Blog: Because I Said So!

Do You have an anxious child?

Parents today are overwhelmed with worry.

One worry a lot of my clients tell me they have is how anxious their child is. Almost all of these clients are seriously considering appointments with an occupational therapist, talk or play therapists, a psychologist for psychological evaluation, a psychiatrist for medication, etc. for their child’s anxiety problems.

As a certified parent coach, former teacher, and seasoned mom, I help moms respond to their anxious child…

Are you eternally exhausted from your day-to-day activities? Do your parenting skills consist of exasperated grunts or impatient sighs? You’re not alone!

You are experiencing the beginning stages of parenting burnout which can get pretty ugly if not dealt with straight away.

You are at your wit's end, and everything little thing can get the best of you. You may feel like the loneliest mom or dad in the world because you were the only ones who had little monsters instead little babies.

Don…

• Do you wonder why your child is so angry? 
• Do you avoid saying "no" because you don't want the meltdown?
• Do you end up yelling because you didn't say "no" and then feeling guilty about it?

You can make a change that will make a HUGE difference in your family this year by focusing on ONE of the following "resolutions" to help you avoid having angry and disrespectful children all in the spirit of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

The following resolutions are NOT so you …

Santa's coming! And for some moms that means fun, fun, fun!

And for the rest of us, it can mean anxiety over how our children will behave. With the added excitement, loaded to-do lists, more sugar, and less structure Santa's arrival means overstimulation for our kids.

Taking a moment to think of what our kids need during the holidays will pay off. This is Step Three (The Five Needs) in my 6-Step Plan.

The Five Needs are; Survival, Freedom, Love & Belonging, Power, and Fun.

Clearly state expectations…

Pause.

Such a simple action and so powerful.

Your day might start great and then, all of the sudden, your kids start going nuts. Chaos reigns and you have no idea how things got so crazy so quickly. 

You want everyone to calm down and so you try to stay calm. You try to be in charge. But your kids won't listen.

So the only thing you know to do is to yell. 

Then your kids push back. Then you yell more.

And then they get even louder and before you know it, everyone is in their room, crying.…

How to handle angry children is one of the most popular questions I get asked.

But calming an angry child is not just about saying: "Can you take a few breaths and calm down?" "I'm ready to listen when you are calm." "I know you're upset, we can talk about it when you are calm."

Those are fine, sure. But do they work in the heat of the moment?

Sometimes.

And when it doesn't, why not?

Because emotions are contagious. And if we are upset It's nearly impossible for us to yell our children in…

If you are a mom or dad of multiple children, you may already know this; even if you don’t, you may have noticed it in your nieces, nephews, or your friends’ kids…

There is no parenting tip blueprint showing how to give effective rewards or consequences.

Every child needs his own individual and personalized plan to incentivize him, behave in a certain way, or do what you say. So, what gives?

“The Gift of Failure” by Jessica Lahey inspired me to write this post.

I want to begin with t…

More than the academics and more than excelling in school plays, sports, and their dance recitals, I had a dream of raising and nurturing confident kids before I even planned to have any children. I always knew that children need a strong sense of self and an attitude that they are more than capable for them to become successful later on in their life. But, knowing this is only a healthy start to a long journey to cultivating a next generation that is self-assured and capable of persevering thro…

Let’s face it. Our children face double standards daily. “Do as I say, not as I do” is the message we are giving them with most of our parenting styles. We want our kids to excel in school, sports, and activities yet we know that kids should be encouraged to relax and just be kids. As parents, we see perfect families on holiday cards, Facebook, and Instagram.

Whether we realize it or not, that can affect how we push our children to do well. Maybe even too well.

How can parents balance the desi…

My children are SPOILED!

I'm a parent coach and sometimes even I utter the words above. And when I do, I'm tempted to blame today's culture. But, if I want my children to be independent, happy, and self-sufficient adults, I need to focus on the things I can change. If you are an American parent following parenting tips or parenting advice trends, you probably don’t require your children to do chores even though your parents expected it of you AND you think that children who do chores regularly …