Confessions of a Parent Coach

Tis the season...to nag our kids about gratitude nonstop

It's Thanksgiving time, and that means lots of kids will be the beneficiaries of even more generosity than usual and will be expected to be grateful for their blessings. Remember when we were kids and our parents nagged us about saying 'thank you' or writing thank you notes or told us stories of how good we had it compared to others?

How much true...

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them." - Maya Angelou

Our children show us who they are All. The. Time. But how often do we believe them? In my experience, we spend far more time trying to either make them or make the situation be something other than what it is. Technology is a perfect example of this. In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, I share:

♦ The ways kids sh...

We cannot know a child's Enneagram Type.

So how can we parent them using the Enneagram? In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, I share:

♦ The process children follow as they settle into their Enneagram Type,
♦ How to parent them using the Enneagram without putting them in a box and
♦ Why the Enneagram is such a powerful tool helping parents attune to their kids.

If you're ready to ...

Journaling is a powerful growth tool.

That's just facts, and I stand by it. So why would someone who has encouraged and taught her clients to create a regular journaling practice decide to walk away from journaling? In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach I will share exactly where I am in my own personal growth work and why for me, right now, journaling is counterproductive.

It gets ...

When you ask your child, "What's wrong?" what is their typical reply? "I don't know," or "Nothing," right? In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, I will teach you an EASY (I swear!) tool to help you get better answers to this question. You can tell your kid has something on their mind, and that's great. But they need something from you in order to share it. You'll get the inside scoop...

Your questions answered! In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, I asked listeners for their parenting questions and got such great ideas! Listen in to hear me answer:

♦ How to deal with transitions home from school without electronics
♦ What to do about curfew - setting and enforcing it without stifling our kids' need for independence
♦ Encouraging empathy in the teenage years, when ...

Enneagram Sessions are Available - You may have heard me speak about the Enneagram over the past few months. Have you been curious about what your Type is? You may know your Type but are interested in learning more about your instinct stacking or how to USE the Enneagram in your life and parenting. Now you can book an Enneagram session with me to discuss any Enneagram work you want to explore.

In this we...

Who doesn't have a middle school horror story? We all know how awful middle school is for pretty much everyone. Whether it's embarrassing things about our bodies, social faux pas, hideous clothes, or dealing with bullies and cool kids... we all managed to feel mortified and shunned at some point in middle school. Now that we're a few weeks into school, I have been hearing from lots of parents whose kids a...

Boundaries With Choice | How many people do you know who enjoy being controlled and bossed around? (OK, get your mind out of the gutter; that's not what I meant!) One of the first things my clients learn is that we must lean into our kids' natural need for independence and agency instead of fighting against it. Parenting becomes so much easier and more enjoyable when we give our kids choices.

In this wee...

When your child makes good choices, do you know WHY they do it?

Is it because they might get in trouble? Or because they are afraid of upsetting you? Or because they are trying to win your love? Is this the mental math we want our kids to do when making decisions?

In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, you can learn about what some RIGHT reasons might be, and how to parent in ways t...

When it comes to parenting, do you ever feel like a round peg in a square hole? There are so many aspects to parenting that can feel confusing or uncomfortable, but what if they didn't have to be? In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, I explain the three instincts outlined by the Enneagram, and I bet you'll be able to identify which instinct feels dominant in your life. Understanding...

Does your child have a comfort behavior? It could be thumb-sucking, a favorite stuffy, or a rhythmic action like rocking. If so, check out this week's Confessions Of A Parenting Coach episode. Where I discuss:

♦ Whether we need to do anything about these behaviors
♦ we CAN do about them
♦ How to avoid making them worse, and
♦ Why do these behaviors occur?

Many children deal with these comfort behaviors,...

What if changing one thing is all you need to live the parenting life of your dreams? I am giving you a major teaser to inspire you to check out this week's Confessions Of A Parenting Coach episode. What is the quickest way to crappy parenting? You'll have to listen to find out! For now, I'll say that this one thing leads us to:

♦ Have terrible vibes when we deal with our kids
♦ Remind, nag, parent from ...

What is authoritative parenting?

You have probably heard me mention authoritative parenting a million times in my podcast or emails. But what is it? In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach I'll walk you through exactly what it is and why it's considered the gold standard in parenting.

For decades, experts have talked about 4 different types of parents and what defines them: permissive...

Why is it so hard to stick with a mindfulness practice? And why should we try?

How often have you tried to meditate, journal, or use a mindfulness tool but can't seem to stick with the habit? It's hard! In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parent Coach, I share a few concepts and techniques that shed light on why this keeps happening to us, and why it's worth it to keep at it!

If you're ready to l...

Do you battle with your kiddo over food? Show me a parent who wants her kid to eat something, and I'll show you a kid who can make that parent turn every color of the rainbow! But in this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parent Coach, I'll walk you through 4 tips that can help you regain your sanity and sidestep the fallout of food battles.

If you're ready to learn tips like these and get the help you ...

How did your child get their personality? What makes YOU have the personality you do? These questions swirl around the heads of almost every parent. When we see our kids struggle, we wonder if it's because of something we've done. How much of our kids' journey is just who they are? How much of the hardship we experienced in our lives was because of our parents and childhood vs. the sensitivities we have b...

Good parenting always involves four things! In this week's episode of Confessions Of A Parenting Coach, I'll walk you through the four foundational principles of effective parenting that I teach my clients right away when we begin working together. I'll also show you what skills come from each one.

These 4 things are so important that if you can master them, every single parenting moment becomes clear, a...

Do you ever try to parent from the couch? We all do it! Instead of getting up and DOING something about our kids' behavior, we call out half-hearted admonitions or reminders from across the room (or across the house) while our kids' behavior doesn't change even one iota.

In this episode, I'll walk you through one surefire way to notice when you're doing this and check yourself.

If you're ready to get he...