Archive for August, 2008

When it comes to discipline we have two basic strategies. We can do something that will “feel good” when children obey and we can do something that will “feel bad” when children do not obey.” This might sound overly simplistic, but truthfully this is all we have available to us.
Don’t become dishearted! These two basic [...]

I have had many “coaches” throughout my life.   However, the most important coaches were my parents.  My parents helped me to learn how to walk, to learn to accept “no” without throwing a tantrum, to learn moral principles of social interactions, and many many other things. Some of the things they taught me were content [...]

I think the most important second step for any parenting strategy is to build and maintain a deep emotional connectedness with our children. It is the emotional glue that holds us together. Without bonding we are more like things than people. We are like objects that occupy space that may or may not serve our [...]

I remember the story of a young college student who wanted to become a biologist. He went to the professor of his biology class and asked if the professor would help him learn. The professor agreed and then turned to a glass jar with a big dead fish inside. He removed the fish and handed [...]

The ABCD’s of parenting are as follows: Assess, Bond, Coach, and Discipline. I have worked with families for years and have found in general that parents spend some time doing the A, B, and C but not enough. In addition, they too quickly move to D. I have found that spending much more time in [...]