Side-Stepping Power Struggles
Andrea Ramsay Speers
“You’re Not The Boss Of Me!” There probably isn’t a parent alive who doesn’t cringe or roll their eyes at the phrase “power struggle”. We’ve all been there – and some of us [...]
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Decide What You Will Do
Andrea Ramsay Speers
We spend a lot of our time as parents trying to “make” our kids do things. Whether it’s making them hurry up, pick up after themselves, be polite, or make the bed, a lot of [...]
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Are The Inmates Running The Asylum?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
When parents learn some of the basic principles of Democratic Parenting, those with a background in more traditional “do as you’re told” parenting styles [...]
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The Truth About Effective Parenting
Andrea Ramsay Speers
When I’m working with parents, as we’re discussing some possible responses to kids’ misbehavior, they will often sigh and tell me just how hard it is, or how [...]
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A String on the Finger
Andrea Ramsay Speers
One of the things that never fails to set parents off is when kids are chronically forgetful. And it can be a long haul to get kids to accept the responsibility of [...]
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Why Chores Matter (And What Your Kids Can Start Doing Right Now)
Andrea Ramsay Speers
For most of us, cleaning the house is hardly the highlight of our day. We can, maybe, at least appreciate a clean house…but our kids are often far less motivated by the idea [...]
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How To Get Your Kids To Clean Up
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Parents today are in the habit of doing too much for their kids. Whether it’s cleaning up after them, taking over a school project, or just generally expecting too little [...]
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Real Work for Young Teens
Andrea Ramsay Speers
If you’ve got a teenager at home, the thought of a summer job has probably crossed your mind once or twice. Or maybe a thousand times. But your teen might be [...]
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Men At Work
Andrea Ramsay Speers
A lot of ink has been devoted to the work/life balance for moms, but are dads feeling the crunch too? I think they might be. While programs such as paternity leave have [...]
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The Connection Between Our Expectations and Independent Kids
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I recently read a very interesting article titled “My Rules For My Kids: Eat Your Vegetables; Don’t Blame The Teacher”. (Actually, the first version I saw was called [...]
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