I had one of those “Mom in the Mirror” moments recently. You know, when you catch your frantic, frazzled reflection and wonder, “Am I doing this parenting thing the right way? Or am I screwing it up entirely?”

At the time, I was holding a lizard to my bosom to keep him warm. That’s right, a lizard. On my chest. (Shudder.)

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Recently changes have been made in our house. We’ve completed a few Total Transformation lessons and we have noticed an actual change in Thomas, our oldest, who is diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD and Autism. Read more »

For my children, hearing, listening, following directions, and (oh, let me just say it) compliance with others is like pulling teeth.  (*Cringe*.)  There are many days when I feel like I’ve failed as a parent, and my kids are still so young.  When you throw in their ADHD (and mine) into the mix, it makes for some pretty difficult days. Read more »

Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach and don’t try to parent when you’re having a fight with your spouse.  Let me explain what I mean here. Your children have an innate, God-given total selfishness, a “me-first” drive, that would keep them alive if their plane crashed on a desert island. (I saw that on Lost, so I think maybe it could happen.)  It’s good, and it’s natural, and you need to account for it in your parenting.

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Dear PSL:

My wife and I have very different ideas about parenting. While we try not to fight in front of the kids, it really causes a lot of battles between us. I think a lot of it comes from differences in our upbringing; she didn’t have to follow any rules when she was a kid. I want our children to understand that rules are important; I want them to understand accountability and integrity. I’m always talking to them about these issues – it seems like every day, one of them does something that brings it up. My wife, on the other hand, refuses to follow through with consequences, and she tells me to “lighten up” on the kids. As I said, we try not to argue in front of them, but it’s hard when I tell our kids to stop doing something, and right away, she tells them what they’re doing is no big deal. Is it any surprise who the kids listen to? How can I get my wife to understand that what I’m trying to teach the kids is important?

–Frustrated Dad in PA

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I read some wonderful research years ago (which I would credit if I could remember the author), that said parenting is so tough because you have to first create the idea in your child’s head that “Mommy and I are one” (sorry, child-rearing guys!), to give your child a sense of safety, and then, as the child matures, you create the idea in their heads that they are separate entities that must go out and create their own lives in the world and be masters of their own destinies. 

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Believe it or not, parents are starting to use the wisdom of the Dog Whisperer as they raise their children.

At first, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. I grew up with animals and I love them, but my feathers get ruffled when people compare their dog to my child, or infer that you should treat your child like a dog. You know, one of those conversations where you’re explaining how your kid is misbehaving and making you crazy, and then some well-intentioned soul pipes up with, “Oh, my dog does the same thing. I know how you feel.” (Really? Because the last time I looked, your dog didn’t have a frontal lobe or opposable thumbs.)

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At 14 months old, my daughter Liv has begun to mimic all the day-to-day things I do around the house. I feel like I’m back in high school, where in my adolescent paranoia I felt like everyone was hyper-focused on me and scrutinizing each and every flaw.  Only now the huge difference is that it’s true. (And it’s the most important person watching me—my daughter!)

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