An excellent article, "Yep, Life'll Burst That Self-Esteem Bubble,"* eloquently outlined some of the flaws in the self-esteem movement that originated in the '70s and '80s. This topic caught my eye because I work every day with many very sincere and eager parents and observe how the building blocks of self-esteem often elude them.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

As a mom or stepmom, how do you feel most of the time? Blissful? Confident? Successful in your role as mom? Or are you overwhelmed and discouraged? Do you feel like a worried, worn out, and confused parent doubting yourself?

Many parents feel alone as if they are the only ones with problems. The subtle sense of failure and the weight of feeling like … okay I’m going to say it, “a bad mom” is so discouraging. As a parent coach, I often hear, "Am I a bad mom?"

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

You’re in a grocery store and your 5-year-old wants a candy bar at the checkout stand. You calmly but firmly say no. Before you can turn back to the checkout clerk, your child is on the floor kicking and screaming!

What do you do?Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

One of the biggest misconceptions about creating healthy self-esteem in children is that praise is the priority ingredient in building it. An unintended outcome of praise can actually be to deplete self-esteem. Why? Because too much praise causes children to become dependent on what other people think, instead of focusing on what makes them happy and how they feel about themselves and their actions. Praise promotes pleasing others and relying on others for validation.

So what do you do instead to build self-esteem and help raise confident children?

A big revelation for me as a parent dramatically changed how I parented. Now, after two decades as a parenting instructor and parent coach, it turns out this same factor is a common blind spot for many parents.

But before I share this realization, ask yourself a few questions: Is my child disrespectful? And do I take my child's strong-willed behavior personally and react? Is my preteen talking back? Am I a bad parent? Do I feel helpless in knowing appropriate limits? Does my teen rebel, and is teenage rebellion normal?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes ♥Practice and mastery of parenting [...]

Parent to parent, teacher to teacher, and home to school - the quality of these key relationships will profoundly impact a child's development. Parenting is one of the most challenging jobs there is and yet parents get little to no training. Here are some vital, positive parenting solutions relevant to every parent and helpful for every child.

This webinar,  Partnering Together for our Children, provides practical and positive parenting tips for how to partner on your child's behalf. This presentation gives a deeper understanding of how to honor each unique child and a framework to more [...]

In the past three decades as a parent, parent educator, and behavioral consultant, I have discussed the subject of spanking with droves of parents. Some parents still advocate spanking; many more are ambivalent or hesitant about spanking but still use it as a form of discipline. In fact, 50% of parents of toddlers still spank.

Why? Because it works, right? No, because it works in the short term. We like quick fixes, and we want to see immediate results. Besides, immediate obedience equals respect, doesn't it? Find out the effects of spanking on a child's brain and development with recent [...]

Parenting is a difficult and complex job. No one who has ever been a parent will argue this point. However, one of the reasons that parenting is so hard is not because children are difficult but because we do not know how to parent consciously from a free place. When we are able to modulate our own emotions and reactions in response to their behavior, we can then respond from a much more loving place.

Montessori says: "Freedom in intellectual work is found to be the basis of internal discipline." A young child's ability to exercise decisions in their environment whether at home or at school is something that needs to be practiced. Listening to their inner teacher is the foundation of empowerment and builds emotional intelligence.

As parents, how do we best help children to learn self-discipline while also honoring their freedom? We need to learn how to allow a child to guide their actions by their inner teacher within a framework that keeps them safe. How do we best accomplish this goal? 

Every holiday season, I tell myself that I’m going to get Christmas shopping done early so I can focus on spending quality time with my family. Sound familiar? It doesn’t always happen, but I’ve found that setting an intention to create rituals that support that goal is helpful. It’s easy to lose sight of the spirit of Christmas (or Hanukkah) when our to-do and shopping lists devour our time, energy, and pocketbooks.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes