Tips and Tools

  • Parenting with the Body in Mind

    We sure hear a lot these days about the brain – and brain science. When we hear the word “brain” most of us think of the soft stuff that is inside our skull. That is, in fact, our “brain.” But it turns out that our body is not just the thing that carries our brain around. Human nervous systems are incredibly complex and there is a lot of information exchanged between the brain and the rest of the body. We can use this information to help ourselves and to help our kids.

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  • I Can’t Believe I Did That! – And How to Make Repairs

    you “know” aren’t helpful? Does it seem like “Mean Mommy” or “Dreadful Daddy” have taken over your body and you can’t help yourself? What next?

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  • Taking care of ourselves

    Like many of you I tend to “take care” of others before I begin to think about what I need or what requests I might make. So today I get to listen, once again as I talk about self-care – and see if this time I can say, “I can make a commitment to do what I need to do to make time for and take care of myself.” Will you join me?

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  • Whose problem is it anyway?

    One of the many little posters my parenting instructor used read, “Whose problem is it, anyway?” He tried to teach us to recognize which problems were ours (as parents) and which problems really “belonged” to the children.

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  • A dream for peace in your family

    Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. His was a dream of peace, justice and equality. Do you ever have a dream of peace for your family?

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  • Sibling Conflict…Can any Good Come of This?

    As you prepare for the winter break and memorable family time; perhaps stuck in your house because of wet, cold weather, running out of activities to keep the kids occupied, counting the days until school starts again…..What will your children be learning from each other? Use the normal conflict of daily life to teach your children important life skills.

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  • Consequences or Solutions?

    Solutions help children learn from their mistakes – and invite both responsibility and dignity

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  • Now Listen here Young Lady !!!!!!

    Contributed by Melanie Miller, M.Ed., Certified Positive Discipline Trainer and School Counselor Back talk, eye rolling, the glare, the, “Oh mom how can you be so stupid look”…. As our children grow older, their vocabulary has grown and their words, attitude and eye rolling can dig a little deeper. The next time the disrespect comes your way consider this… Why Kids do it: • Maintain dignity: think they have been treated unfairly and “need” to defend themselves, • Claiming and testing their power (who am I really?), • Don’t know how to respectfully disagree, • To connect with you, •…

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  • Why Kids Lie and What to do About It

    Contributed by Melanie Miller, M.Ed. Lying is one of those behaviors that can certainly bring up a lot of strong feelings in parents. Understanding why kids lie and what we can do as parents to decrease lying, and promote honesty, can be a welcome relief! The following information is from a TV interview with Certified Positive Discipline Trainer, Dodi Blomberg (www.dodieblomberg.com) and the book Positive Discipline A-Z; 1001 solutions to Everyday Parenting Problems by Jane Nelsen Ed.D. et.al. Why do children lie? ➢ They feel trapped ➢ Are afraid of punishment ➢ Scared of rejection ➢ Feel threatened ➢ Think…

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  • Finding (and using) your “P.O.S.” Button

    By finding our “P.O.S.” (pause) button we can bring our best selves to our parenting challenges.

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