One of my TMP Times members wrote in about her 4.5 year old son. She'd been trying the two-choices script (i.e., “You have two choices - blue jacket or red one, this shirt or that one”), and he wasn't having it.
She wrote: "He 'sees through' that and realizes that there is a decision behind tha...
The one thing that moves your kid, the guilt of pulling it, and what summer does to make it worse.
It's June. School's out, there's no schedule, no real plan for the day, and somehow it's only 2 in the afternoon. You handed him the iPad a while ago because you needed 20 minutes to yourself, and...
"Mine! That's MINE!"
He's 3, and the floaty is technically his. He carried it all the way in from the car very proudly, the large plastic device nearly bigger than him. Once we finally arrived at the pool, he set it down to get his sunscreen on and shoes off.
In those 4 seconds of putting it do...
After reading this, you'll know why your child's summer dysregulation isn't regression and what to actually do in the first week before the whole thing unravels.
It was early morning and I was in the kitchen when I heard my 3-year-old, full volume, losing it at his older sister.
His screaming i...
"I can't pull my phone out and say, ‘Hang on let me check what Dr. Jazmine says I should do in this situation as your mom.'"
“Ain’t that the truth!” I thought as I read one of the survey responses from a fellow TMP Times member.
I’ve also never heard the struggle described so perfectly.
This mo...
"I'm frustrated that every day I'm supposed to accept being talked to rudely and treated poorly no matter what I do."
I read that sentence three times.
Every day.
Not after a hard week, not during a rough patch. Every single day, moment after moment, this mom is showing up with strategies and e...
One of you sent in a question a few weeks ago that I think many of you reading this can relate to,
She described her 8-year-old daughter as fiercely independent, full of life, and expressive. She’s the kind of kid who sings while she does everything, and her mom loves that about her. The proble...
Last week I tucked my 8-year-old into bed, kissed her forehead, told her I loved her and I loved her beautiful face, and then said with warmth and sincerity (and a little guilt) “but I don't want to see it again until tomorrow. Stay in your room, please.” She looked up at me and said, without m...
On backtalk, the trigger underneath it, and the mid-spiral pivot that actually works.
Last week I posted something on Threads that I thought was a pretty standard reframe.
"Say it with me: My child arguing with me isn't disrespect. It's a sign they believe their voice matters in this house. Tha...
This week, a TMP Times member wrote in about her 8-year-old son.
Every day, he plays in the lane behind their house. It's a good setup. It’s safe, supervised enough, and close to home. She gives him a 5-minute warning before it's time to come in. She pre-plans. She follows through on consequenc...
"What do you do when nothing works?"
A mom sent me this question and then gave me the details. Her son was jumping on the bed and her husband told him he'd lose his privilege of being in their room to play. Soon after, the boy proceeded to jump on the couch so they took away another privilege. ...
It's 8pm. Kids are in bed. You're standing in the kitchen and you know you need to go back in.
Maybe you're dreading it because last time you apologized, your kid ended up patting your back saying "it's okay mommy" and you left the room feeling worse than when you walked in.
Maybe you're dreadi...
