Effective Parenting is learning to parent the child you have, not the child you wish you had. It's not about being a perfect parent—it's about being a “good enough” parent.
Effective parenting techniques focus on holding your child accountable for misbehavior and on developing better problem solving skills.
Most couples have experienced this situation at one time or another—you think you should discipline your child a certain way, and your spouse or co-parent wants to handle it differently. You each become entrenched in your position. And what started as a problem between you and your child quickly evolves into a problem between you... Read more »
Are you often exhausted as a parent? Do you regularly feel drained, overwhelmed and off-balance when it comes to raising your kids? It’s hard for every parent, but when your children have tough behavioral problems, like ADHD, frequent defiance or other chronic acting-out behaviors, the task of raising them to adulthood can sometimes feel like... Read more »
Have you ever listened to parenting advice, all the while thinking, “That won’t work with my child—nothing does. He’s too difficult; no one can get through to him.” If you’ve ever felt this way, stop what you’re doing and read this article. We sat down and talked to James Lehman, who explains how to get... Read more »
Do you feel like your family members, your kid’s teachers, and even counselors blame you for your child’s acting out behavior? You’re not alone. As James Lehman says, there are countless parents out there “living in little prisons”—feeling trapped, isolated, and ashamed of their child’s defiant or out of control behavior. If you’re in this... Read more »
Every child feels like they don’t fit in at some point. And with kids, the need to be part of a group is instinctual. It’s survival in their world. They want to fit in and be like everyone else because it gives them a sense of safety and security. So when your child tells you... Read more »
Does your child’s behavior become more obnoxious, demanding and “smart-alecky” when he has an audience? Some kids just seem to “step up the show” as soon as their friends come over. You’ll see this happening with both kids who are occasionally out of line, and those who are obnoxious chronically. Chronically obnoxious kids often have... Read more »
Does your child often perceive himself as being right when he's wrong and wrong when he's right? Does he wonder why everyone is always mad at him? Some children have a hard time reading social cues and it has a profound impact on their behavior. Misreading social cues can include not understanding other people's words,... Read more »
In my office, I've dealt with many, many parents through the years who were discouraged about their kids' behavior problems. They felt hopeless and wondered if things were ever going to change. They would ask me: "Will my kid be messed up forever?" Their feelings are understandable. When you have a child who acts out in... Read more »
Parent: “OK, time to turn off the video games and go clean your room.” Child: “That’s not fair! I don’t want to clean my room! That’s boring and stupid!” Parent: “Why do you always do this to me? You’re making me crazy!!!” When parents say things like, “Why are you doing this to me? You’re making me crazy,”... Read more »
Even before you become a parent, you start forming ideas about how you’ll raise your child. You get advice about it from all sides—your own parents and family, your friends, and books by so-called experts tell you "the rules" of good parenting. But most people soon find out that some of these techniques are simply... Read more »
