I love Thanksgiving. It might just be my favorite holiday. I didn’t grow up recognizing a national day of thanks and so I look forward to celebrating this year again. I love the way it smells, the weather is usually perfect, and there’s football to watch. You could accuse me of being an idealist, but [...]
Author: Ryan North
Ryan North is the Co-Founder of One Big Happy Home and creator of The Empowered Parent Podcast. He is a recognized expert on childhood trauma, a TBRI Practitioner, and develops training materials for parents, schools, churches, and child-placing agencies. Ryan is a sought-after speaker known for his engaging and practical approach to communicating complex issues clearly and relatable to a wide range of audiences.
Embracing Hard Things: Foster Care
Being a foster parent can be difficult, but we need to embrace difficult things. http://vimeo.com/111463024
Playful Engagement
One of my favorite parenting strategies is one that is easy to forget -- playful engagement. It’s easy to see why. We spend so much time focused on correcting our kid’s behaviors that we don’t spend enough time connecting with them. Who has time for play when the goal is behavior modification? We want obedience. [...]
The Importance of Attachment
"Where attention goes, neurons fire. Where neurons fire, things wire." - Tina Payne Bryson #TapCon14
Give Your Child Permission to Process Feelings
http://vimeo.com/10805836
5 Reasons You Can’t Miss the Tapestry Conference this Year
This year’s Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference will be held October 24 & 25 at Irving Bible Church and will feature unique content across two full days. You are invited to attend one or both days. Our theme this year is Discipline that Connects and Corrects. We would love to have as many families as possible join us for one, or both days, as we share our successes and failures, our victories and shortcomings as we try to connect with our kids while we correct them.
Repair Your Mistakes: Apologize to Your Kids
The Bible says the children are a blessing from the Lord. That’s a big, sobering statement because as their parents we have the responsibility to raise them well. There are days when I feel like I get it wrong and I know I have to repair the relational wounds and distance I created. Let’s look [...]
What About Gratitude?
Let me start by saying that I believe that most people mean well. However, good intentions are just that, good intentions and nothing more. As an adoptive dad I’ve heard many comments and questions over the years that have made me smile, grit my teeth, want to explode, and everything in-between. Some days I wonder [...]
Total Voice Control
Possibly one of the most practical and useful tools Dr. Purvis teaches parents is what she calls “Total Voice Control.” This tool equips parents to focus on how they use their own voice when interacting with their child. Watch as Michael Monroe talks about how parents can use this tool to focus on how they [...]
Why Can’t You Just Move On?
We have just completed another commencement season here in Texas. High schools and colleges were graduating people by the thousands most weekends between mid-May and mid-June. In the midst of it all, I attended a high school graduation and was very impressed as I listened to the kids speak and as I heared about their [...]