Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Parenting Blogs: A Great Resource

It seems like everybody is blogging! Blogs are a terrific resource for all kinds of things, including parenting. With the frequent updates, variety of topics, and different views, blogs can give you new information, assist you in seeing things in a new way, and point you to another blog with even more information! Here are a few blogs on parenting that you might find helpful:

· MomsMiami – Edited by Charlene Pacenti and sponsored by The Miami Herald, MomsMiami is a very comprehensive blog, with Mom2Mom forums, lists of events for children, video and a place to “swap your stuff.” I blog for MomsMiami and enjoy it very much. Charlene arranges events at interesting places and has included our RCB South Florida team as speakers.

· Parental Wisdom –Tina Nocera of ParentalWisdom.com created and writes this blog, and her articles are thoughtful, loving and timely. Posts include “It’s a Bird; It’s a Plane; It’s a Helicopter Parent!”, “Pets Help Kids through Divorce”, and “Paying Our Dues to be Part of the Village.” Tina is a skillful connector, and I enjoy reading her posts.

· Sun-Sentinel – The Sun-Sentinel recently launched their parenting blog called Moms & Dads, and I’ve been invited to join their team of guest bloggers. Sun-Sentinel staff write columns, so there are a variety of topics and views.

· One Year in the Making – Although not specifically written for parents, the posts by Marijo Puleo are uplifting to read and carry over into parenting. Marijo writes inspiringly of family and her journey.

To find blogs, go to Google and click on “more” at the top. From the drop-down list, choose “Blogs” and then enter your search criteria.

Let me know your parenting blog discoveries and I’ll post them here and add them to Parenting News. Blog on!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Redirecting Children's Behavior

I’ve been talking to groups and individuals lately about power struggles and how the use of force is different from the use of influence. Power struggles – those tug-of-wars over who is right and who is the boss – are universal. You’ve probably experienced them with your children, spouse, manager, co-workers, and your own parents. Recall the amount of energy you are willing to spend proving how right you are! Ever notice that with all of that energy, nothing ever gets done? Nothing is accomplished in a power struggle and no one wins.

Through continual power struggles, a child learns that he can feel powerful when he resists, powerful when he proves that others are not the boss of him, and powerful because mom goes ballistic. The truth is we want our child to learn to feel powerful through cooperation, powerful through negotiation, powerful through helpfulness, and powerful through concern for others. Children who feel powerful in those positive ways grow into adults who are empowered. They then raise children who are empowered. When your child feels powerful, he will not power struggle. He has other options. When you feel powerful, you will not over-power your child. You have other options.

Your young children are not going to end the power struggles. It is up to you. There may not be a model for you to visualize when you decide to parent in a different way. That was how it was for me. I had no clue how to handle resistance without force. Taking the Redirecting Children’s Behavior™ course was the kick-start for my journey. It was in the RCB course that I learned how to recognize power struggles, how to get out of them and how to prevent them. The workshop on power struggles is still my favorite after ten years of teaching RCB because every day I see the difference that using that information has made in my family.

If you are experiencing power struggles at home, I invite you to take Redirecting Children’s Behavior™. You will become more influential and more peaceful. It will make a difference in your life, your family life and the next generation.

To find information on courses in south Florida, click here. To find courses across the country, click here.