Denise Rowden is a parent of two adult children and has been a parenting coach since 2010. She has worked in Special Education, Alternative Education and adolescent group homes. She has a BS in Psychology from the University of Southern Maine and is currently working on her Life Coach certification from the International Coach Federation.
Do you ever wonder what happened to your sweet, affectionate, “glad to be part of this family” younger child? Did your child enter adolescence with a sudden cloud of distance, brooding, and sullen behavior? Is she desperate to be as far away from your family as possible? It’s one of the more heartbreaking aspects of parenting.... Read more »
Here’s a piece of parenting advice I often find myself giving to the parents I coach: "Explain yourself once to your child and then move on." You usually can’t end an argument—or make a child do something—by trying to make them understand and agree with you. The fact is, they don’t understand you. They’re going to see... Read more »
Patience. It’s something many of us in the Empowering Parents community wish we had more of. In my coaching sessions, I often ask parents how they respond when their children act out. Most express the desire to develop more patience with their kids. But what exactly is patience? For many people, including me, patience means remaining... 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 »
It’s any normal day. You’re at work, doing work stuff, and you get a call from the principal at your son’s school: he’s been suspended for three days for roughhousing on the bus. Or, maybe he’s already had a few mishaps in behavior and is now facing a much longer suspension. Or, maybe it’s a more... Read more »
What is the worst thing a parent can feel, in your opinion? I’ll give you a few seconds to think about that before I give you my answer. From my perspective, the worst thing a parent can feel is “hopeless.” This is when you're feeling like there's no hope for you, your child or your family... Read more »
How serious is too serious when it comes to teen relationships? I’ve had to ask myself this question a few times over the past few years. Truth be told, it makes me more than a little uncomfortable when my kids want to spend all of their waking moments with their current “like interest” (I have... Read more »
I’ve spoken with quite a few parents over the past couple of months on the parent coaching service who have been struggling with a son or daughter who decided they didn’t want to go to college. Many of these parents have said they feel a sense of disappointment and failure, almost like they are to blame for this change of... Read more »
Many parents struggle with their just-turned-18, newly-minted adult children refusing to follow house rules and waving the, "I'm an adult. You can't tell me what to do," banner every time the parent confronts an issue of broken rules or disrespect. For many families, the transition from adolescence into adulthood is one of the more difficult ones for both parent... Read more »
What is the best consequence to use for a particular behavior? This is probably the most common question we receive during our online parent coaching sessions. Parents wonder which consequences to use, how to set them up effectively, and how long to give them. A great way to start figuring out the right consequences for your situation... Read more »