Parenting Blog

“The things that piss you off about your kids are the things you haven’t learned to love and embrace about yourself.  Once you heal that part of you and accept it, your kids change – or their behavior no longer bothers you. The universe is constantly reflecting back to us where we have the opportunity to grow, learn more, love more.“ -- James Ray

When our kids push our buttons, it's always a growth opportunity.  Does that mean you let your kids get away with bad behavior?  Of course not. You set limits.  But if you can use the opportunity to notice and heal your own issues, you'll find your limits are a lot more effective in changing your child's behavior.  Why?  READ POST

"You are a great wizard. You can use your powers to practice white magic on yourself instead of the other kind. The most basic way to do that is to concentrate on naming, savoring, and feeling gratitude for the blessings you do have -- your love for your kid, the pleasures of eating the food you like, the sight of the sky at dusk, the entertaining drama of your unique fate. Don't ignore the bad stuff, but make a point of celebrating the beautiful stuff with all the exuberant devotion you can muster."  -- Rob Brezsny   READ POST

"It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.”  -- Tom Robbins

The ability to bounce back into a state of well-being even when life throws us unexpected challenges is called stable internal happiness.  Some of us are lucky enough to develop it early in life. But if (like most of us) you're still working on how to do that, consider remedial parenting.
 
Remedial just means "improving skills," and most of us need to improve our internal self-management skills, which is the way we "parent" ourselves.  That's right, you're not only parenting your child every day -- You're parenting yourself.  You carry a parent around in your head, coaching you through your day.   READ POST

Weaning. The word can evoke intense feelings - whether you are on the verge of saying goodbye to your nursing relationship, have gone through an unexpected (and unwelcome) weaning, or welcomed the end of your little one's nursing sessions - weaning is always emotional.   READ POST

Potty accidents? Wetting the bed? Peeing all over the house? Urinary tract infections?

Come talk to Steve Hodges, the author of the wonderful new book It's No Accident: Breakthrough Solutions to Your Child's Wetting, Constipation, UTIs, and other Potty Problems.   READ POST

"Can you give tips on how to stay connected when you feel irritable? There's no yelling going on, but I'm not as respectful as I think I should be." - Katherine

We all have bad days.   As long as you catch yourself, apologize, and don't have them too often, the humans who love you will forgive you.  In fact, the way you handle those small relationship ruptures will teach your child some important lessons about life and love.  READ POST

“Expressing gratitude works. The moment we start taking things for granted—whether it be our husbands or our health—those things stop making us happy." -- Sonja Lyubomirsky, Happiness Researcher

Researchers have found a concrete way to raise your happiness set point.  Every day -- as you fall asleep at night is a good time --  think of three positive things that happened that day.  People who do this get happier almost immediately, and stay happier for as long as they continue this practice.  READ POST