In this podcast learn how to deal with disrespect in your home by teaching and modeling respect while keeping calm.  The truth is, disrespectful behavior is one of the inappropriate ways kids, especially teenagers but not limited to teens, try to solve their problems. Kids can feel powerless in the face of rules and expectations and talking back and showing disrespect is one way they try to take some power back. If they can drag you into an argument, that’s even better: Now you’re arguing...

Life isn’t fair it never has been.  How we deal with life is what matters.  In this episode learn how you can nurture an understanding of fairness in your child's life as well as ideas on how you can respond to unfairness. We want our kids to be able to: Let them know it's ok to express their emotions when life is unfairEncourage them to give praise to others when things aren't fairHelp them continue with life when things aren't fairHave them lead by Example, using grace and humility, when...

In this podcast I cover a few things.  First, what do bad teachers look like?  How do they behave? Next, what can you do about it as a parent and, lastly, what can your child do about making it through the year in once piece having learned what they need to.  Three types of bad teachers: Fluffy - ones that are nice but don't teach the material Boring - ones that put you to sleep they are so uninspiring Mean - ones that yell and are just plain mean; they might have favorites in the class and...

In this episode I talk with Dr. Weisinger about their approach of transforming harmful parental pressure into healthy pressure.    He has just released a new book with Dr. Christopher Thurber, The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure: A Positive Approach to Pushing Your Child to Be Their Best Self. This book provides a roadmap for parents to engage in healthy pressure with our kids, ways that will help them grow and succeed instead of stifle and crush them.   We, as parents, often struggle with...

Do you have a kid who is always seeking attention?  They are pulling on you, saying “Mommy, mommy, watch me!”  Or maybe they try to one up anyone just to make themselves look bigger or better than others.  Maybe they’ll even make things up to do that? In this episode you'll learn why your kids are acting that way and how to bring new skills into the mix so you can work with them in a positive way so they go from annoying to adorable.  Take a listen! Send me email at...

In this episode Mary interviews author Elaine Taylor-Kraus from ImpactParents about her new book: The Essential Guide to Raising Complex Kids with ADHD, Anxiety and More This guide gives all parents a guide in how to best help their children overcome their challenges in healthy, loving and practical ways.  Whether or not you have a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, Asperger’s, any other executive function issues or you’re just worried that your child is out of step with...

In this episode learn how to get to the heart of your child and teach them how to apologize.  Learn how to: 1 - Wait till the emotion has passed 2 - Brainstorm with your child to encourage ideas of how the apology can work for them 3 - If their hearts won't melt then allow consequences of their poor decision to not apologize guide them to make better choices.  Did your parents ever force you to apologize? Did it really make you feel sorry? I’m guessing that, like me, you probably just felt...

In this episode we’ll talk about how to get our older kids, teens and tweens, to experience the bigger picture stuff and expose them to some of the messiness of life in a loving, supportive environment where they might even mess up some.  Everything from chores they should know how to do on their own to handling money, cars and how to get a part time job.  I’ll talk about planning vacations in addition to how to handle routine paperwork and cooking.  It’s sort of a laundry list of items I...

Understanding how a person perceives love is essential for knowing how to communicate  love to them.  In this interview I'm so happy to have Bec and Holly who have a podcast called ILoveYouTooMuchToArgue  to explain what Love Languages are and how to use them in your family.  Five Love Languages are: Acts of Service Gifts Words of Affirmation Physical Touch Take the free online quiz! Find Holly and Bec anywhere you listen to podcasts and you can contact them at...

In this podcast I interview Richard Carpriola an expert in addiction counseling with over 20 years of experience.  He's the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent's Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse. I found the book and talking with Richard really useful in learning about the different substances – marijuana, alcohol, vaping, inhalants and more, and what signs to look for in determining addiction and where to turn if you need help. Leave a review and let me know what you think! Leave me...

Siblings want to race and beat each other at just about everything. Listen to some tips to let all your kids be winners!

Get ideas on how and when we can talk to our kids so that we up our chances of them listening to us.

Getting teens to communicate with parents can be a tricky task. Learn how to get them to open up in this podcast.

Anxiety is such a hard topic these days. In this episode learn about different levels of anxiety in your kdis and what you can do about it.

Are you having trouble as a parent with anger? Your kids setting off your temper more often than you'd like? Take a listen to this seminar to learn how to set up some practical ways to get your anger under control and recruit your family to help you in positive ways.

Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, your child keeps on lying? Why do they do it? How can you encourage your children to tell the truth? Join me in this episode as I go into detail about why our children lie as well as the strategies you can use to address lying!

Tantrums continue to be a huge problem for parents. Take a listen to this one hour Zoom seminar Mary did with a live audience with lots of practical advice on how to get a handle on tantrums in your home.

Get some ideas for what to do if you think your child needs educational, social or emotional testing.

Get some great ideas for how to set up the giving of gifts to promote a loving and healthy attitude in your familiy.

Kids are self-centered from the get-go, no doubt about it. We have to teach them to be grateful for all that they have, all that we give them.  But, how on earth do we do that when there's so much taking and so little giving going on around us?   First,...

Are you having trouble deciding whether to give in to your child's request to quit an activity? Feeling like you might be raising a kid to be a quitter if you do ? Take a listen to help you navigate this touchy subject!

Our kids are smart.  They really know how to manipulate us into getting what they want – crying, whining, having tantrums, giving us the silent treatment.  It can be overwhelming.  In my last podcast we were learning how to use choices early to avoid...

Do you feel like you’re always battling your child?   You tell them to do something and you immediately get a “no” followed by whining and complaining or outright defiance?  A simple request that turns into a war is enough to send us over the edge...

Listen to ideas for parents on how to set up the most effective workspaces, routines and rules for distanced learning. Also hear how Family Meetings to brainstorm solutions when issues come up can smooth things out.

In this podcast we’ll explore what happens in our families if we’re always operating in “crisis mode” then talk about ways to avoid ever getting into that mode by using Family Meetings to set boundaries and limits while communicating as a family what behaviors are acceptable and expected.