Parenting Blog

Your Guide to Happier Families & Well-Behaved Kids

How to Choose the Online Parenting Class that’s Right for Your Family

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Have you had enough of the temper tantrums? Or the backtalk? Or the helplessness?

Do you feel like you’re repeating yourself every second? But your kids are still glued to the tv and refuse to budge?

You know things have to change and you can’t continue on like this. But what’s your next step?

You’ve probably considered the pros and cons of in-person courses and online parenting classes.

You’ve researched different parent education options and have come to the conclusion that an online parenting class is the best choice for your family.

But, how do you pick the right one? Your Facebook newsfeed is filled with offers and every Google search generates different course options all touting excellent results.

I’ve been a parenting coach for over 15 years, and I know there is a wide spectrum of course offerings. Before you hand over your credit card information, let’s break down some key differences in online parenting classes, shall we?

In general, there are 3 types of online parenting courses you’ll find:

    1. Court-ordered courses
    2. Compartmentalized courses
    3. Comprehensive courses.

    To make the most informed purchasing decision, it’s critical you understand the differences between each type of course. Read More →

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    6 Parenting Resolutions You Can Keep in 2019

    Parenting Resolutions

    You’ve purchased a new gym membership or meal planning service for the next month. You’ve decided THIS is going to be the year you finally get out of debt or you resolved to finish the degree you started several years ago.

    And while I’m cheering you on for those resolutions and I want you to look back on 2019 as the year you finally followed through on your important intentions, might I suggest you add something different to your list this year?

    A resolution that will impact your family for years to come. A resolution that will bring peace and joy into your home in ways you’ve never experienced. A resolution that will reconnect you with your children in a meaningful way.

    This, sweet friends, is a resolution you can keep: Become the parent you’ve always wanted to be in 2019.

    In order to make that resolution a reality, I want to share 6 practical things you can start doing today. This isn’t a resolution about doing MORE, but rather a resolution about doing BETTER – both better for you and better for your children.

    You CAN become the parent you’ve always dreamed of being. Don’t let the gym memberships or new workout routines or financial goals be the only resolutions you make this year.

    Resolve to be the best you can for the most important people in your life. Resolve to make these 6 changes today and I guarantee you’ll enter 2020 with undeniable confidence as a parent. Read More →

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    5 Parent Education Options: Which is Best for Your Family?

    Parent Education Options

    Parent Education OptionsParenting. No one ever told you it would be this hard, did they? Well, maybe they did, but you didn’t believe them.

    After all, you didn’t even have children. And because you didn’t have children, you wouldn’t know how hard it is…that is…until you had them.

    And now you know.

    You know parenting is the most gut-wrenching and simultaneously rewarding job on the planet.

    You know it’s equal parts frustrating and life-giving.

    You know it’s possible to love spending time with someone so fiercely but also jump for joy when they fall asleep.

    But maybe you don’t know how to navigate the temper tantrums. Or how to stop the hitting. Or how to curb the backtalk.

    You’ve tried timeouts and consequences and counting to three, but nothing seems to work.

    So now you’re looking for answers. And with the limitless amount of parenting advice your search engine produces, it’s impossible to sort through it all.

    Can I help you, my friend?
     Read More →

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    When Parents Disagree on Discipline: 8 Steps to Harmonious Parenting

    Parents Disagree on Discipline

    Parents Disagree on DisciplineYou vowed to be together for better or for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, but now you’re in a parenting standoff and can’t seem to agree on A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

    You’re tired of yelling at your kids. Your partner is tired of their disrespect. You try to implement consequences. Your partner insists on sending them to time out. You dread mealtime. Your partner dreads bathtime.

    The tension is palpable and your kids notice. They know you’re the strict one and your partner is more lenient. They know who will cave under pressure and whose fuse will blow first.

    If there is one thing you can ALL agree on, it’s this: Something has to change.

    The standoff can’t continue.

    Your kids are too important. Your marriage is too important. Your family is way too important to let discipline differences wear everyone down.

    So what should you do about it?

    First, take a deep breath. Like a REALLY deep breath.

    There is hope for you and your family, my friend. Lots of hope.

    I’m here to suggest there are 8 tangible steps you and your partner can take TODAY to set a new foundation in your home – a foundation that you can both feel comfortable standing on as you continue your parenting journey. Read More →

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    Pros and Cons of Online Parenting Classes

    Pros and Cons of Online Parenting Classes

    Pros and Cons of Online Parenting ClassesI see you, friend. Maybe you’re at your wit’s end and don’t know how you’ll ever get your kids to stop fighting. Maybe you’re rocking a newborn, but are trying to prepare yourself for the years to come. Maybe you just separated from your spouse and are trying to figure out how you’ll co-parent after 10 years together.

    Wherever this post finds you, if you are considering an online parenting course as a way to transform your family, I want to help you understand the pros and cons of online parenting classes (as opposed to in-person classes or counseling), so you can make the best decision for your family. Read More →

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    Time-Out: Do Time-Outs Really Work? Problems with Time-Out (And What to do Instead)

    Problems with time out and alternatives to time out

    Problems with time out and alternatives to time outYour pediatrician recommended it, your friends swear by it, and your child’s preschool uses it incessantly. But, every time YOU try to send your child to time-out, the 5-minute time-out turns into a 30-minute throwdown of epic proportions.

    For most parents, using time-out to “teach kids a lesson” often increases the power struggle and ends in frustration, anger, and fails to achieve the desired outcome.

    Or, in other cases, getting the child to go to time-out isn’t necessarily a battle, but the child continues to misbehave once their time in the corner is finished.

    While well-meaning parents have used time-out as an alternative to more punitive methods like spanking, it doesn’t seem to reap the long-term benefits we hope for. After all, we are running a marathon, aren’t we?

    When we take a short-sighted approach to discipline, we leave the door open for long-term problems. Sure, a time-out might curb a behavior in the moment, but it doesn’t promote our long-term goal of raising emotionally stable, resilient, and empathetic children.

    If you are a proponent of time-out, this is not a finger-waving post of judgment, I promise. I, too, was once a time-out queen myself. But, as I found the tool to be increasingly ineffective in my home, I knew I needed other tactics.

    Read More →
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