I am about to send a kid to college and become an “empty nester.” I have been asked frequently, mostly by parents with much younger children, “What does it feel like to be crossing the finish line?”  

What does it feel like? 

Well, it feels a lot like that first sleepless night at home with the baby, and it feels like letting them ride a bike around the block, alone. It feels like dropping them off at a brand-new school where they don’t know anyone, and it feels like handing over the car keys for the first time.

Parenthood has so many firsts, but nearing that “finish line,” I can safely say the feeling of every first is pretty much the same: anticipation, pride, happiness, hope and a little parental fear, all mixed together.

In other words, sending your kid to college is a lot like all the milestone moments you parent a child through, and let’s be real…It seems like, more than ever, parenthood is often fraught with an increasing array of anxiety, fear, educated guesses and risk analysis!

But, don’t worry. I have advice garnered by extensive research and some real life experiences to help you navigate and quell those parental fears and anxiety so you can enjoy more anticipation, joy and happiness — whether you just brought your bundle of joy home for the first time or are dropping your teen off at college.

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Lawnmower parenting.

Isn’t it a cool term? Wait till you know what it means.

Lawnmower parenting is when parents turn into ninjas for their children and mow down every obstacle or challenge that could possibly occur in their lives so that their precious little ones don’t have to face even a tiny bit of discomfort.

Of course, it is only natural for parents to be protective of their children and to shield them from problems. But this instinct itself turns into a problem that could rob the children of their resilience. You and I have done it, albeit unknowingly, in our earnestness to give our children the best possible upbringing. [Read more…]

Don’t you absolutely love it when your child giggles and embraces you with so much happiness in their heart?

When children are happy, we tend to join in their fun and feel a sense of ease.

Tears and temper tantrums on the other hand can be hard to accept, let alone deal with in a calm way.

I am a certified parent educator, and not once in the last decade has a parent told me that they enjoy their child’s temper tantrums!

It doesn’t matter whether your child is 2, 12 or 22… we can all agree that tantrums are not desirable. Tears, screams and meltdowns are hardly something we want to see our child go through. Understandably, it can be difficult to stay calm and respond nicely when a child has a massive temper tantrum.

When parents reach out to me for coaching and support, how to handle their child’s temper tantrums is a very common concern. [Read more…]

(This article focuses on helping kids with virtual school. If your child is going to a physical school, please see this article instead)

What a surreal start we are having to school this year, right? The best of Hollywood script writers wouldn’t be able to come up with the situation we find ourselves in!

This pandemic of 2020 has changed the way schools run, perhaps irrevocably. Schools across the country have moved from in-person to remote learning practically overnight. Teachers and parents alike now find ourselves facing new challenges as many of us look toward a virtual school year ahead of us.

With over three decades of traditional teaching between us — Jen Collins and Julie Harding — we have had to muster all of the technology, energy and creativity we could for this virtual school year. With a little flexibility and collegial support, and a lot of hard work, we have been able to make it work.

In our years of experience working with kids, we have learned some neat tricks along the way that we’d love to share with you so you can use them in your own families and help your kids be successful with the new virtual schooling way of life, too. [Read more…]

As a middle school teacher of 20 years, I have observed a variety of personality differences among my students. In designing my lessons, I take into account how a child’s personality type can influence their learning style, and I’ve found there can be big differences.

For instance, my students play a game before each unit test.

The purpose of this game is two-fold. One, it serves as a review of the major concepts studied in that unit. Two, it involves a way for students to engage in a friendly, competitive game, in which the winning team receives bonus points on their exam.

I created this game several years back, and it became a hit that many students looked forward to playing when they came into class. However, I noticed that some students found it to be incredibly stressful and anxiety provoking.

The game involves speed and accuracy and is a great outlet for those students who dedicate their time to studying and enjoy the thrill of competition. On the other hand, this game doesn’t necessarily spark the same motivation for students whose personalities are more laid back, who haven’t put in much time into reviewing for the test and/or who are less concerned with time constraints and winning.

The same game — with the same rules, asking the same questions, under the same time restrictions — can provoke a vastly different response for young people with different personality types. Let’s take a look at why this might be.

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