A Fine Parent

A Life Skills Blog Exclusively For Parents

  • Academy (Masterclasses)
  • Free Training
  • Articles
  • More
    • About This Site
    • Parenting Book Recommendations
    • Gift Guides
    • Contact

Be Your Own Team! 4 Ways to Foster a Team Mentality of Unity & Cooperation In Your Family

by Kelly Fanning.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

It was the Monday after a weekend of having guests in the house and the messy aftermath was demanding my attention…as was my 3-year-old daughter. She wanted me to watch her dance, draw with her, play blocks; it seemed to be even more urgent now that there was a load of laundry to hang out and vacuuming to be done. 

As she continued to ask for my time and as I continued to attempt to finish chores, I realized that neither one of us were getting what we wanted and the mood was becoming quite tense. I was at my breaking point when, suddenly, I had an ‘aha’ moment. 

Why can’t we just make it work for both of us? 

It seemed so simple. “Oh dear,” I said. “You want to be with me and I have chores to do! You know, I could use some help. Could you help me please?” 

Her eyes lit up. “Of course!” It seemed that what she really wanted was to connect with me and to be included in my day.

Together we got through a few chores before she felt connected to me again and wandered off to play independently.  [Read more…]

The Power of a Schedule: 3 Simple Steps to Encourage Better Organizational Skills

by Dr. Preetika Chandna.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

organizational-skill main imageComing home from work at six in the evening, I stared in dismay as I stepped into my daughter’s room. Her school books lay untouched and her room looked as though a cyclone had recently touched base. 

“What is this?” I tried (unsuccessfully) not to shout. “Didn’t I call and tell you to finish your school work and tidy your room before I returned?” 

My 11-year-old daughter looked confused. 

“Oh, yes…,” my daughter said, looking around the room as though someone had just shone a light on it. “I didn’t remember…” she said softly.

What am I doing wrong, I thought? Why is it so difficult for my daughter to remember a few simple chores? Now that school had shifted back to in-person mode, was it getting too tough for my child to collect and retain everything that needed to be done? Why was my daughter so scattered that she could not complete simple organizational tasks- even when I asked her to do them?

As frustrating as it may feel to watch our child’s disorganization interfere with their success, it is most likely not due to a lack of motivation. Dr. Peg Dawson, a clinical psychologist and bestselling author of “Smart but Scattered Kids,” reminds us that children are still developing the executive skills needed to be organized.

Executive skills are the brain-based processes that help children regulate their behavior and set and achieve goals. Executive skills are managed in the frontal lobe of the brain and while they begin to develop shortly after birth, they will take up to 25 years to mature!  [Read more…]

Raising Resilient Kids: The 5 Things You Should Stop Doing Right Now

by Lauren Barrett.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

raising-resilient-kids main imageAs my two-year-old son was playing on a crowded playground, he made a quick dash to climb up a ladder. I instantly sucked in a deep breath as he lumbered his way awkwardly up the steps. The urge to jump in and help him was strong…but I held back, only staying close by in case something went terribly wrong. 

As he made it to the top of the ladder and turned around to give me a smile, my heart skipped a beat with pride; I was relieved that I had held back and allowed him to figure it out himself. 

It is a natural instinct for parents to want to protect their children from adversity. While my son is young and adversity comes in the form of a playground ladder, I can imagine how this will shift and evolve as my son gets older. Learning basic motor skills and tackling self-care will move to making friends, being successful in school, overcoming peer pressure…and the list just goes on. 

Our children MUST learn how to be resilient in order to find success and overcome the obstacles they will face as a human. If we sweep in to save our children from every bit of difficulty, we actually do them a disservice. We send the message that when life gets tough, someone will always help you out of it and that failure is a scary and negative thing. [Read more…]

Purposeful Conversations: Everyday Ways to Reap the Benefits of Talking With Your Kids

by Rebecca Rolland.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

How was your day? 

Fine. 

What did you do at school?

Nothing.

Sound familiar? Certainly, we’ve all been there and reading this may give the sudden realization of how automatic these conversations have become. If you are anything like me, the go-to “check-ins” leave little room for elaborating past the normal script after a long and tiring day of school and work. 

It’s not that these conversations are bad or wrong. Rather, they may leave us questioning how much we are missing out on by simply remaining in the conversational status quo.

But…what if we could shift our mindset about conversations with our kids from mundane and repetitive to a powerful and impactful communication tool?

What if we could make the conscious choice to enhance our children’s lives, build their confidence, empathy, creativity, and set them up to thrive long-term…all through our conversations with them?

As a speech-language pathologist, Harvard lecturer, and mom of two kids, I’ve searched high and low for the answers to these questions. I’ve talked to fellow parents, colleagues, psychologists, neuroscientists, counselors, and many others over the past ten years of my work with kids and families to gain insight on the power of conversation. My personal research has uncovered surprising discoveries about the impact that simple conversation can play in the growth and development of our children. [Read more…]

3 Key Takeaways From the “Communication Tools Masterclass” with Julie King

by Kelsey Sullivan.
(This article is part of the PPC 2022 series. Get free article updates here.)

We are now just three weeks away from the Positive Parenting Conference and there is so much goodness to share this year! One masterclass that is a must-watch is with someone with whom many of you are already familiar: Julie King. 

Julie’s book, How to Talk When Kids Won’t Listen: Whining, Fighting, Meltdowns, Defiance, and Other Challenges of Childhood, is a thorough and extremely helpful follow up to her earlier gem How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen. Both of Julie’s books give very practical ideas of how to connect with our children and make them feel heard (which, in turn, makes most parenting situations easier). Spoiler alert, this is a really important part of the overall message!

Julie writes with a very personable tone; it often feels like she is sitting in your living room having a chat about parenting. This masterclass has that tone as well–and this time you can be in your living room with Julie right there with you (well, on screen).  

As a highly regarded parenting workshop leader and presenter, Julie has conducted presentations for schools, parents, professional organizations and companies of all sizes for several decades. She is also a dear friend of the AFineParent community and has done numerous live calls within the Academy. 

I was the researcher for this masterclass so I got an early look at all the goodness Julie has to share with us. While there are so many helpful ideas in this class, I decided on three that I hope will give you a little something to think about until you can watch the whole masterclass.  [Read more…]

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • …
  • 81
  • Next Page »

Disclaimers and Such:
Fair Warning: While none of this is professional advice, it is powerful stuff and could potentially change your life!
This site contains affiliate links. Pictures are either Creative Commons licensed or through Fotolia.
Click here to read our terms of use and privacy policy.