How to make kids listen: this is the number one struggle I hear from parents every day. You want your kids to obey your word, but most times it turns into a never-ending power struggle. You ask your child to do something really simple--like pick up the toys--and not only do they not follow your advice, they dig in their heals, [...]
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When You’re Stretched Too Thin as a Military Spouse
It hit me all at once. There I was--a military spouse on her way home from a teaching job and the daycare pick up--with the sobbing baby screaming in the back seat. I had dinner to cook, a bath to give, and the bedtime routine to do before I could throw in the laundry and grade papers. The tears started rolling down my face and my [...]
How to Give Your Kid Control Without Being Permissive
About a week ago, I fell into a permissive parenting trap. I was leaving a baby shower to meet my husband and kids for a family photo session. As I started walking out the door, a friend handed me a ball shaped shower favor wrapped in red tissue paper. I looked at her, “What’s this?” “Skittles,” she said, “They’re for your son [...]
3 Mom Tricks to Help Kids Stay in Bed
She heard her cry through the monitor for the fourth time that night. It started with toddler night waking two years ago. At age four, she was still going strong. Each time she finally drifted off to sleep and settled into a deep sleep, there she was calling her to wake. What do you do when a toddler keeps getting out of bed? On top of [...]
The Truth About Our #MomFail Culture
I can’t remember where I saw you last, but I think you were leaving the post office. You walked out carrying two packages in one hand and a baby in the other. Your toddler trotted behind you, waving his hands in the air aimlessly. You looked tired and frazzled and the color under your eyes was shaded slightly grey. I hate to even say [...]
How to Get Your Kids to Listen Without Yelling
I was out of the room for only a second to grab his pajamas. As I closed his dresser drawer, I could hear him in the kitchen shouting, “I GOT IT.” Building great listening skills feels like summiting Everest some days. How to make kids listen is a struggle for all parents at some point. When I walked back into the kitchen, there [...]
5 Mistakes Parents Make When Teaching Kids to Listen
Sometimes I’m in the middle of cooking dinner and my son will go into the fridge looking for a snack. I tell him that he needs to wait. Teaching kids to listen is hard. I continue stirring the spaghetti sauce on the stove, boiling water for the pasta, and simultaneously bouncing a baby on my right hip, whilst wondering how to make kids [...]
How to Create an Amazing Stay at Home Mom Schedule
The house smells like toast and freshly brewed coffee. I grab the Bun pot and fill my cup. The coffee is almost too hot to drink, but I sip it anyway because coffee and I belong together. Wrapping my hands around my mug, I can't help but think how much I love an organized stay at home mom schedule. In case you didn't know this is [...]
The Real Reason Why Kids Never Want to Go to Sleep
I cringe every time I catch myself doing this. We are starting our bedtime routine and the bedtime tantrum begins. As soon as my son knows bedtime is starting, he weighs in with “No sleep, no rest, no bath.” This is his response to everything. This chant—no sleep, no rest, no bath—it’s basically his life motto. When you put your [...]
The Parenting Tip You’re Missing to End Power Struggles
It all started with the elevator buttons. We were leaving the house. I was in a hurry to get my strong willed toddler off to school, and I pushed the elevator button. This was the beginning of toddler power struggle number one. He wanted to push the elevator button. He was super frustrated. Pushing the button makes him feel [...]