Photo by Allen Taylor on Unsplash
Parenting is hard. Last fall I ran out of patience. My children were pushing me and my husband to the limit. They were unappreciative, constantly fighting, talking back, you name it.
It all came to a head on my daughter's 9th birthday when her grandparents joined us to celebrate. What should have been a happy, celebratory moment turned dark. The candles were lit, the cake was out, and we started to sing. Instead of smiles and joy, a fight broke out. The girls started pushing each other and it got heated quickly. Suddenly the birthday girl was crying, yelling, angry. The little one was obviously jealous, but this was over the line! We had it. It was anything but a happy birthday and we knew it was time for a change. Things were out of control.
We began researching classes, child psychologists, books, articles, Pinterest boards, the works. We came upon a recommendation from a local child psychiatrist that changed our life. It was an online class that focused on positive parenting. We were intrigued.
They were offering a free webinar to learn how to get kids to listen. Why not, I figured, I have nothing to lose. In less than an hour I learned a new parenting "tool" that helped me manage my kids' screen time and calmly got them to put their iPad down when their time was up... without having a fit! A miracle? Perhaps this was the "secret sauce" we were looking for. We were in!
Now that I have completed the class I wanted to share my experience with other parents who may be feeling like we were-- totally fed up and overwhelmed. I figured if it worked for us, maybe it will work for you too. Here are a few things I learned.
I learned that there are positive, simple ways you can transform you child's behavior that does not include punishments, time outs, counting or nagging.
I learned the root cause of why my children were acting in such unpleasant ways and what to do about it.
I learned that encouragement leads to confidence and resilience. And that saying "that sounds like something you can do" is huge.
I learned that relevant consequences are important and that revealing them in advance, with a few other tricks, can really make a difference.
I learned that sometimes you just need to ignore bad behavior... and sometimes you absolutely shouldn't. And which is which.
I learned that family contributions are the foundation to raising unentitled kids. And that rewards don't really do what you think they do.
I learned that "I'm sorry" is not the same as making things right.
I learned that there are positive ways to give my children power and attention and that rescuing them doesn't do them any favors.
I learned so much more than these lessons. In fact I learned over 30 tools that are simple, straightforward and life changing. And I did it all on my own time from home.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and want serious help for parenting during this pandemic and beyond, you can try the same free class online I did.
It all came to a head on my daughter's 9th birthday when her grandparents joined us to celebrate. What should have been a happy, celebratory moment turned dark. The candles were lit, the cake was out, and we started to sing. Instead of smiles and joy, a fight broke out. The girls started pushing each other and it got heated quickly. Suddenly the birthday girl was crying, yelling, angry. The little one was obviously jealous, but this was over the line! We had it. It was anything but a happy birthday and we knew it was time for a change. Things were out of control.
We began researching classes, child psychologists, books, articles, Pinterest boards, the works. We came upon a recommendation from a local child psychiatrist that changed our life. It was an online class that focused on positive parenting. We were intrigued.
They were offering a free webinar to learn how to get kids to listen. Why not, I figured, I have nothing to lose. In less than an hour I learned a new parenting "tool" that helped me manage my kids' screen time and calmly got them to put their iPad down when their time was up... without having a fit! A miracle? Perhaps this was the "secret sauce" we were looking for. We were in!
Now that I have completed the class I wanted to share my experience with other parents who may be feeling like we were-- totally fed up and overwhelmed. I figured if it worked for us, maybe it will work for you too. Here are a few things I learned.
I learned that there are positive, simple ways you can transform you child's behavior that does not include punishments, time outs, counting or nagging.
I learned the root cause of why my children were acting in such unpleasant ways and what to do about it.
I learned that encouragement leads to confidence and resilience. And that saying "that sounds like something you can do" is huge.
I learned that relevant consequences are important and that revealing them in advance, with a few other tricks, can really make a difference.
I learned that sometimes you just need to ignore bad behavior... and sometimes you absolutely shouldn't. And which is which.
I learned that family contributions are the foundation to raising unentitled kids. And that rewards don't really do what you think they do.
I learned that "I'm sorry" is not the same as making things right.
I learned that there are positive ways to give my children power and attention and that rescuing them doesn't do them any favors.
I learned so much more than these lessons. In fact I learned over 30 tools that are simple, straightforward and life changing. And I did it all on my own time from home.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and want serious help for parenting during this pandemic and beyond, you can try the same free class online I did.
Here is just a bit of what you’ll learn in the free 60 minute parenting class led by Amy McCready, the Founder of Positive Parenting Solutions. Amy is a regular TODAY Show contributor, a best-selling author, and a “former yeller”—so she totally gets us!:
- WHY your kids are driving you crazy right now, and the 2 reasons for 95% of your kids’ misbehavior in these stressful times.
- The TRUTH BOMBS about parenting and power struggles that will completely change the way you deal with your kids’ behavior, now during this pandemic, but also when life picks back up again.
- Why YOUR PERSONALITY is making your kids FIGHT BACK now more than ever—and what you can do about it.
- HOW to implement CONSEQUENCES that work!!! It’s a simple 5-step process for consequences, with no yelling required.
- Strategies for calming the chaos in your family’s new, temporary normal—and beyond.
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