Redirecting Children's Behavior South Florida Teaches Workshop on How to End Power Struggles

Twenty-eight parents who reside at the Community Partnership for the Homeless in Miami attended I Don't Want To and You Can't Make Me: Effectively Handling Power Struggles on April 21st. Taught by Jane and myself as representatives of Redirecting Children's Behavior South Florida, this was the first in a monthly series of parenting workshops that we will be presenting at Community Partnership.

There was a warm feeling of community in the group of parents who participated in the workshop, many contributing to the discussion with suggestions that work for them. One mom puts her children “in charge” of areas in which they do well, such as laundry and cleaning up after meals. By allowing her children to lead, she not only side-stepped power struggles but also gave her children an opportunity to be successful. Another mom gave her son choices about when to do his chores rather than demanding that he do them immediately.

Formed in 1995, Community Partnership for the Homeless is a 501 C 3 non-profit organization with the mission of offering dignity and hope to all so that no persons sleep on the streets of our community. There was a palpable feeling of helpfulness and community at the residence. Whatever this group is doing, keep doing it!

We look forward to our next workshop on Handling Conflict Peacefully on May 19th!

For more on RCB South Florida, please visit www.RCBSouthFlorida.com.

Earth Day

This Wednesday, April 22nd, is Earth Day, a day set aside to inspire awareness about our Earth. We can inspire our children's curiosity about our environment and our impact on it in fun and informative ways. From turning off lights to composting to planting native plants, we can have fun while making a difference.

For ideas on how to inspire your children, please visit http://www.wholeheartedparenting.com/ and click on Families Go Green. You will find resources on how to determine your carbon footprint, programs where you can combine a family vacation with environmental activities in our National Parks, printable cards for children, websites with creative ideas for involving your children in environmental issues, and more.

Have a great week!

Whole Hearted Parenting has a Blog!

Whole Hearted Parenting now has a blog! Please visit for articles, comments and news of interest to parents and teachers. If there are topics you would like to know about, please e-mail Maggie at maggie_macaulay@msn.com.

We have some terrific teleseminars coming up in April, including Taming Those Tantrums (4/14), Taking the Hassles Out of Homework (4/20), and Would You Like a Little Cheese with that Whine? Effectively Handling Whining (4/28). Anyone in the United States can access these fun, live workshops that are done over the telephone and online. Audio downloads will be available.

Looking forward to more blogging!