behavior

Playful ways to get kids to cooperate and avoid becoming “monster mom”

Does trying to get your kids to comply with simple requests result in power struggles and tantrums? These playful strategies will help get your child to cooperate and make parenting much more fun.

NOTE: THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS. AS ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.

It’s four o’clock in the afternoon. You’ve already been on mom duty for ten hours, many of which have been spent putting out fire after emotional fire, and bouncing around like a ping-pong ball trying to remember who’s had lunch, when the three-year-old last went to the bathroom, and trying to remember what you were doing two seconds ago before you got interrupted for the 526th time….

The Warm Fuzzy Jar: a positive parenting strategy to encourage good behavior

With just an empty jar and a pile of pom poms, this positive parenting strategy will help you encourage a culture of kindness in your family and create a happier, more peaceful home.

I have three boys who LOVE to create chaos in my house. They are loud, dirty, and sometimes destructive.

They are also creative, helpful, and big-hearted.

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The secret formula for how to motivate kids (or anyone)

If you ever have a hard time convincing your children to do something (or anything), this formula will teach you how to motivate kids in a positive way.

“Get your shoes on, please!” I called to my three-year-old as I dashed around madly to change the baby’s diaper, grab the diaper bag and get my own shoes. Once again, I was cutting it far too close getting out the door to go pick up my oldest son from Kindergarten….

How to get your toddler to do…ANYTHING

Getting a toddler to do anything can be hard. If you’re struggling with a terrible two-year-old or a threenager, try these seven practical parenting tips to encourage your toddler to obey without a fight.

I have a two-year-old teenager. Last week he didn’t want to wake up from his nap (but I didn’t dare let him sleep longer for fear that he wouldn’t sleep that night), and he just rolled over to face away from me and said, “I’m not ready yet.” Lately, his favorite phrases when he’s upset with me are, “I not happy with you right now!” and “Just leave me alone!” (cue door slam.)

Oh, help. I can’t wait to see what it will be like when he’s fifteen….

How to Get Your Kids to Clean Up: 6 Tried-and-true Strategies

Getting kids to clean up after themselves doesn’t have to be a chore. Try these simple but effective strategies for encouraging kids to clean up without a fight.

My children are brilliant. They already understand concepts of physics that I didn’t learn until college. What?!? That’s right, my boys have officially mastered the second law of thermodynamics.

“What is the second law of thermodynamics?” you ask. Let me explain. It’s all about ENTROPY.

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Getting on his level: a behavior experiment

By changing one simple thing about they way I interact with my son, I improved both my toddler’s behavior and our relationship.

kids behaviorIt happens every day: I ask my three-year-old to get his shoes, and he’s too lost in a world of car-eating dinosaurs to even notice me. I repeat myself louder, from across the room as I’m trying to wrestle a sweatshirt over his little brother’s head so we can rush off to…wherever. I refill their water bottles and am slipping my own shoes on as I realize Little Man is still sprawled out on the family room floor, playing away….

Speaking to kids: watching what we say & how we say it

As parents, the words we speak to our children have power to shape their actions and their perceptions of themselves. Here are 3 essential things to know about how to communicate with kids effectively.

I’ve always known that words have power. Power to weave vivid stories that set my imagination afire, to cut my soul deeper than any knife, to bring hope when I sit in darkness. As a writer, I’m always seeking for the most accurate words, the ones that really communicate the abstract ideas swimming in my mind.

As a mother, I’ve found that the words I speak to my children have power to shape their actions and their perceptions of themselves. Both what I say and how I phrase things make a difference in how my children respond.

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Save the world and get kids to clean…a win-win scenario

Kids love to play. Play = messes. And that’s okay with me. Messes mean that my boys are busy exploring, building, growing, and otherwise doing exactly what I want them to be doing. But they also seem to be naturally much better at getting everything out than they are at putting it away again….

5 reasons that having a daily routine keeps me sane (mostly)

How often have you wondered how you’re going to get through the day with toddlers? Having a daily routine will make your day so much better together! On a Tuesday morning a couple of months ago, I had a little Mommy crisis. It was only 9:00 in the morning, and I was already exhausted, cranky, and I could feel my patience flying out the window. We had already read stories, had breakfast, played with cars, gotten dressed, and made a mess with playdough. How in the world are we going to survive until bedtime? I wondered.

After muddling through several days of this, and a lot of brainstorming about how to get out of my mommy funk, I realized I needed to reinstate a daily schedule. Techincally, we had a loose schedule, but ever since Baby Boy dropped his morning nap, I’d felt like our routine just wasn’t working.

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The Rocket Ship Countdown: A Simple Strategy to Get Your Child to Obey Quickly

There are so many times every day that I find myself hurrying my three-year-old to do something…brush his teeth, put his shoes on, get in the car, wash his hands, and countless other simple tasks that seem to take him forever. My adorable, yet oh-so-distractable son cannot get from point A to point B without getting side-tracked by C, D, E, F and G.

Initially, I tried to hurry him along with the well known “You have until the count of three” tactic, and sometimes it was effective, but I always felt like it made situations into a power struggle where we both ended up frustrated. So, I started looking for an alternative. And, you know what? I found something that works brilliantly for us. It’s so simple: count DOWN instead of UP.

Specifically, do what I call a Rocket Ship Countdown!

Here’s how it works:

Whenever I need Little Man to do something and he seems resistant, I’ll say, “Okay, let’s do a rocket ship countdown to get started. Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Blastoff!” Most of the time he gets going by the time I get to two and chimes in with “Blastoff” when it’s time. If he doesn’t respond by blastoff, he knows I will pick him up and fly him like a rocket wherever I need him to be.

Why it’s effective:

Yes, I know I’m still counting, but somehow by associating it with rockets shooting into outer space, it becomes fun instead of demanding. I try to keep my voice positive and treat it like a game, so he wants to be involved. It doesn’t always work, but it really gets results most of the time. I have saved myself from hours of whining and staved off quite a few tantrums by simply counting down instead of up.

Try it out!

behavior

NOTE: THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS. AS ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.

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