Positive Discipline Parenting Blog

Positive Discipline for Teenagers: Chapters 1-3 

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be diving into Positive Discipline for Teenagers by Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott on the Joyful Courage podcast, offering a deep dive into the principles behind this parenting approach. We’ll be exploring how Positive Discipline can help us navigate the messy, wonderful teen years with a focus on…  …connection, […]

5 Tips to Get Your Baby to Sleep In

Does your baby wake up at 4am-5am? Infant early waking is usually an indication that something needs to change. Here are 5 tips to assess if these factors are contributing to those difficult early morning wakes.  Light stimulation Even the smallest amount of morning light creeping through your window or under your door, stimulates your […]

You Connected Your Child with a Therapist… Now What?

Have you connected your child with a therapist or counselor and want to know how best to support your child on this journey? Before your child begins with a mental health provider, it can be helpful to ask them some questions. If you haven’t asked these questions and the relationship is already established, don’t fear, […]

Making the Most of School Breaks with Your Nanny Kids

When I was a teacher, it felt like we were never on school break, but now that I’m a nanny, it seems like kids are always on school break!  Funny how that works.  While school breaks can be fun and refreshing, they also have a way of disrupting routines and leave us with long days […]

Empowering Encouragement: The Power of Trusting Your Teen’s Journey

Parenting a teen can feel like an emotional rollercoaster. As they navigate the ups and downs of adolescence, it’s easy to feel the urge to fix things, to rush them through the tough moments, and to offer solutions to their problems. But what if the best thing we can do for our teens isn’t to […]

Shifting from Worst Case Scenario to Trusting the Process With Our Teens

I say this a lot, but this season of parenting is messy. The terrain of adolescence is rough. It is the nature of the path, it is the nature of the season. Even when we are practicing our tools and setting up agreements and doing family meetings, it's still a rough season. I always get excited when I get to say that to people because I think there's a certain level of relief when you're reminded, "Hey, this isn’t necessarily you not being enough, this isn’t necessarily your kids having issues. This is the terrain. This is how adolescence feels." Granted, you might think, "Yeah, but this doesn’t look like what’s going on at my neighbor’s or my sister doesn’t seem to be having these issues with her teens." It’s all relative. It’s hard and every single thing that happens, including the challenges that show up with our teens, are an opportunity for us to… learn, to grow, to expand, and to get curious.