This post is an excerpt from my book Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection not Perfection. It's a tiny practice that really helps me listen better, manage anxiety and give people room to grow and be. The Difference of Seventeen Seconds “Are you ever going to let me finish [...]Continue Reading
listening
Red Flag Words – How to understand what your child really needs
As the end of the school year neared, both of my sons struggled with final projects. It was exhausting to have evenings filled with arguments about why they couldn't possible get their work done. This was particularly bad one evening last week with one boy morosely sitting at the table not working [...]Continue Reading
How to Build a Habit of Listening to Your Kids
To be listened to is to be validated for who you are. Sometimes the only thing we need is that one person who will truly listen and hear what we need to say. They don’t need to solve it for us or give advice - we just need to be listened to and accepted in order to access our own ability to [...]Continue Reading
I’m the one who will believe you – the transformative power of trusting our kids’ emotions
"It's fine! You're learning! You're not supposed to know all the answers!" I said in exasperation as I watched my son come unglued about an assignment he'd just finished and, in his opinion, completely failed at. I didn't know I was about to dive into what would become a defining moment for me in [...]Continue Reading
It’s Not Just About the Legos
We stood in my friend’s kitchen, chatting and drinking coffee, when one of her sons walked in and said, “Hey look what I made!” We politely listened and ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ as he gave a detailed description of the Lego spaceship with all possible luxuries. We’d been chatting quite a while, as moms [...]Continue Reading
