A Listening Experiment
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Have you ever given much thought to how much talking you do? I try to be very aware of how much I talk — occupational hazard, I suppose — and I try to [...]
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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 [...]
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“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 [...]
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When You Don’t Like Your Teen’s Dating Choice
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Someone asked me recently what to do when you don’t like your teenage son or daughter’s boyfriend/girlfriend. It’s definitely a tricky subject. While as [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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, [...]
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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 [...]
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Holiday Drama
Andrea Ramsay Speers
With Easter around the corner, many families are planning get-togethers with extended family. And while this may be a pleasurable expectation for some people, it can hold a [...]
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That Awkward Stage
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Sometimes kids’ bodies grow faster than their brain is equipped to handle it. You may have noticed your young teen seems more gangly and uncoordinated lately, [...]
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