JOIN US AND OTHER PEACEFUL PARENTS
Welcome! You’ve come to the right place if you want to create a strong, loving relationship with your kids. You don’t have time to read all the books about brain science, child development and psychology. You've heard that studies show punishments and rewards are not effective in the long term. You feel lost when your kids melt down or when they don’t “play nicely”
Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
~ Albert Einstein
From The Blog
How to be happy, regardless of your child’s behavior
Real quick. I’ve been realizing that it’s a trap to think, “I’ll be happy when my child does X” or “I’ll stop worrying if my child stops doing Y” or “I’ll feel accomplished as a parent when my child accomplishes Z”. Yet, we have these kinds of thoughts about our kids...
Why Play is Important to Adult Humans
This morning I watched a little bird from my bedroom window. The bird was all by itself, sitting in the hundred-year-old oak tree in our backyard. As I watched it, it taught me something really important about being a parent–and being a human–that is backed by...
Parents! Flooded with Feelings? Do this!
Have you ever lost it with your child, but then afterward thought, “Wow, where did THAT come from?” This has certainly happened to me… I’m trucking along in my day and then (wham!) something happens with a family member and a sleeping dragon gets woken up from inside...
When parenting is overwhelming
I’m having one of those days.You’ve probably had them too…When you have too much to do, and too little time to do it. It started with a fitful night of sleepA morning argument with a family member that I blamed myself forThings took longer than anticipatedAnd are not...
When a child misbehaves, is it the parent’s fault?
When my child struggles, misbehaves or acts out, I can sometimes get into the trap of blaming myself. I’m guessing that you can relate to this too. I know I’m not alone in this because in my work with parents, self-judgment and blame are a pretty common pattern....
Limit setting when there isn’t a choice
A mom asked us, as a gentle, nonviolent parent, if using force is ever justified. For example, is it okay to physically restrain a child to get a necessary medical procedure done? Here’s what she wrote… “Our 8-year-old understands she needs a medical procedure. We...