5 Tips For Building Courage

5 Tips For Building Courage

We all want our kids to grow up feeling good about themselves and feeling like they have a place in this world. We want them to be confident and have the courage to make the right decisions. Courage is the foundation for positive action and builds confidence so that kids feel like they can take good risks when the situation calls for it. Check out these five tips to help your kids build courage.

What is Your Parenting Style?

What is Your Parenting Style?

Just as there are many types of children, there are also many ways parents and other caregivers can teach them. We call these ways “parenting styles.” Some styles are less helpful than others. They are either too hard or too soft on children. Like in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, we need a parenting style that is “just right.” Let’s talk about the differences between these styles.

Are You a "School Smart" Family?

Are You a "School Smart" Family?

All parents want their children to succeed, but they’re not always sure how to help. Even bright youngsters may struggle in school, and many families undergo needless arguments and frustration in their effort to make a difference. These families may be smart, but they’re not “school-smart.” In school-smart families, parents know how to support their children effectively in academic tasks using these three tactics.

6 Ideas for Summertime Fun

6 Ideas for Summertime Fun

Summertime has arrived and with it are opportunities to have fun with your children. Having fun with your kids is an important part of being a parent.  Ever notice that a good salesperson will always spend time developing a positive relationship with you before she tries to sell you anything? She knows that half the job of effectively influencing someone is first developing a relationship. Once the person has been “won over,” the sale is much easier to make. (Can you imagine a salesperson being autocratic and demanding a sale? “You’ll buy this because I’m the salesperson and I said so!”)

5 Reasons Not to Take a Parenting Course

5 Reasons Not to Take a Parenting Course

If you’ve spoken with someone who has taken a parenting class, you’ve probably heard them say how much they learned and what a difference it’s made in their family’s lives. People tend to be very positive when it comes to parenting courses but it’s not all buckets of gold on the other side of that rainbow. With the good comes the bad, so I’m here to tell you five reasons why you shouldn’t take a parenting course.

How to Talk to Your Teen About "13 Reasons Why"

How to Talk to Your Teen About "13 Reasons Why"

If you haven’t watched the popular new Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” chances are your teen has. The show follows a group of high schoolers after a teenage girl, Hannah Baker, commits suicide and leaves tapes for the individuals she views as responsible for her act. School counselors have accused the show of glorifying suicide and self-harm while the show’s producers insist it was created to help struggling teens. Regardless of your opinions on the show itself, we can all agree that it’s important to talk to your child about the challenging topics of bullying, depression, and suicide. "13 Reasons Why" can be an effective avenue to having these discussions if your child has viewed the program. If not, now might be a good time to have these talks anyway.

11 Tips for Healthy Bagged Lunches

11 Tips for Healthy Bagged Lunches

Healthy eating, just like all healthy habits, has its part in keeping kids smoke free. Yet finding ways to keep our kids' homemade lunches healthy and satisfying-and tasty enough that they'll eat them-can feel like an ongoing battle. One thing to remember is that kids aren't gourmets needing something new and inventive every day. If you can find a couple of lunches they like, they'll eat the same meals over and over again. Still, it never hurts to mix things up and see if you can find a few new items to add to their lunch staples. Try these ideas and surprise your kids with meals that will make them smile.

6 Tips to Keep Your Kids Fit While Having Fun

6 Tips to Keep Your Kids Fit While Having Fun

With smart phones, TV, video games and social media everywhere we turn, it's more important than ever we teach our children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle. In addition to warding off obesity and providing the physical fitness to stay active, kids that understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle are less likely to smoke or participate in other dangerous behaviors. It's not possible to dictate every activity our kids participate in, but you can absolutely influence how your children voluntarily choose to spend their time.

Do You Want Your Child To Be A Leader or A Follower?

Do You Want Your Child To Be A Leader or A Follower?

Chances are if I asked you if you prefer that your child be a leader or a follower, you would say, "leader." We all want our kids to be a leader not a follower but in reality a better goal would be to know when to lead and when to follow. Most successful people do not feel the need to always be the leader. Instead, they have a strong desire to make sure that they, and others, get to the right place. Sometimes this means taking the lead, while other times it is wise to rotate back in the pack and let someone else lead for awhile-as long as they are headed in the right direction.

8 Good Reasons Not to Spank

8 Good Reasons Not to Spank

All personal opinions aside, the research on spanking is clear. There are a lot of better ways to discipline kids besides spanking. You don’t have to indulge or spoil your child to provide them with non-violent discipline. The following eight reasons not to spank are excerpted from my book, Taming the Spirited Child: Strategies for Parenting Challenging Children without Breaking Their Spirits.