Parenting Speaker Amy McCready’s Keynote Speeches and Workshops
Parenting speaker Amy McCready, described by audiences as warm, engaging, and inspiring, connects with parents on an emotional level and delivers practical, solution-focused advice that they can put to use immediately for visible results.
Amy’s credibility as a nationally recognized parenting expert, her national media experience, and her ability to connect on a personal level to any size of group – from 25 to 2,500 – all make her a natural choice for keynote speeches, workshops, and breakout sessions.
Contact
For more information, please contact Amy McCready at 919-845-0409 or by email.
“Amy’s presentation on Getting Kids to Listen without Nagging or Yelling was a smash hit with our employees. Amy’s style is relate-able, professional and impactful. In a one-hour period she managed to give us tangible tips, the research that backs up the approach, and stories and examples to bring it all to life. Employees are still talking about the “5 Rs” of effective consequences! We were delighted to have her as our keynote speaker for kicking of our employee resource group for working parents, and we look forward to continuing to learn from her!” – Sarah Burke Mullins, Senior Manager and Founding Member of the ParentsConnect Employee Group, Sanofi US
“Amy, you made such a huge impact on all of us, and we are so grateful that you were willing to work with us and be part of our annual family conference! Participant comments about you on the conference evaluations invariably included these words: “awesome,” “excellent,” and “wonderful.” As a parent educator, I am impressed with your skillfully crafted delivery of great information. Your presentation is well organized and includes copious examples of typical everyday life parenting experiences. Your sincere desire to help people understand how to use the information comes through in all parts of your presentation and as you answer individual questions. As one person said it, Amy is “a great presenter that ‘worked the room’. I recommend you/her to anyone who is looking for a top-notch presenter in the field of parent education!” Appreciatively, Connie Schulz (Co-Chair, Focus on Strong Families, State College, PA)
Keynote and Workshop Topics
Amy customizes each inspiring and informative keynote or workshop to speak directly to the group’s goals and/or match the conference theme. Audiences love Amy’s sessions because they always walk away with concrete, easy-to-implement tools for their families to begin seeing immediate, positive results.
Amy’s most popular topics are listed below and may be adapted for a keynote or workshop presentation. Or, Amy can tailor her presentation to address many mainstream parenting issues, depending on your group’s needs and interests.
Is Shouting the New Spanking?
How to get your kids to listen without losing your cool
Remember “the Look?” When our parents gave us “the Look” we sprang into action—but why doesn’t it get our own kids to listen? Our parents may have followed “the Look” with a swift swat on the backside if we didn’t cooperate, but parents today are looking for a better way to discipline. They’ve decided not to spank, but find themselves at a loss when their kids so skillfully push their buttons and tune them out. The result? Frustrated parents resort to reminding and nagging, and when those strategies don’t work, they raise their voices—and it happens all the time.
As a “recovering yeller,” parenting speaker Amy McCready knows that frustration first-hand and will deliver proven strategies to get kids to listen the first time without ever raising your voice. Attendees will discover why kids really misbehave, why the old strategies don’t work and how parents unknowingly make it worse. Participants will leave with concrete tools to put a stop the tantrums, back talk, and power struggles and replace them with listening, cooperation and a sense of personal responsibility.
Ending the Entitlement Epidemic
How to raise responsible, respectful, & resilient kids
Let’s face it: kids have learned what it takes to get their way, and the problem is as out of control as your latest iTunes bill. What do you do when your kids expect the world to be handed to them – whether that means getting everything they want or having everything done for them?
Good news: there is a cure for the Entitlement Epidemic! In this presentation, participants will learn the root causes of the problem and how to put an end to it in their own families. Easy-to-implement strategies will help parents empower kids with a sense of personal responsibility, preparing them for a respectful and resilient adulthood.
Are you raising a Praise Junkie?
How parents can rephrase their praise to inspire confidence and motivation in their kids
“Good job!” “You’re so smart!” These affirmations may seem harmless and helpful, but when we lavish them on our children, we leave them hooked—and even discouraged. What’s more, our innocent comments about “the bookworm” or “the athletic one in the family” can present a tall order for our kids to live up to, often leading to sibling rivalry, and pigeon-holing their interests.
Are your children showing the symptoms of being praise junkies? In this session, parents will identify and explore the perils of these common remarks, and discover how to rephrase their praise into words and actions that will build self-esteem and internal motivation in our kids.
Are Rewards Ruining Your Kids?
How reward “payoffs” can undermine a child’s confidence and courage
Does a tantrum-free trip to the store mean your child scores a shiny new toy? Do you reach for your wallet for every A on a report card? Many parents use rewards to motivate good behavior, but beware – they may do more harm than good.
After discovering how rewards negatively impact self-esteem, motivation, and academic performance, participants will then learn concrete strategies that foster internal motivation, confidence, and courage in their children.
Note: The two topics above can be combined for a presentation entitled: “Are Rewards and Praise Ruining Your Kids?”
Survival Skills for Parenting Tweens & Teens
How to maintain your sanity, self-respect, & sense of humor while raising a teenager
“What on earth is he thinking?” If you’re the parent of a teenager—or soon to become one—you probably wonder this several times a day. And that’s on a good day.
Participants in this workshop will gain new insights into what’s going on in a teen’s mind, what motivates their sometimes crazy behavior, and how to actually enjoy the roller coaster ride of raising teenagers. Amy presents concrete strategies to prepare kids for independence and to enable parents to make it through the day-to-day tough stuff without losing their cool. Even better: you’ll come away with the ability to develop the relationship you always wanted with your teen.
Feedback
“Amy, I saw your two presentations last week at the ISACS conference in Chicago….you left me and my colleagues inspired and we can’t stop talking about you this week! Thanks so much for your passion towards making teaching/parenting such a rewarding job!!” – Linley Collins
“Amy, You were truly amazing last night. Thank you so very much for coming to our town. The positive feedback continues to pour in. It was such a pleasure to meet you. I have so much respect for your accomplishments, style and professionalism. The integrity and usefulness of your content resonates so well. I am really so thankful that we connected!”
“A proper thank you note is on the works, but I just had to reach out right away to thank you for making the trip and being so gracious and nice to work with.”
“Thank you again. I look forward to taking full advantage of your webinars and know it will greatly improve my parenting. It is already going by so fast I want to ensure I am the best parent I can be! No ivy league degree in parenting but that is what you are offering! I love it!”
Warmly, Heidi
