All Blogs by topic
Highly Sensitive Children (HSC)/Big Reactors
Full series on Highly Sensitive Children (HSCs)
10 Traits of Highly Sensitive Children
Understanding and supporting highly sensitive children
The Trouble With Transitions: Why They Are So Hard For Some Kids And How To Help
Demand Avoidance: When Kids Vehemently and Consistently Resist Directions
How To Help Avoidant Kids Take On Challenges And Overcome Fears
How To Be a “Gentle” Parent With a Big Reactor
How to help inflexible kids be more adaptable
When Kids Are Avoidant: How to help them muscle through challenges and work through fears
5 Strategies for helping kids try new things
4 Key Insights and Strategies For Responding To Big Reactors
Why Children Laugh, Evade or Get Angry When Being Corrected
How To Teach Lessons To Kids Who Can’t Tolerate Being Corrected
Negative self-talk: Why it happens and what you can do
Sore Losers: How to help them cope with competition
How to help children with low frustration tolerance muscle through challenges
How to help children manage their big emotions
How sensory processing impacts children’s behavior
When children are self-conscious and easily slighted
It’s All Your Fault! Why children blame you for everything that goes wrong
When going home for the holidays is more stressful than joyful
Workshop recording: Understanding and Supporting Highly Sensitive Children
Parenting Without Power Struggles: Limit-setting/Positive, Effective Discipline
A Roadmap To Setting Limits with Love
How The “Two Great Choices” Prevents Power Struggles
The “Have-To”: A Simple Strategy For Preventing Power Struggles
Stop Trying To Make Your Kids Cooperate
Parenting Without Power Struggles
Your Child Is Strategic, Not Manipulative
Why Giving “One More Chance” Backfires
Limits are only as effective as your ability to implement them
Your child is not misbehaving on purpose
When it’s not okay to say, “okay”
How and why to stop using threats to control your child’s behavior
Dealing with demanding behavior
Children are strategic, not manipulative
It’s time to stop choosing your battles
Teaching that fair is not equal
Discipline Do’s: An empathetic approach
Stop Trying to control your child
When setting limits gets physical
Public Displays of Disaster: What to do when your child loses it outside the home
Safe Space Breaks: When Giving Your Child (And Yourself!) a Break Is Helpful, Not Harmful
Why punishment doesn’t stop aggressive behavior
I don’t like the choices you’re choicing me!
How to help children make good choices
What to do when your child makes threats to gain control
Stop working so hard to calm your kids
Mommy you are a toilethead! How to deal with vitriol
You’re Not The Boss of Me! How to respond to back-talk and other provocative proclamations
Helpful Hacks: Tiny victories from the parenting trenches
Cooperation (Also see parenting without power struggles/limit-setting below)
Helping Kids Get Through Daily Routines
Stop Trying To Make Your Kids Cooperate
How to Balance The Need for Routines with Helping Kids Be Flexible
How to help children make good choices
Why kids are superstars at school and “terrors” at home
Challenging Behaviors
How To Be a “Gentle” Parent With a Big Reactor
Your Child Is Not Misbehaving On Purpose
Why Children Laugh, Evade or Get Angry When Being Corrected
Regression: Why kids take steps backwards in their development
Negative self-talk: Why it happens and what you can do
Why punishment doesn’t stop aggressive behavior
Why punishment for biting doesn’t work
Safe-Space Breaks: When Giving Your Child (And Yourself!) a Break Is Helpful, Not Harmful
When children use negative self-talk
Inflexible Kids: How to help them become more adaptable
“I Said I Want the red bowl!” Responding to toddler’s (seemingly) irrational demands
”Mommy You Are A Toilethead!” How to deal with vitriol
It’s All Your Fault! Why children blame you for everything that goes wrong
You’re Not The Boss of Me! How to respond to back-talk and other provocative proclamations
How to support children when they are spiraling out of control
Sore Losers: How to help them cope with competition
Perfectionists: How to help them accept failure
Social Emotional Development
How To Help Kids Navigate Social Challenges
How To Help Avoidant Kids Take On Challenges And Overcome Fears
Why Children Laugh, Evade or Get Angry When Being Corrected
Regression: Why kids take steps backwards in their development
Negative self-talk: Why it happens and what you can do
Why kids are superstars at school and “terrors” at home
Why Not to Force Your Child To Make Eye Contact
It’s All Your Fault! Why children blame you for everything that goes wrong
Course corrections: More key insights
Key Insights Into the Meaning of Kids’ Behavior
More key insights into the meaning of kids’ behavior
Why Children Engage In Negative Self-Talk and How to Respond
How sensory processing impacts children’s behavior
7 Common Parenting Strategies That Can Backfire
Emotional Regulation (also see Highly Sensitive Children)
How To Be a “Gentle” Parent With a Big Reactor
First Feelings: The foundation of healthy development
How to help children manage their big emotions
Stop working so hard to calm your kids
How to support children when they are spiraling out of control
Mealtime Challenges
When Kids Show A Parental Preference
Go Away Mommy! Daddy Reads to me! When kids show a parental preference
Potty Learning
Go with the flow: preventing the perils of potty learning
Go with the flow part 2: Addressing challenges
Helping Build Your Child’s Problem-Solving Skills
How to build strong problem-solving skills
When your child gives up easily: How to help them become good problem-solvers
How to help children with low frustration tolerance muscle through challenges
How to teach your child to “pause and problem-solve”
Why Cheerleading Is Paralyzing to Kids, Not Motivating
Helping Hesitant Kids Try New Things
When Kids Are Avoidant: How to help them muscle through challenges and work through fears
5 Strategies for helping kids try new things
Building your child’s confidence to try new things
Why Cheerleading Is Paralyzing to Kids, Not Motivating
Making the Transition to School/Childcare (and back to school)
Tips for helping your child start school with confidence
How to help your child make a successful transition back to school
Sleep
Securing Sleep: Key principles for helping your child become a good sleeper
The beauty of boundaries at bedtime
When kids wake up on the wrong side of the bed
Working at Home While Caring For Young Kids
Eight strategies for working at home while caring for kids
Parenting Paradoxes/”Aha’s”
Happy Children Aren’t Always Happy
How To Be a “Gentle” Parent With a Big Reactor
Your child is not misbehaving on purpose
Your Child Is Strategic, Not Manipulative
When not to apologize to your child
Why Cheerleading Is Paralyzing to Kids, Not Motivating
Why Not to Force Your Child To Make Eye Contact
Why kids are superstars at school and “terrors” at home
When NOT To Apologize To Your Child
7 Common Parenting Strategies That Can Backfire
Sibling Issues
Why can’t you all just get along?
Preparing your older child for the arrival of the new baby
When is he going back in your belly? How to help older children adapt to the new baby
Physical Aggression
Why punishment doesn’t stop aggressive behavior
Why punishment for biting doesn’t work
Time Out 2.0: What To Do When Time-In Doesn’t Work
Why punishment doesn’t stop aggressive behavior
Parental Self-Control/ Managing Your Own Reactions
What your child really needs: lessons from my own parenting journey
How To Be a “Gentle” Parent With a Big Reactor
What to do when parents disagree
How to take your own mommy/daddy moment to regroup
9 guiding principles for more positive parenting
Your child needs you to do hard things
Public Displays of Disaster: What to do when your child loses it outside the home
How to be responsive, not reactive
When going home for the holidays is more stressful than joyful