It’s that time of year!  Do you have a child either starting school for the first time or headed back?  I have parent clients on both ends of the school spectrum —sending kids off to college and preparing to send their first to kindergarten.  One who was dropping her son off at college for the first time shared that he was super anxious and second-guessing every decision.  Another client...

Does your child get anxious over upcoming transitions?  School is coming, and that means a number of unknowns for kids.  Will they like their new teacher? Will they make new friends? What activities will they be doing this year and will they like them?  There are so many new things, and many of these can make them anxious.

Our brains prefer predictability, they like to remain safe and comfortable. ...

If I asked you: “What’s the #1 best feeling you’d want to feel most often as a parent raising your children?” would one of your top feelings be confidence?  Do you want to feel like you know what you’re doing instead of second guessing yourself and often wondering if you’re doing the right thing?

A common theme that I hear from many of the parents that I work with is that they...

Do you struggle to stay present and connected to your kids when you are with them?  I can’t necessarily speak for the Dads, but as a Mom I know that I typically have a constant running list in my head of things.  Things that need to be done at work, things that need to be done at home, the schedules for the kids and who has to be where and when, the menu for dinners this week and what needs to be picked...

Do you have any children that are experiencing summer camp, or starting a daycare or school program for the first time?  Many children have been home with parents and as programs are starting back up again, I’m seeing parents with children who are now leaving the house for programs for either the first time or after quite a break, and some children are struggling.

I just coached a Mom this week whose 2 year...

When your child “misbehaves”... what do you make it mean about you?  As parents, we all take pride when other people tell us that our children are great kids…  and that they are so well behaved.  It makes us feel good, and we tend to make that mean that we’ve done a good job as a parent.

But what about when they “misbehave”?  If you are out in public with an...

Do you cringe when you witness your kids' disappointment or embarrassment when they try something and it doesn't turn out as they had hoped? When they’re sad, disappointed or embarrassed, is your first instinct to help them feel better about it as soon as possible?

Take a minute to think back to some epic “fails” in your life, and consider the lessons you learned from them.  I’m guessing...

When I began receiving coaching, and then becoming a coach myself, I found myself needing to “unlearn” habits and ways of thinking that had been ingrained in me since childhood. As I coach parents now, I find that I’m helping them do the same.

This got me thinking, what can we do to help our children learn these different ways of thinking to avoid years of struggling emotionally – both as an...

As a parent, do you get concerned and sad when you hear your child talk about their doubts, worries, and negative thoughts about themselves? This came up recently in a coaching session with a Mom who was concerned about the things that her 4 year old daughter was saying about herself.  She was starting to hear her daughter talk negatively about herself…  that she wasn’t a good listener, and...

As another Father’s Day is upon us I took time to think about my relationship with my Dad, what I learned from him, and what parenting qualities I appreciated and wanted to carry on for my own children.  

Let me start with a little background…  My Dad came from a large family of 14, with 9 brothers and 4 sisters.  He always wanted to have sons, but ended up with three girls of which I...

As parents, we truly want what is best for our children, and we parent with a heavy emphasis on what experiences will best benefit our children based on our past experiences.  We have ideas of what experiences they “should” have, and what we think they “should” be doing. 

When they are little, we are working on instilling our values and teaching them a moral compass. It gets a little...

Learning what to do when your children have an emotional outburst, meltdown or tantrum is the top parenting tool that I teach as part of the Conscious Parenting Toolbox…  just knowing and implementing this strategy can make a world of difference in how you parent!

What do you do when your child has a meltdown, or an over the top emotional reaction?  Do you end up frustrated and at times you end up...