What to Do if Your Kid Leaves Dirty Dishes Laying Around
Poised, charming 23-year old Annie sat on the couch in my counseling office today and told me a brilliant parenting strategy that her dad pulled on her when she was a young teen.
Airplane Travel with Toddlers: Nine Out-of-the-Box Strategies
Before I had kids, vacation started the moment I sat down on the airplane. That all changed when I started traveling with toddlers. And how! When traveling with toddlers, boarding a flight signals the beginning of the biggest challenge of the trip: trying to confine little people with the need for speed into one small space […]
Dear Kerry: “Sick of Sweets”
Dear Kerry:One of my 4 year old twins is sugar-obsessed. He goes throughout the day waiting for and thinking about his next chance to eat something sweet. He ends up begging and negotiating for it all day long which I can’t stand. Any tips? Thanks,Sick of Sweets Dear Sick of Sweets: I have a client […]
“Mr. Fisty”: Part 2
This is Part 2; to read Part 1 of “Mr. Fisty,” please click here. After an exasperated parent coaching client of mine found some relief with his brilliant five-step “Mr. Fisty” process, new developments emerged (as they always do with kids) that caused him to use his creativity to come up with even more strategies […]
“Mr.Fisty”: A Proven New Way to Stop the Pre-Schooler Who Hits
An exasperated parent coaching client plopped onto the couch in my office recently and sighed, “How do I get my 4-year-old son to stop hitting?” At the slightest provocation, his son was hauling off and punching other kids at preschool. Needless to say, this did not go over well with teachers or classmates. The dad […]
Dear Kerry: “My 13-year old Can’t Stand Me”
Dear Kerry, I am in a really hard corner of parenting – my 13 year old daughter, who I have loved and adored since the day she was born – cannot stand me. Everything I say is met with eye rolls, every request I make is countered with a snarky “Why don’t you do it?” […]
Dear Kerry: “Sick of all the Whining”
Dear Kerry, My 12 year old son whines constantly and it drives me absolutely crazy. It’s almost like it’s his default way of speaking. I don’t want to constantly berate him – but I am not sure how to curb the whining? Sick of All the Whining Dear Sick, For better or worse, this seems […]
Standing Up to Teen Defiance
Siblings and rivalry go hand-in-hand so it’s no surprise that 14 year-old Preston taunts and pesters his younger brother, Kyle. Recently, Preston refused to stop pestering his brother and was provoking him by throwing things, hassling him and doing anything he could to elicit a response from his brother just for entertainment. This was much […]
Discipline that Makes Cents
Tax Unwanted Behavior At a parent coaching session recently, a single dad talked about a real world solution to his parenting dilemma. He charged a tax to his children when they displayed unwanted behavior and paid them a bonus when they displayed positive behavior. What appeared to be a simple solution proved to be a […]
Ask Your Misbehaving Son: “What Kind of Man Do You Want to Grow Up to Be?”
While on vacation recently at the beach, a family of five found themselves having a less than ideal time together. Lying on the beach and doing absolutely NOTHING sounded perfect for the over-worked parents, but the two older boys, James and Liam, wanted ACTION and their little sister Mattie wanted to join in the fun. […]