Don’t Talk To Me Like That! How To Handle Back Talk
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Your kids probably tested the waters of talking back when they were younger, but you may be shocked at the quality –and sheer quantity — of disrespect you face now [...]
Read more Don’t Talk To Me Like That! How To Handle Back Talk
Problem Solving
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Good communication is important in a family, but we can get stuck when we’ve shared what our issues are, and the person we’re sharing with has a different view. [...]
Read more Problem Solving
But Sometimes They Just Push My Buttons!
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Patience is an elusive concept for parents. It can either be something we have (or don’t – as in, “I don’t have a lot of patience for that behaviour”), something we are (or [...]
Read more But Sometimes They Just Push My Buttons!
Sometimes Kids Just Need To Hear No
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Nobody likes to disappoint their children. It’s hard to turn them down, crush their hopes, or deny them. And it’s particularly hard to deal with their unpleasant reactions [...]
Read more Sometimes Kids Just Need To Hear No
Doing What Works (And Quitting What Doesn’t)
Andrea Ramsay Speers
People have a tendency to think that if something should work, but it doesn’t, that the next step is to then do that thing harder, more often or more intensely. (For example, [...]
Read more Doing What Works (And Quitting What Doesn’t)
Goals of Misbehaviour Part 4: Inadequacy
Andrea Ramsay Speers
This month wraps up our four month series of trying to answer that nagging question, “Why do kids do that?” Having looked at the “goals” of gaining attention, power, [...]
Read more Goals of Misbehaviour Part 4: Inadequacy
Encourage To Flourish
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Encouragement Vs Praise What’s the difference? you may be asking yourself. It’s subtle, to be sure, and most of us never really gave it much thought. In a nutshell, [...]
Read more Encourage To Flourish
Goals Of Misbehaviour Part 3: Revenge
Andrea Ramsay Speers
The good news is that we are well on our way to understanding what is driving our kids’ behaviour. We’ve talked about the first two goals of misbehaviour, getting [...]
Read more Goals Of Misbehaviour Part 3: Revenge
Bathroom Technique
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Time outs are nothing new to parents. There are many, many parenting approaches that advocate using them with your children. But what about parents? Don’t we sometimes need [...]
Read more Bathroom Technique
A Yelling Resolution
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I was reading a little poll in an old Today’s Parent magazine. Even though it was from the December 2009 issue, I thought it would be interesting to post the poll and the [...]
Read more A Yelling Resolution