I remember the first time I took one of my sons in for stitches. By the time I buckled him into his car seat with that bloodstained cloth still pressed to his cheek, he had already stopped crying. But the tears were just starting to pool in my own eyes. I felt like I had failed. I had been given a perfect, beautiful boy and I let him fall, let him get hurt, and now there would forever be a scar to remind me of my failure. I couldn’t take it away. I couldn’t fix it.
The Myth of Perfect Parenting
My fourth son was born just a few fast-moving months ago. I’m sure I’ve spent hours looking at his perfect little wrinkly toes, and dimpled hands, and rosy lips. I’m often overcome with the thought of how amazingly perfect he is.
I’ve found myself thinking that with this new little one, I’m a new parent all over again. And, as my wandering line of thinking goes, it’s a new opportunity to get things right. I can start over. I haven’t made any of my parenting mistakes yet. I get caught up in the fervor of perfect parenting all over again. [Read more…]
Endure it Well
I have a few newcomers to the Mind in the Making read-along, so I want to give them a little time to catch up. We’ll pick up with Chapter 6 next week.
Three Parenting Secrets
I am really excited to get started with the Parenting with Positive Guidance classes this Wednesday! I can’t wait to start sharing and discussing some of the best tools for guiding behavior and building internal discipline in our children. It’s not too late to get signed up. Slide on over here to get all the details and get your spot. But before you do that, I wanted to share a little bit of what I shared with Kristina at Toddler Approved:
My First Ecourse: Parenting with Positive Guidance
More than a year has passed since launching my first Ebook, Parenting with Positive Guidance: Tools for Building Discipline from the Inside Out. I’ve been amazed with the response throughout the whole process. I’ve heard from people who have come from abusive childhoods who are looking for another way to raise their children. I’ve heard from people who have come from loving homes who want more support building a loving home of their own. I’ve heard from parents who already believe in the philosophy of positive guidance, but wanted to know what it looks like in action. Bottom line: I’ve heard from good parents who just want to be better. And I’ve been so pleased with the warm way Parenting with Positive Guidance has been received.
What is Positive Guidance, Exactly?
The philosophy of positive guidance is one that is often misunderstood. Both by observers and practitioners.
At The Organized Parent: Remembering the “Perfectly Ordinary Days”
Perhaps there’s something about this time of year that’s causing me to be a bit more sentimental. Or maybe it’s simply a job hazard of motherhood. Last week I wrote this post after attending Peter Pan with my son. This week, I’m sharing my thoughts about treasuring childhood over at The Organized Parent. Here’s a taste:
The Real Work of Parenthood
I just taught my first session of training classes based on my ebook, Parenting with Positive Guidance: Building Discipline from the Inside Out. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions we had and hope the group is enjoying it as well.
A Toddler, a Tantrum, and a Fire Truck. Lessons from the Trenches.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, just because I teach and write about guiding behavior, doesn’t mean we don’t have our fair share of emotional upheavals in our own home. My boys cry, fight, and throw fits. In a word, they’re “normal”.