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Creating a Positive Home Environment

Respect and admiration. In order for parents to have a good relationship with their children there must be mutual respect and admiration present, according to Dr. Jerry Day. We should always strive to remain positive with our kids. With the amount of negativity kids encounter daily, our homes should be a safe haven. One filled with positive interactions. We spend a lot of time admonishing kids for things they did wrong and often overlook the good things they are doing. We don’t catch them being good nearly as much as we should. And there are many opportunities to recognize the … Continue reading →

9 Steps To Stop Bad Behavior

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Can you change your child’s behavior in just nine simple steps? Michele Borba, Ed.D, author of, 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know, thinks so. Here’s what she suggests: (1) Set Rules- Think about what rules you want to institute, remembering to let go of little annoyances and picking your battles. Then write down your rules and explain in clear language what you expect from your kids. As your kids age, you will probably have to adjust some of the rules. (2) Work on eliminating one bad behavior at a time- Although your kids may have several behaviors that are driving … Continue reading →

Watching Our Children Change

Perhaps one of the most amazing things about being a parent and living a family life is watching our children grow and develop and change. Sometimes these steps and changes can happen so slowly and subtly that we barely notice them and other times it can seem things are transitioning in bursts and leaps and bounds! If we get too focused on the daily grind and the tasks and duties of parenting—we can miss this amazing transformation of watching our children change… Of course, despite all the books, tables, and charts on child development, real children don’t necessarily follow a … Continue reading →

Catch Your Kids Being Good

How many times have you heard some parenting expert remark that we should catch our kids being good? How many times have we caught our kids being good but failed to acknowledge their efforts? I admit many times I catch Tyler being good and I don’t say anything. But no more. I’ve discovered that sometimes the simplest gestures mean a lot to young kids. I’ve been having almost nightly struggles with Tyler at bedtime. He plays around for nearly an hour most nights before he finally zonks out. I read recently that an early bedtime is for the benefit of … Continue reading →

Positive Reinforcement: Non-material Rewards Are Just As Effective

As parents we often spend many hours attempting to change our kids behavior by a little method known as correcting. This works for many kids but parents should also realize that a better method is the use of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is simply rewarding your child with something desirable after a behavior occurs. In most cases the reward then assures that the behavior will occur again. The reward does not have to be something material or costly, it can be a hug, a special snack, extra time with mom or dad, etc. For many kids, these types of reward … Continue reading →

An Easy Solution To Attention-Seeking Behavior

It never fails. As soon as I get on the phone, Tyler has to interrupt me to show me something or tell me something. I’ve explained to him that when I am on the phone he’s not to interrupt me unless it’s an emergency or something extremely urgent. Of course to him everything is urgent. Short of never having a conversation when he’s around or locking myself in the bathroom, what are my options? I understand that he does this to get my attention but it’s not fair, I cry. I should be able to have a conversation with someone … Continue reading →

Allowing Your Child To Fail

Book Review: Allow Your Child To Fail If You Want Them To Succeed, by Dr. Avril Beckford For some parents the slogan, “Failure is not an option,” is their mantra. But in her new book, “Allow Your Children to Fail if You Want Them to Succeed”, Dr. Avril Beckford, an Atlanta pediatrician, tells parents that it’s okay for our kids to fail. In fact, failure will ultimately lead to success. The book provides parents with proven tools and methods that the doctor has used in her 20 years of professional practice. The book is different from a lot of parenting … Continue reading →

Acknowledge Small Steps Your Kids Make

“We must realize that children don’t jump from misbehaving to behaving properly all in one day. Instead, they do it one step at a time. Remember that change occurs gradually.”– from Try and Make Me , by Ray Levy and Bill O’Hanlon. How many of you have tried to change your child’s behavior and somehow expected overnight miracles? Come on, be honest, I know I’m not the only one. The above statement should be written in large bold letters and placed strategically around every house to remind us that any small change is a change for the better. In Levy … Continue reading →