I need to tell you something that might make you uncomfortable: I have used time-outs with my kids. All three of them. And we have incredible relationships.
I know, I know. You've been told they're harmful. You've read the Instagram graphics about how time-outs create shame and disconnection. Y...
There's this weird moment in parenting where you realize:
You can either try to make your child happy in the moment… or you can actually lead them.
And they are not always the same thing.
We all say we want to raise kind, respectful, responsible kids.
But then the second our child yells "You're...
Let’s just get to the real question:
If my child knows how to do something like pack their bag, brush their teeth, tie their shoes, why do I still have to hover, remind, or step in?
Why do I end up sounding like a broken record while they stare at the dog? Or start dancing. Or wander around wit...
I said something out loud last week that I've been thinking for months: "I have all the right tools, but I'm still the wrong parent."
It happened after I yelled at my toddler for scratching our hardwood floors with a plastic bin.
The irony wasn't lost on me - here I am, a psychologist who teach...
There’s a version of me that shows up in the mornings I don’t particularly like.
She’s sharp. Rushed. Repeating herself. She’s got a mental checklist in her head and a stopwatch in her chest.
Brush your teeth. Wash your face. Put on your sunscreen. Again. Again. Again.
It’s like my calm voice c...
There are nights when my husband handles bedtime, and I try to take a moment for myself. The lights are low, the house is quieting down, and I finally sit. And then I hear the creak of a door. Footsteps. A voice. “Mommy, can you tuck me in?”
Some nights I’m patient. Other nights I snap. “Daddy ...
She just wanted to give her daughter a bath.
It was late. Dinner was over. The baby was finally settled. Ava’s bandwidth was stretched thin. So when she said, “Okay, it’s time to to take a bath,” she didn’t expect it to be a big deal. But her 3-year-old immediately stiffened.
Then came the melt...
We all know that moment.
You’re standing in the kitchen. You give a calm, reasonable direction:
“Go grab your shoes, please.”
Your child looks at you. Then... walks the other way.
You try again - maybe louder this time.
Still nothing.
And before you know it, you're repeating yourself for the th...
Every child has two essential curriculums for their development:
The one at school: Letters, numbers, colors.
And the invisible one at home: How to ask for space, how to share, how to calm their body when it wants to explode.
The first helps them succeed academically.
The second helps them thri...
During a recent coaching call inside TMP University, a parent shared something we’ve all felt at some point:
"Every time I say, ‘If you don’t stop, I’m taking away your tablet,’ it only makes things worse. My son just melts down harder or ignores me completely."
Another parent jumped in:
"I tol...
Two years ago, I sat on my bathroom floor and cried.
It was 7:43 AM. School drop-off was at 8:00. My 4-year-old daughter was still in pajamas, refusing to brush her teeth, and had just thrown her socks across the room in protest. My carefully planned morning routine was failing spectacularly.
I...
Picture this - you’re finishing up dinner prep when your 7-year-old storms into the kitchen, fists clenched, and declared with surprising intensity: "I hate you, Mom! You're the worst!"
Your mind flashed through a catalog of possible responses—from the stern ("We don't speak that way in this ho...
