"On the way home from work every day, I start getting stressed out because I know that my 15-year-old son will be waiting, ready to start a fight with me. There are times when I want to turn the car around and not deal with him anymore, but I know that's wrong. I'm so tired... Read more »
If you are a parent who negotiates constantly with your child, you probably feel like you’re living with a little lawyer who “objects” to every rule and request and wears you down with endless questions and challenges. With some kids, everything becomes a negotiation, and it starts from the time they... Read more »
If you find yourself doing everything for your child, you may be engaging in what I refer to as martyr parenting. Without even realizing it, well-meaning parents can turn into martyrs for their kids. If this is you, you must learn to step back. You must learn to stop being the martyr so that your... Read more »
Q: Why do parents tend to dismiss inappropriate behavior as “a phase?” James: When a child is between 18 months and two years old, they’ll start to walk away and say "no" to their parent. The child is practicing a new skill. Parents call it a phase because eventually, the “no” goes away and the child... Read more »
Sometimes when we feel powerless as parents, we resort to bringing out the big guns. Have you ever found yourself saying things like, “Wait until your father gets home!” or “Wait until your mother hears about this!”? I'm here to tell you that if you threaten a child with what their other parent might ... Read more »
Summer vacation. This favorite time of the year for kids is often the most stressful time of the year for parents. Whether your child is off for three full months or attends school year-round, if he is oppositional or defiant, you’ve probably learned to dread school breaks. Here are the top concerns we hear from... Read more »
Child behavior problems can quickly feed into a perception of yourself as having a dysfunctional family. If you see yourself and your family that way—or if you’ve been labeled as one of those dysfunctional families—you’re not alone. Many parents struggle with the idea that their family doesn’t measure up to their own hopes. Or to... Read more »
Parenting is one job that never gets a holiday break. At Empowering Parents, we hear about struggles with sibling bickering, backtalk, temper tantrums, and other child behavior problems every day. The fact that you, as a parent, visit our website and are willing to reach out and share your challenges and struggles with us speaks... Read more »
As parents, we know the importance of parenting from our principles, things like teaching our children to own up to their actions and face the fallout when they make poor choices. At Empowering Parents, our parenting programs stress the importance of using effective consequences as opposed to using punishments. But what, exactly, is the difference... Read more »
“My son got sent home from school again for fighting on the playground. I just can’t help feeling like if I was a better parent – if I hadn’t yelled so much when he was little, if I’d spent more time with him, if I’d been more consistent with consequences – that he wouldn’t be... Read more »
