserted that the authoritative parenting style, the most effective parenting style in the Baumrind model, contained some practices that do not result in good outcomes. This was cited as a problem. For a solution, we now turn to self-determination theory.
Read MoreParenting Styles, Part I: The Baumrind Model
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Over the next several weeks, we will look at three different models of parenting styles. We begin today with the Baumrind model. Developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind characterized three dominant parenting styles, and recorded their outcomes...
Read MoreHow Parenting Style Makes a Difference
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My book The Optimal Life Experience ascertains what it means to live the best possible life. The reason for writing that book was to help determine how parents can best equip their children to live their best possible lives. It turns out they can do it through the signals they send.
Read MoreMore Parenting Journal Templates
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Today, I am sharing templates that complement the ones from last week. A monthly tracking template will be featured. In addition, there is a matching annual review template.
Read MoreKeeping With Your Parenting Purpose Through a Journal
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Today, we will talk about what stops you from fulfilling your parenting purpose, and how journaling can help you to do things differently to get back on track.
Read MoreSurvey Respondents Reveal Parenting Purposes
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Last week, we discussed the purpose of being a parent. I promised to share with you the results of a survey where I asked one hundred people about their parenting purposes. Today we will analyze the survey responses...
Read MoreWhat is Your Parenting Purpose?
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A purpose is the reason for doing something. A thoughtfully constructed purpose helps to keep one focused on priorities. It provides a basis for action when the right decision is not self-evident.
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