Positive Discipline Parenting Blog
Sproutable's Positive Discipline blog.
Real tips. Real talk. Read & grow.
Latest post
Teaching Body Positivity to Nanny Kids
I remember feeling absolutely gutted when the sweet kindergartener I used to nanny for made a passing comment about her “big tummy” as we were reading books together one afternoon. I was heartbroken, shocked, and absolutely[...]By Danielle Taylor
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Dealing with our Parenting Triggers
What is a trigger? Trigger. There’s a difference between being uncomfortable and being triggered. Some people say triggers have to be very traumatic, like PTSD. I’m going to use trigger in a broader sense here. We talk about being triggered by content, by media, by each other, by our children. I really appreciate this definition from […]By Casey O'Roarty
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Liar, Liar: Why I Don’t Stress When my Nanny Kids Fib
Something I see pop up occasionally in online nannying groups is concern & frustration over nanny kiddos telling lies. I totally get it; nobody likes being lied to! I see suggestions of taking things away, lecturing & punishing, forced apologies, and even trying to scare kids out of lying. In fact, I remember being told “you’ll go to hell if you tell a lie” when I was a young child, and it was terrifying! I’ll offer you a different solution: let it go.By Danielle Taylor
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3 tips for teaching kids to be a good sport
“That’s not fair” “You cheated!” “I never win!” Sound familiar? Most kids have a tough time navigating games where there is a clear winner, or when they feel a sense of unfairness. This is because they are still learning! Getting comfortable with losing, being flexible with not going first or getting the color game piece they want, and having patience taking turns all takes LOTS of practice. It is still cognitively challenging for young children to see “fairness” because they are still growing into their capacity for perspective taking, which is why it is important to start now!By Julietta Skoog
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Catch Us at the Library
I’ve been nannying for about eight years now, and though kids & families may change, one very consistent part of my nanny routine is visiting the library. I recently found myself considering what’s still so engaging to me and my nanny kids about the library after literally hundreds of visits. Why are libraries so helpful in supporting young children?By Danielle Taylor
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Empowering Teens: The path from enabling to positive parenting
Parenting is a journey filled with ups and downs, and navigating the teenage years can be particularly challenging. Many parents strive to raise responsible, confident, and accountable young adults. However, one common pitfall in parenting is falling into the trap of enabling rather than empowering our teens. In this blog post, we'll explore the transition from enabling to positive parenting and how it can benefit both you and your teenagers.By Casey O'Roarty
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The Art of Parenting Teens: Taking a rest day
Parenting teenagers can be a challenging journey filled with ups and downs. It’s a phase of life where both parents and teens undergo significant changes, and navigating this transition can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of taking a “rest day” in your parenting approach and understanding […]By Casey O'Roarty
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Moving from praise to encouragement
I’ve been soaking up everything I can about Positive Discipline for the last five years or so, and most of it has come fairly easily to me. It takes patience, intention, consistency, and effort, but most of the tools and strategies have always “clicked” for me. That being said, I am still, every day, working on moving from praise to encouragement with my nanny kids. This has been so challenging for me!By Danielle Taylor
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My Top 5 Toddler Parenting Tools
My little baby is now a full-blown toddler. Every stage of development has been such an exciting leap, but it’s at this stage that I’m getting a glimpse into the inner dialogue of my little one’s brain. He is learning to talk and along with language comes a newfound sense of independence and autonomy. This is great when I need to clean up after meals or shoot off a couple of emails, because he can now play by himself for longer periods of time, or even better, help me around the house. It’s a challenge when I have an agenda of what needs to happen now and it doesn’t align with HIS plan. I now understand why virtually every parent of a toddler says their child is “strong-willed”. There’s a parenting myth about the terrible two’s, but what I’ve found is that it doesn’t have to be so terrible if you have some solid Positive Discipline parenting tools in your back pocket.By Alanna Beebe
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Getting comfortable with messy play
I’ve been working with kids for over 15 years, and I’ve cleaned up a fair share of messes in that time. I wasn’t someone who initially leaned into messy play because it can be gross, stressful, overwhelming, and because I could always come up with something else that’s fun to do instead. However, the longer I’ve been doing this, the more I’ve gotten not only comfortable, but actually have started enjoying, inviting, celebrating, and really leaning into messy play time! Here’s my why, my how, and some tips I’ve learned along the way.By Danielle Taylor
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How to motivate teens and tweens
How do we motivate adolescents? Sometimes it feels like nobody wants to help around the house, nobody wants to clean their room. I know, I’ve been there! We work and work on our relationship with our kids- it’s ongoing. It’s a practice of connecting, creating and tweaking agreements, problem solving, checking in, and finding solutions. […]By Casey O'Roarty
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