Your Parenting On Purpose Toolbox
This is where I share weekly tools and strategies to help support you both as a parent, and in living your best life — so you can be an example of what's possible for your kids.
Feel free to browse or find what you need in the categories in the right-hand column. I hope this inspires you, and by all means: COMMENT. I'm always open to feedback.
Have you ever noticed that when you have a list of 25 things to do, and you knock out 20, your brain still focuses on the 5 that you didn’t do? You can blame your ancestors for that! Your brain is wired to put more emphasis on negative experiences than positive ones. It’s how our caveman ancestors survived and our brains evolved. It’s called the Negativity Bias.
That’s...
As we are now into the season of gratitude, what are you most grateful for? I know that when I stop and take stock, I’m usually most grateful for those small moments of connection with my loved ones — the moments talking before bed, the random hug in the middle of the day. The question is how present are you for these moments?
Are you able to enjoy them, or is your mind occupied with lists of...
Do you keep running lists of all the things that you think you should be doing? You know, that list in your head about all the “right” ways to do things. The list of things that you think you need to do to finally be a good parent, spouse, partner, friend, daughter, employee, or more.
The list might cover exactly how you should feed your child (maybe all homemade food with a certain amount of...
Do you feel like you’re in the dark about what’s going on in your child’s life? Do you find yourself asking lots of questions to try to connect more and keep up to date on where they’re at and how they’re doing? I know that’s my first instinct! How was school? What did you do? Is everything okay? What happened? Did you get all of your homework done?...
What if I told you that there was one simple thing that you could do to help your child listen and behave better? Because there actually is one thing that you can do, and the answer is likely to surprise you. The one thing that you can do is to acknowledge how your child is feeling when they misbehave or are expressing negative feelings.
I know that doesn’t sound right. When our kids express...
Have you ever noticed how much you tell your kids NOT to do something? Don’t run in the house, don't sit on the table, don’t spill your drink, stop hitting the dog — the list seems really long some days! If you are like most parents, you’ll find your kids don’t listen the first time and your volume and blood pressure continue to rise as you repeat yourself.
There is...
As a parent, do you have lots of thoughts and opinions about your child? I know that I do — How they should behave, what activities might be good for them, what classes they should take in school, what friends they should spend more or less time with, and more?
We have the best intentions as parents. We spend years guiding our children based on what we think is best, because we truly want the...
Do you wish there was a golden key to make parenting easier?
I have to admit, I worked on trying to be a better parent for years. In my search for the golden key, I read books, I observed and talked to other parents and some experts and although I would see some changes in some areas, I would still struggle in others.
At the time, I was also running and growing a company. Being a mom, wife and working...
When your child asks you for something, do you quickly figure out in your head if it’s a good idea or not and then say yes or no? I get that there are times when a quick response is needed, but if you have the time or can make the time — kids asking for permission to do something provides a great opportunity to connect with them and help develop their thinking brain.
In a recent article, I wrote about...
Do you get triggered when your child misbehaves? I know that I often did when my children were little. In my mind, they always seemed to pick the worst times to not listen and not do what they were “supposed” to. That’s when I would go into command and demand mode.
Unfortunately, at the time I didn’t know how my children’s brains were developing and what their misbehavior...
Have you ever stopped to think about the characteristics that you want to develop in your child? The type of adult that you want them to grow into? How you want them to think about themselves and treat others?
Many parents say that they want their children to be confident, to be kind… but I’m not sure they put much thought into it beyond that.
This came up recently in a coaching session...
Do you hear your child put themselves down or talk negatively to themselves? This is a concern that I hear from parents often, and it came up in a recent parent coaching session where the Mom was noticing that her son was extremely critical of himself. She is concerned and wondering if there is anything that she can do to help. The answer is yes, there are things you can do to intentionally teach your...
