Schoolâs out for the summer, itâs a holiday weekend, so I thought Iâd share some of my favorite books with you. Each one of these has changed the way I look at the world and has impacted how I understand myself and my family. In short, each of these books has changed the way I [...]
Join other adoptive and foster moms (and moms-to-be) for a discussion group that is sure to help you on your parenting journey. The Connected Child, co-authored by Dr. Karyn Purvis, has become one of the most helpful and encouraging books for adoptive and foster parents. Dr. Purvis, together with Tapestryâs Amy & Michael Monroe, wrote [...]
There is a great parenting strategy I think we should all subscribe to; donât remove a coping mechanism or survival strategy from a child unless you have something better to replace it with. Donât create a vacuum if you are not prepared to fill it. Vacuums by definition cannot remain unfilled. If you're not equipped [...]
To be an effective agent of healing in your child's life you will need to understand their history and come to terms with your past. Both are necessary.
When I was a child, I wanted to be an airline pilot. I thought it would be the most romantic way to spend my days floating amongst the clouds. My dad traveled for work when I was a kid and when he came home, he would go down on one knee expecting a hug and [...]
Have you ever been in a restaurant and witnessed the interaction between a displeased customer and their waiter? It can be pretty tense depending on how difficult the customer makes it. But it is not the customerâs behavior that is the most interesting part of the interaction, itâs the response of the restaurant employees that [...]
Would you love to have a simple parenting tool you can start implementing right away that will help you build trust with your kids? There is one simple word that can make a huge difference... "YES!" An easy way to begin giving our kids more yesâs is to make a Yes Jar. Large open mouth [...]
One of the tools we teach in Empowered to Connect is having parents embrace the privilege of saying âYesâ to their children. Day one of our 2016 spring break was a day of saying yes at our house.
Finding ways to connect with your kids can be hard. Connection jars can give you a quick and easy way to add connecting activities to your everyday routine. Set a certain time each day and allow each of your kids to pick an activity from the jar. Spending just 5 minutes each day connecting with [...]
I donât do New Yearâs resolutions. I used to but found they were quickly broken, leaving me feeling defeated before the year was really underway. I tried goal setting but found my goals were too small for fear of failing at the big things or too big and, therefore, set me up for more failure. [...]