If you missed my swearing segment on The Today Show with Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, you can catch it here. Here are the strategies we discussed for potty mouth parents as well as the guidelines we didn’t get to cover for what to do when children swear.
Is swearing in front of your kids really a big deal?
Read More →
Thanks to nine-year-old Braydon, little Emily’s Barbie lost her head while getting ready for an evening out. But even as Braydon dutifully – and immediately – apologizes to Emily and her doll, the stolen glances he’s giving his video games leave the Nintendo getting more eye contact than anyone else in the room.
So how do we teach kids to say sorry in a meaningful way?
While forcing kids to apologize in the heat of the moment often makes parents feel better, it does little to help children truly understand the effects of their misbehavior. Instead, put the “sorry” on standby and–when everyone is calm and collected–follow these 3 steps: Read More →
Ahh, summer vacation. What could be better than the all-American, old-fashioned family road trip with kids?
Not much…until the whining starts.
Before you reach for the earplugs, try one of these fun solutions — suggested by the creative parents in our members-only Facebook Group — to keep your kids happy and you sane.
Games are a great way to include the whole family while painlessly passing the road trip with kids. Here are just a few of our favorite suggestions:
Or, better yet, turn the tables around and put parents in the hot seat while teaching youngsters a bit about the country — have kids look at an atlas and quiz mommy and daddy on states and capitals.
Or if you’re crawling through a busy town, try Red light/Green light. To play, divide your car into teams and say, “If we make a light, we (green team) get a point and if we get stopped at the light, the red team scores.” This way everyone wins (gets points) and/or loses (hits red lights) and it’s a great way to prevent the whining about getting there and the potential road rage on my part.
When you’ve had enough road trip competition for one day, try your hand at some of these activities.
Just remember, a little control goes a long way towards keeping whiny kids at bay. Empower your kids by letting them help plan part of the trip: each child could pick an attraction to visit, or where the family will eat.
And let kids have a say in such things as the music choices, snacks, or whether or not to take the “scenic” route. These small doses of power your kids experience will cut down on power struggles throughout your journey.
If you need a little peace and quiet while you drive, try leaving at bedtime for longer rides. It’ll be seat belts on and lights out as your kids dream away the hours on the road.
And if all else fails, the portable electronics can be a great distraction. But too many movies can turn kids into backseat couch potatoes, so be sure to set reasonable limits.
Want to know the very best way to keep everyone happy on your next long road trip with kids? Don’t forget to set aside time each day for some one-on-one attention for each of your children.
When kids get consistent positive attention, they are less likely to act out in negative ways, like throwing their flip-flops out the car window.
Best of luck, my friend, we are wishing you all the best on your road tripping adventures
Title Image: Yuganov Konstantin / Shutterstock https://www.shutterstock.com / photos
I asked that question to our friends in the Positive Parenting Solutions Community and boy, did I get some hilarious quotes! They were too funny not to share!
(Last names have been removed to protect the innocently hilarious and some quotes were altered slightly for grammar & spelling corrections only).
Feel free to add to the list in the comments: Read More →
In our last blog post, we looked at the three mistakes parents make when trying to manage their children’s occasionally volcanic temper tantrums. (View the previous post HERE).
Now that you know what not to do, how do we stop little Alexis as she unleashes her next natural disaster of a temper tantrum–whether she’s a pre-schooler demanding a new toy from the store or a teenager crying for the keys to the family car? Read More →
Ever feel like you live with a volcano? And at the slightest misstep—for instance, serving a side of green beans for dinner instead of cheese puffs—the child tantrums begin as your child spews hot ash (or emit glass-breaking screams while kicking the wall hard enough to leave a mark) all over the house?
Whether you’re dealing with toddlers that refuse to wear clothes or teens that won’t do their homework, the emotion-filled explosion known as child tantrums are unmistakable—but it can be avoided. In this two-part series, we’ll take a look at the “why’s” of child tantrums, and give you some hope—through strategies you can put to use right away—that your child doesn’t always have to erupt into a meltdown every time you say the word, “no.” Read More →
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