A common power struggle for parents of toddlers is getting them  into their car seat, especially when the parent is in a rush—or with strong willed children.

One parent of a two-year-old daughter in my parenting class said that every time she tried to put her daughter in her car seat, she kicked and screamed. Sometimes she cried the entire trip to the daycare!Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Father’s Day is a reoccurring tribute to dads—important for children and families. Recently, as I passed the gift section in Barnes & Noble, I was reminded of my favorite gift to my own father as a teenager—a handmade perpetual calendar. I wrote quips and quotes (specially selected for my dad) on blank index cards and meticulously decorated each one. Then I carefully laminated them with clear contact paper and mounted them on a Rolodex. It was fun for the first 198 days or so, but 365!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

You really can have a love life as sweet as you want it to be! But sweetness—whether in chocolate or a relationship—requires certain ingredients for success. Love is wonderful but love by itself is not enough to create a relationship that endures the challenges that life throws at us. For your relationship to last, it needs to be nurtured and tended to like the attentiveness of a prize rose gardener.

Check out these keys and begin making your relationship sweeter today.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes.

Last week I saw an advertisement that said: "Compromise is for marriage, but never for wine!" It made me think about how in our culture, we accept that relationships require compromise. In one article I read, the author said, "Compromise—no matter how difficult—is a necessary part of any successful, enduring marriage."

The idea was that once we say "for better or for worse," we need to get used to making concessions to the other person when settling our conflicts. So what if afterward, we're resentful, discouraged, disappointed, frustrated, and disillusioned? Get over it—compromise is just [...]

I write regularly for a women’s business website, and I often have the opportunity to interview career women who are really making a difference in their workplaces and their communities. In these interviews, we often discuss how they got where they are, what kinds of things factored into their success, and how they find work-life balance. One factor that almost always comes up is mentors, and the importance of women helping other women. How do you find a mentor? And what is the difference between coaching and mentoring? 

After 10+ years of marriage, life together can feel pretty predictable. We know the other person’s patterns and how they will probably react to certain situations. And, like the Clint Eastwood film, this predictability can often lead to what I call “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” in our relationship.

Here's my marriage advice to handle the boredom and the bumps.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

This webinar “Overcoming Bullying: Creating a Peaceful Classroom,” is a wonderful chance to learn solutions to a problem that burdens us all. It provides important basics for bully prevention. 

Dealing with bullying in the classroom is a multi-faceted challenge that requires understanding how we approach misbehavior ineffectively and unknowingly abet bullying in the classroom.

In this webinar, I address the psychology of the bully, the victim, and the bystander—as well as one of the biggest factors that perpetuate this national epidemic: the unmet needs that drive all “misbehavior” in [...]

Beliefs form our realities. Limiting and false beliefs restrict our relationships and limit our happiness, relationships, career success, and financial prosperity. Beliefs are formed in our developmental years, and as adults, they define and color our reality and determine our quality of life for better or for worse. There's a lot of talk on this topic people are talking about this topic. However, a trend I've seen lately in the coaching industry and self-help movement is getting under my skin a little.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

I have a fear, and I don’t believe there is a medical term for it yet. Although it most likely exists among other childrearing folks. It’s the fear of placing my kids in public situations, such as restaurants, weddings, airplanes, and holiday parties, even if they say they are the “kid-friendly” kind.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Children's behavior can be frustrating and challenging for parents. However, with a few parenting skills and a little insight, you can learn to redirect your child's behavior lovingly and firmly. I did just that.

When my son was a toddler, I can vividly recall taking him to an open gym event in my town. These events were set up by a local parenting support group to give parents an opportunity to get out of the house, with children in tow. The kids could play, run around, socialize in a new space, which was a lifesaver for me during the cold Montana months.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes