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.
Being a mother or father is a balance of taking care of your kids while letting them grow up and learn from their mistakes. Your role of simply loving and protecting your baby from pain and discomfort changes to one of accepting that your child or teen will need to experience natural consequences for his... Read more »
These days, we’re bombarded with mixed messages about how to parent “the right way.” It’s easy to buy into advice from the media, relatives, and other parents and start to worry that we’re doing something wrong. We’re often comparing ourselves to others—and feeling judged and criticized by them. One of the most important ways to... Read more »
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 »
What causes bad child behavior? James Lehman says it happens because children don’t yet know how to solve problems effectively. To put it another way, they act out as an attempt to handle life's problems. And they continue to act out, frankly, because it's working for them. But here's the truth: If you don't help... 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 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 »
I've counseled 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 very aggressive and destructive ways,... Read more »
