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: “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: “Toddler Full of Pasta”
Dear Kerry,My daughter is 2.5 years old and refuses to eat anything but the following: cheese, pasta, cheerios, milk, and bread. I have tried everything – being encouraging, being stern, offering “dessert”, talking, early bedtimes – nothing works! When I put something other than pasta in front of her, she screams “I no like it!!” […]
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 […]
This Little Song Stops My Toddler in Her Tracks!
Dear Kerry, We used to have 5 tantrums a day with my 2 1/2 year old little girl. After switching from time-outs to the Love and Logic’s “Uh Oh Song” we maybe have one a day. The best part is that now that I can redirect her behavior with just the words “Uh Oh.” It was […]
Three Different Parenting Styles
Drill Sergeant | Helicopter | Consultant Were you raised by a “Drill Sergeant” always telling you to “Jump,” and you asking, “How high?” or were you raised by a “Helicopter” always hovering, ready to swoop in and rescue? Did you ever think about what kind of a message these parenting styles send to your kids? […]
How Many Ways I Can Be Naughty at Bedtime?
Three year old Wes used to play his favorite game at bedtime. It was called, “See how many ways I can be naughty.” He was the only one enjoying the game. His single, working dad certainly did not. Wes was very creative in how he played the game: he ran away when it was time […]
Little Kids Want to Be Big Kids
Little kids want to be big kids, and parents can leverage that desire to get cooperation when behavior problems arise. In one example, 4-year-old Emma’s mom asked her to blow her nose. “No!” Emma shouted. Remembering how important it was for Emma to feel like a big kid, Mom said, “Oh, that’s right, I know […]