How can you stop all the over-negotiating and over-explaining as a parent and get your child to accept ‘no’ for an answer? Try these seven practical tips. Articles referenced in episode: https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/no-means-no-how-to-teach-your-child-that-you-mean-business/ The Total Transformation® Program: https://www.empoweringparents.com/product/total-transformation-program-subscription/ Our website: https://www.empoweringparents.com/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.empoweringparents.com/newsletter-signup/ Parent coaching: https://www.empoweringparents.com/product/parent-coaching/

Is your child’s answer to everything, “I don’t care” or “It doesn’t matter?” Parents often think that if they can find a new way to encourage their child, he or she will magically start achieving more. I don’t think it’s like that at all. I think the problem is that these kids are motivated to resist, to withdraw, and to underperform. They act out by acting in. Here's what you can do as a parent if you find yourself in this situation. Articles referenced in episode: https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/motivating-underachievers-part-i-when-your-child-says-i-dont-care/ The Total Transformation® Program: https://www.empoweringparents.com/product/total-transformation-program-subscription/ Our website: https://www.empoweringparents.com/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.empoweringparents.com/newsletter-signup/ Parent coaching: https://www.empoweringparents.com/product/parent-coaching/

How would you stay alive if you had to hunt and grow your own food, search for fresh sources of water and live without electricity, using only your wits and skills? The truth is most kids don’t possess those extraordinary life skills, let alone the mundane ones we all need to make it in the real world—like balancing the checkbook.

When you’re out in public places with your kids, it can feel like your every move is on display. It’s like theater, where everyone is a critic. For Empowering Parents Contibuting Editor Jennie Wallace, her family took center stage this past weekend.  

A few months ago, we asked Empowering Parents readers to share how they respond when their child acts out. There were three parenting styles that readers consistently told us they were using and weren’t working the way they would like. The common denominator?  All three undermine your authority as a parent.    

Siblings bicker; it's what they do. They tease, taunt and fight. It can drive parents crazy and wear us down, making our homes chaotic and at times, unlivable. On today's podcast, learn 6 ways you can stop sibling bickering and rivalry--from calm parenting expert, Debbie Pincus.

When your child lies to you, it stirs up a potent mix of emotions. You might feel angry, hurt and offended all at once. Lying is extremely upsetting for parents because it shakes the foundation of trust we have in our child. Learn how you can talk to your child about lying on today's podcast.

As parents, we all have our triggers: the things our kids do and say that set us off.  And many of our triggers are related to backtalk and the shocking and hurtful things kids say when they’re angry. Learn when you should ignore backtalk and when you shouldn't on this week's podcast.

On today’s podcast we’ll be going over 4 constructive steps you can use to change your child’s behavior. To download our free Goal Worksheets, go here: www.empoweringparents.com/4-steps-change-child-behavior.php  

Parenting is one job that never takes a holiday vacation. As families are celebrating holidays, parents are also coping with sibling bickering, backtalk, temper tantrums, and power struggles. Use these 8 Parenting Tips to help you prepare for the New Year.

The holidays can be a tough time for everyone. And when you’re parenting an oppositional, defiant or challenging child, the holidays can be more than tough; they can be downright awful. In response, Kim Abraham has written a Message of Hope for Parents of Defiant Children.  

When your child acts out or breaks the rules, it’s normal to feel your authority as a parent slip away. If you’re like most parents, you’ve tried everything: you’ve taken the car away, locked the video games in a cabinet, and have even considered cancelling Christmas or a birthday party. You’ve probably also seen that these things haven’t worked.  

Sometimes disrespect comes along with adolescence; other times a child may show disrespectful behavior from an early age. Either way, it’s a behavior that can push any parent’s emotional buttons! Learn how you can respond with these 5 techniques, from the authors of The ODD Lifeline program.  

As parents, we want to give our children what makes them happy; we don’t want them to feel left out or get teased because their boots, phone, or brand name hoodie is last year’s model. And when we’re unable (or even when we’re unwilling) to buy the “latest and greatest,” we often feel terribly guilty. To avoid those feelings of guilt, here are 8 questions to ask yourself before buying anything.  

You put in the work: you raised your child, got them through school, and prepared them as best you could for living on their own as an adult. You were really looking forward to having the house to yourselves again. Finally, a little peace and quiet! Then, you find out your adult child has decided to live at home. Now what? Learn new ground rules for how to manage this situation on today's podcast.  

You thought “The Terrible Twos” were bad. Now you’re dealing with “The Terrible Thirteens,” and it’s just as bad, if not worse. On today's podcast, Dr. Michael Kramer writes how you can stop teen temper tantrums in just 3 steps.  

Do you have an ODD child or teen who constantly argues and fights your authority, refusing to follow the rules of your home?Believe it or not, there are definite strengths that go hand-in-hand with that challenging, ODD personality. This week, we’re going to show you how to see your child through a different lens,with stories of ODD kids who have worked with Kimberly Abraham and Marney Studaker-Cordner, the authors of The ODD Lifeline program.    

“Why can’t I get my kids to get their homework done and off to bed without the constant screaming, bickering, and crying?” If you’ve asked yourself this question regularly, you’re not alone. Parents say that homework and bedtime battles are some of the most nerve-wracking, exhausting moments of parenthood. We're here to help you get through it with 8 Tips for Calmer Nights with Kids.

Do your kids make you feel like an ogre when you set limits? Does the word “no” kick off whining, yelling and protests?It can be hard to know if the limits you set are reasonable or not. On top of that, how do you know that the limits you set even work? Whether you’re just beginning to set limits, or you’re adjusting your limits to match your child’s unique needs and developmental changes, it doesn’t hurt to have a little help.

Some parents go to conferences expecting glowing reports, but many of us dread them. Maybe it’s because you’ve had a prior bad experience and felt powerless, or that you weren’t a good enough parent. If you're dreading parent-teacher conferences, try Anna Stewart's new approach.  

Jerry Sandusky. Michael Jackson. Mary Kay Letourneau. All of these individuals were accused and/or convicted of committing unspeakable crimes against children. While certainly upsetting, these high profile cases are a good opportunity to spark a conversation with your kids about staying safe, as parents are the first and most powerful line of defense against predators.

What do you do when your morning routine just isn’t working? On today’s podcast, we’ll help you get back on track for the school year with 6 Ways to Fix Your Morning Routine, by Megan Devine.    

When you look at kids and people in general, it’s easy to see that we all have differences in our “wiring;” in how our brains work. As a parent, you see these differences between your children every day. On today’s podcast, child psychologist and author of The Total Focus program, Dr. Robert Myers, writes 6 Brain-Training Exercises For Children and Teens.  

Sometimes us parents don’t think we’re anxious because we’re not trembling in our boots. There’s often no visible signs of how anxious we are. Yet when we look inside our heads, we notice that we spend a lot of time thinking about our kids—sometimes scary thoughts about things that haven’t even happened. On today's podcast, learn 5 ways you can relieve parental anxiety.  

Why can’t your kid just follow one simple direction? It’s annoying, right? It’s not like you’re asking them to do something complicated. What you ask is really quite simple:  Fold your laundry. Walk the dog. Take the trash out. Clean your room. So why do you have to say the same thing fourteen times, with your voice and your blood pressure rising every time? On today's podcast: Ask Once and Your Kid Does It: 5 Ways to Make It Happen, by Megan Devine.  

Even as adults, managing our anger can be hard, and we’ve had years of practice. For our children, who are just learning about their emotions, keeping their anger in check can be especially difficult. As parents, we can help by teaching our children to recognize what sets them off so that they too can keep their anger in check. On today's podcast, learn 8 Steps to Anger Management for Kids.  

What can you do when your child just refuses to get up and go to school? You’ve yelled, nagged, pleaded and even tried bribing her, but she just digs her heels in and says, “Nope, not going, no matter what you do.” Maybe this has never happened to you—or maybe it happens every day. On this week's podcast, learn exactly what you can and can't control as a parent.

What causes bad child behavior? James Lehman says it happens because children don’t yet know how to solve problems effectively. To put it another way, they're trying to handle many of the situations that life throws at them by acting out. On today's podcast, 5 tips to help you cope with bad child behavior.

Does it seem like every time you tell your child “No,” it turns into a tug-of-war? Many parents find themselves in a negotiation with their children when they are met with any kind of resistance. On today's podcast, 5 tips to help you avoid over-negotiating with your child.

As parents, we know the importance of parenting from our principles, things like teaching our children to own up to their actions and face the fallout when they make poor choices. And you’ve tried. You’ve talked to your child over and over, you’ve explained your reasoning repeatedly. You’ve given them restrictions, taken things away and grounded them for a month. Yet nothing seems to be getting through. It could be time to look at the difference between punishing your child and using consequences.

While you likely have good intentions, doing too much for your child can have unforseen consequences. Find out if you "over-do" for your child and learn how to fix it on today's podcast.  

Many of us can recall summer days spent playing games outside with friends, riding bikes, playing hopscotch, or making forts in the woods. Now, though, it seems like most kids prefer to lead a wired existence, constantly connected to some electronic device.On today’s podcast: 4 steps you can take to manage your child’s screen time, by Sara Bean.    

We don’t always like our kids. It’s a truth we don’t often admit, even to ourselves. It’s important to accept the fact that you won’t always like your kids—and they won’t always like you. This is especially hard for parents of difficult, acting out kids to deal with. But the fact is, you’re on your way to less guilt and a better relationship with your child when you can acknowledge your feelings.  

Since Colorado voters passed a law earlier this year legalizing the sale and purchase of marijuana, many parents have wondered what this means for their children’s future. As a resident of Colorado, Dr. Joan Simeo Munson has been bombarded with questions from concerned parents wondering not only how to broach this topic with their kids, but how to frame their responses and keep kids healthy and safe.

Many parents are at a loss for what to do with their older children during the summer months – they may get the summer off, but you probably don’t. That leaves a whole chunk of time to fill each day. How do you know if your child is responsible enough to be left home alone? What if you know he isn’t, but he won’t stop begging to be in charge of his own schedule this summer?

Have you ever wondered what’s going on inside of your teenager’s head? What was she thinking when she made that choice? Why won’t he listen to what I’m telling him? It can seem as if an adolescent is completely wrapped up in a separate world, feet planted firmly in the air instead of on the ground. As parents, we often come away bewildered or frustrated when our teen’s perspective seems so utterly different from our own.

Is your child forgetful, irresponsible, moody and prone to daydreaming? Does he seem to lack motivation and become easily bored? This behavior could be related to SCT, or "Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Disorder." This new way of looking at certain ADHD-like symptoms in kids has been generating quite a bit of controversial buzz in the media lately. Listen for 4 ways to help your child focus.

We all know that kids can act in many disrespectful and rude ways to parents: they can slam doors, roll their eyes, and tell you they hate you, to name a few. It’s natural to get very worried and frustrated and wonder if these types of behaviors constitute out-and-out abuse, or just “rudeness and mild disrespect.” How can a parent know when these rebellious and rude behaviors have crossed over a boundary and gone way too far?

When Anna Stewart's son received his GED this year, she put together a small scrapbook for him with photos, quotes, and cards from his friends. She also considered the life skills he’s already mastered and thought about the ones he’s still working on. The big "aha moment?" Realizing that everything else in life builds upon the ability for kids to be able to do these five things.

You know the drill: you’re trying to talk to your teen about curfew. Or dinner. Or absolutely anything—and they pretend they can’t hear you. They start an argument with you, or give you an eye roll and a "Whatever." Licensed clinical therapist and regular Empowering Parents contributor Megan Devine writes 3 ways to get your teen to listen, on this week's podcast.

What is at the heart of most helicopter parenting? Anxiety—about our kids’ safety, happiness, and ability to navigate in the world. Many of us spend a large percentage of our time second guessing every move we make as parents. Our minds cause us to project our worst fears onto them – we love them so much and we want to protect them from any harm. Learn how you can stop worrying and avoid helicopter parenting with these 6 tips from Debbie Pincus, author of The Calm Parent: AM & PM

The truth is, from the very beginning being a mother is a balance of taking care of your kids while letting them grow up and learn from their mistakes. Your role of simply loving and protecting your baby from pain and discomfort changes to one of accepting that your child or teen will need to experience natural consequences for his or her actions. The hard part (for them and for us!) is that these consequences almost always include some discomfort, disappointment or pain.

When we think of peer pressure, we typically have a picture in our minds of a kid handing another kid a cigarette, a joint, or a beer and saying something like, “Come on, just try it.” But at times, peer pressure can be felt without a single word being spoken.This week we're talking about five of the top peer pressure situations, with ways you can help your child or teen handle them.  

Do you ever struggle with temper tantrums at your house? You know what they involve: yelling, screaming, bad language and all-out loss of control until you almost can’t take it anymore. Maybe you just want to…put yourself in time out? Yes, we're talking about our own parental "temper tantrums," which we’ve all been known to experience at one point or another as we raise our kids. Listen now for Dr. Joan's tips on how to stay in control.

“I love my son, but things are getting really rough. I never expected him to still be living at home in his twenties. I don’t mind helping him while he gets on his feet, but most of the time he acts like he’s still thirteen – and he’s twenty three! This is not what I pictured!” If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Listen now to learn how you can promote healthy boundaries in your home.

At Empowering Parents, we talk a lot about “effective” versus “ineffective” parenting styles. In fact, James Lehman reminds us that it’s not about whether your parenting style is right or wrong, it’s about whether it’s effective. Listen now for 5 ineffective things to avoid doing when parenting teens, and what you can do differently.

When your kids are driving you crazy, it’s natural for the negatives to loom larger in your mind than the positives. Soon we start to see certain traits as something we need to “fix.” While it’s important to address misbehavior, the actual characteristic that aggravates you in your child may not necessarily be a bad thing. “Changing the lenses in your glasses” can help you see your kids’ behaviors in a different light so you can parent more effectively.

Do you ever find yourself wondering, “When will this child stop defying me and just start doing what I ask?” Dealing with a young child or toddler can be incredibly frustrating, not to mention exhausting and annoying. The good news is there is help in dealing with defiance in young kids—and the solutions are easier than you may think.

On this week's episode we're talking about a difficult subject that is sadly becoming more prevalent: when kids and teens' behavior crosses the line and becomes abusive. Learn the warning signs and responses to parental abuse with tips from Kim Abraham and Marney Studaker-Cordner, co-creators of The ODD Lifeline Program and Life Over The Influence.

Is your child or teen fighting with you every step of the way, from refusing to get up on time in the morning, to complaining about homework at night? Janet Lehman, renowned child therapist and co-creator of The Total Transformation Program, shares her insight with 5 tips to help your child or teen get more motivated.

All kids push the limits, but the stress this causes parents can range anywhere from overwhelming to nearly unbearable. These parenting tips will help you learn exactly what to say and do in these difficult situations.