Staying the Course
Andrea Ramsay Speers
It’s easy to second-guess ourselves as parents. Whatever the situation is — trying to get our little one to sleep through the night, saying no to a 16 year old who [...]
Read more Staying the Course
“You’re Not The Boss of Me!”
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Power struggles are among the more frustrating parts of the parenting package. Why? Well, as Rudolph Dreikurs points out in his book Children: The Challenge, “Children [...]
Read more “You’re Not The Boss of Me!”
When Parents Clash
Andrea Ramsay Speers
What do you do when you and your partner have differences in parenting styles? It’s a surprisingly common dilemma. My experience is that, if we look at parenting as a [...]
Read more When Parents Clash
How To Keep Your Marriage Strong
Andrea Ramsay Speers
It’s not uncommon that I meet with couples who have come to counselling, but are a little unsure if they should even be there, since they don’t fight, they don’t storm out on [...]
Read more How To Keep Your Marriage Strong
Plan To Have Fun This Summer!
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Summer is upon us, and it’s a great time for fun family activities. But unfortunately, many parents don’t spend enough quality time with their kids, doing fun [...]
Read more Plan To Have Fun This Summer!
Parenting Book Recommendations
Andrea Ramsay Speers
A number of my clients have been asking for books that they can read that describe the same Democratic Parenting philosophy that I use in our sessions. I thought I might post [...]
Read more Parenting Book Recommendations
Out-of-Control Teens
Andrea Ramsay Speers
There is a general fear among parents in Oakville about “the teen years”. We hear all sorts of horror stories — ranging from the mild (won’t be seen [...]
Read more Out-of-Control Teens
Throwing The Game
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Kids love games. They love playing games with friends, and they particularly love playing games with their parents. This can sometimes lead to challenges for Mom and Dad, [...]
Read more Throwing The Game
Happiness At Home: Resolving Conflicts
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Every relationship has conflicts. In some relationships, conflict is a serious problem; in others, differences seem to be resolved without creating a major incident. Think [...]
Read more Happiness At Home: Resolving Conflicts
How To Encourage
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I was flipping through the book Breaking the Good Mom Myth — written by my MA colleagueAlyson Schafer — and discovered that she had a list remarkably similar to [...]
Read more How To Encourage