Three months ago I decided to make changes in how I was parenting. I’d been too permissive about screen time and my daughter’s behavior was suffering. I set clear limits, created consequences and committed to following through. Within a week I wanted to give up. She tested every boundary. She cried. She told me I…
The morning my daughter was born a nurse handed her to me and said “congratulations, now you get to figure out how to raise her.” No instruction manual. No clear roadmap. Just this tiny human who needed me to somehow know what I was doing. Eight years later I’m still figuring it out. But I’ve…
I spent my daughter’s first year reading every parenting book I could find. One expert said to follow strict schedules. Another said to follow the baby’s lead completely. A third insisted on attachment parenting while someone else warned against creating dependent children. I felt more confused after reading than before I started. Then a pediatrician…
Last month at a birthday party I watched two very different parenting moments unfold. One mom calmly removed her son from the bounce house after he pushed another child. She knelt down, acknowledged his frustration and explained why pushing wasn’t okay. He sat out for five minutes then rejoined the group. Another mom’s daughter was…
My neighbor Sarah always seemed like the cool mom on our block. Her kids stayed up as late as they wanted and ate dessert before dinner if they asked nicely. There were no set homework times and her living room looked like a toy store explosion most days. She’d laugh it off saying “kids should…
I remember the first time someone told me I was “too strict” with my daughter. She was three and I had just calmly but firmly redirected her from climbing on the grocery store shelves. The comment stung because I didn’t feel strict at all. I explained my rules and I listened to her feelings but…
Last week at the playground I watched two scenes unfold simultaneously. One mom sat on a bench scrolling her phone while her son climbed dangerously high on equipment meant for older kids. When another parent expressed concern she shrugged and said “kids need to explore.” Twenty feet away a dad hovered over his daughter correcting…
I remember the first time my daughter threw herself on the floor screaming because I gave her the wrong color cup. She was two and I felt like the worst parent on earth. Looking back now I realize I was expecting her brain to function like mine. That’s where most of us get it wrong….
The moment you become a parent someone hands you a tiny human and expects you to know what to do. Nobody gives you a manual. Nobody explains that traditional discipline methods often backfire. Nobody tells you there’s a better way. I’ve been parenting for almost a decade now and I’m still learning. But one thing…