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…
My four year old daughter was on the floor screaming because her toast broke in half. Not because she was hungry or hurt but because the toast was broken and in her mind that was the end of the world. Old me would have said “you’re fine, it’s just toast, stop overreacting”. New me sat…
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….
My son was six when he looked up at me during another lecture about his messy room and said “mom you never listen to me”. That stopped me cold. I was always talking at him but rarely with him. That moment changed how I communicate with my kids. I realized the way we talk to…
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…