A few months ago, we asked Empowering Parents readers to share how they respond when their child acts out. We asked this question because we want to help you be a more effective parent with real life, day-to-day struggles. There were three parenting styles that readers consistently told us they were using and weren’t working... Read more »
Being a mother or father is a balance of taking care of your kids and letting them grow up and learn from their mistakes. Your role of simply loving and protecting your baby from pain and discomfort changes to one of accepting that your child or teen will need to experience natural consequences for their... Read more »
Let’s face it, we all have things we don’t want to do, and we put them off until the last possible moment. Paperwork. House-cleaning. Those things that need to get done whether we really want to do them or not. It’s normal for grown-ups to choose fun things over required tasks –and it’s normal for... Read more »
Every parent gets mad and says things in the heat of the moment that they regret—nobody’s perfect, and there is no such thing as a perfect parent. At one time or another, most parents also report feeling like their teen is not listening to them. You wonder why what you’re saying doesn’t seem to have any effect—it goes “in ... Read more »
When your child is making poor choices and acting out, it’s easy to let shame eat you up inside. You wonder, “Where have I gone wrong as a parent? Why is he behaving this way?" And, "What must other people be thinking?” The danger here is that these feelings can create a negative cycle. When... Read more »
I was having coffee with a friend recently when she leaned across the table and said, “No matter what I do as a parent, I feel like I’m being taken for granted. All my child seems to do is yell at me, ignore me or ask me for things. I just feel so unappreciated.” Let’s face... Read more »
Kids can make it incredibly hard for adults to say “no,” whether your young child is having tantrums and acting out—or your teen has escalated to becoming verbally (or physically) abusive. Your child might also try to make you feel guilty to get his way, or he might act overly sweet and responsible, only to... Read more »
Sometimes you have to let your child fail. Parents often do their kids a disservice when they protect them from natural consequences when they take over for their kids to ensure that their kids don’t fail. While it’s natural for parents to worry about failure, there are times when it can be productive for kids—and a... Read more »
Does your child refuse to take responsibility for anything? Or maybe your teen plays the victim card and is a pro at turning around an argument so that you feel like you're the one to blame. You may not realize it, but your child has thinking errors that justify them getting their way—or getting out... Read more »
When you have a child who acts out, throws tantrums or is disrespectful, their embarrassing behavior can make you want to curl up into a little ball and hide. Here, James Lehman, MSW gives you some tips on how to cope—and how to teach your child the skills he needs. Many parents struggle with embarrassment when... Read more »
