"Have I told you lately how much I like P.E.T.?" So began a text message from my daughter-in-law Alison. I was curious. The message was about how Alison had successfully used Parent Effectiveness Training's Method III, no-lose problem solving, to deal with a conflict with her two year old … [Read more...]
Morning Rush Hour: a true story of a mother choosing to listen and the amazing outcome.
The following heart warming story was written by Cindy, a mother who was attending a Parent Effectiveness Training course that I was conducting. She had just been learning about the importance of actively listening to children when they have a problem to assist them identifying their need. She was … [Read more...]
Help! My spouse has a different parenting style.
“What should I do? Won’t my children be affected? My spouse thinks that parenting comes naturally”. Voiced in every parenting course that I teach, these are understandable concerns. For some parents the changes feel like a threat or a criticism of their parenting style or even of the way they … [Read more...]
My Emotional Trainer Wheels!
Thoughts from your 2 or 3 year old (or any aged child) on losing it: "Remember when I was a very little baby and my arms flailed out in a shaky startled response. You knew what to do! You held me close and comforted me. This was you helping me to manage my emotions. When I learned to walk and … [Read more...]
Making Peace With Your New Year’s Parenting Resolutions
It takes bravery to make a New Year's resolution. It takes compassion mixed with courage to commit to it. With so many family-life pressures it can be easy to revert to ineffective parenting methods and get side tracked from your goal of being the parent you want to be. Here are 10 tips that … [Read more...]
Changing Judgment and Reactivity
Have you ever felt so frustrated with your children you could scream? Recently a dad and I were discussing children’s ability to emotionally self-regulate. He said he agreed that young children are still learning about their emotions. He then added, “What about me? I go from neutral to anger in a … [Read more...]
