Do you make time for Special Time? Don't fret if you don't...yet!

We know that spending just a few minutes putting aside distractions and letting children lead play can boost our relationship with them, but that doesn't stop us running away from this type of Special Time.

On this week's episode Abigail and Elle look at the times they put off Special Time, and the ways they try to "cheat" the tool by using shortcuts. Abigail admits this tool is her weakest as well as the (unlikely) reason it feels hard, while Elle says she skimps on setting up the time properly!

They look at what causes parents to squirm around Special Time:

• Declaring Special Time
• Resisting the timing element. Is that mean?
• Bargaining at the end of Special Time
• Not wanting to listen to a child's upsets when Special Time ends

If you find yourself wanting to do Special Time while NOT wanting to do Special Time this episode is for you!

Get your freebies!

Watch these videos on why Special Time is so incredible for you and your child and get a checklist to help run it (without cheats!)

Our non cheatsheet is here for you whenever you need a nudge. And it's printable!

Keep Connected

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

 

It's 2018 already! Happy New Year! This week's podcast has a New Year's  flavor as Elle and Abigail talk about bringing change to yourself and your family.

What is the secret to making habits stick?

Abigail reveals she's big on studying on how habits work and reveals the three-step process she's used to help keep resolutions in the past. This is great news to Elle, who is less adept at adopting new ways that last beyond February!

They talk about the pressure we pile on when we devote ourselves to doing something new - especially when it comes to parenting.

Powerful Ways To Bring Change in Your Family

The moms introduce some small habits that could bring powerful change to parents and the way their family connects. Join Elle and Abigail as they talk about their own parenting habits, their wins, and their fails.

Discount on our book Listen - until January 9th!

Elle mentioned a discount on Hand in Hand Parenting's ultimate resource, the book Listen, Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges by Patty Wipfler and Tosha Schore. To get 20 percent off put Newyear in at the checkout when using the link. Offer is good through to January 9th and is available for the paperbook and ebook copies. The book is filled with hundreds of real-life examples from parents using Hand in Hand Parenting. Enjoy!

Get in Touch!

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

Sign up for Hand in Hand's Monthly Newsletter here

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com 

 

 

It's the season to be...making rituals?

What is a Ritual Anyway?

Elle asks this week are rituals the same as routine and is implementing them just a lot of extra work? Abigail mentions some family rituals that may already be in place in a family and that will become meaningful even if they are (currently) under the radar.

We look at what rituals are, at their heart, how rituals can be so very connecting for family, and how Special Time can be viewed as a regular family ritual through the holidays and beyond, to build long-lasting bonds and closeness between adults and the children they care for.

This week's podcast ends with a powerful story of a ritual created one Christmas season many years ago, which has come to define a family's holidays.

Come join us and listen to some soothing stories and support in your parenting.

Elle and Abigail wish you all well for the holidays.

Giveaways:

Elle mentioned two giveaways this week, and the details are right here. In time for the holidays, we're giving you a free download to the chapter on Special Time from Listen, Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges.

Click here for Free Chapter on Special Time

If you have to Listen already, try this video series on Special Time as “10-minute Tool” which also comes with a checklist you can use to keep your Special Time on track.

Get in Touch!

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Elle and Abigail would love.

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

 

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This week on the podcast Abigail introduces a counter-intuitive ninja parenting tool!

We talk about how offtrack behavior looks early on, what it signals, and why this tool responds where reasoning doesn't.

Both hosts talk about the times they've used this tool with successful outcomes, even though it feels completely counter-intuitive at first.

Please drop by and listen in if you:

• Have a hard time curbing your child's whining or unwanted behavior
• Are bored of yelling, bribing and offering consequences that don't work
• Would like a tool that works even when your child gets aggressive

If you are struggling to handle a child's aggressive behavior, this video series will help - with plenty of wisdom and practical, accessible tools to learn why it happens and what you can do. Get Video Tips To Help Stop Your Child's Aggressive Behavior

Get in Touch!

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Elle and Abigail would love.

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

 

The podcast starts today with a question: Is it too late to change how I parent? If not, how can I forgive myself for things i’m not proud of?

Abigail and Elle share a few parenting choices they made and feel less than proud of, as well as some inspiring ideas about how they made peace with their parenting, and how you can too. 

 Listen in if you've ever:

• Yelled or been forceful with your child and regretted it later
• Wished you'd found a more peaceful parenting approach earlier
• Are struggling to align old approaches with a new gentler one

This podcast lets us know why guilt feels good for no-one in the family and offers some uplifting words that we should all remember in our darker moments.

This Guide is for You!

This free guide for listeners is available now: 5 Revolutionary Ideas That Make Parenting Less Stressful 

Get in Touch!

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

Also find us on Stitcher and Podbean

Teeth-brushing, clothes changing and bathtime refusals, followed by endless requests for drinks, food, and "one more story." Yes, this week Elle and Abigail are talking sleep... or why kids don't want to!

Abigail admits to her own bedtime battles. She got so tangled up in her kids "needing to sleep," that she lost it time and time again when they refused until she reframed their pleas.

Tools for a Bedtime Transition

The two moms share tools parents can use to overcome these challenges, including Elle's current favorite, "The Squishes," before talking about handling that tug most of us get: Wanting our "own" time at night, as our kids ramp up desire to be with us.

How to Turn Bedtime Battles into A Time for Connection

Listen to the podcast and find out

• How to lean-in to bedtime even when you are busy
• How to interpret what your child is saying when he says "I won't go to bed"
• Fun ways to connect at bedtime

Download a bedtime games cheat sheet to help you all laugh away the tensions of the day before dream time.

If you want to read up on some fun ways to play at bedtime read The Benefits of Laughter at Bedtime

Get in Touch!

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message.

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

You can listen to this episode and every episode on iTunes. Don’t forget to subscribe!

What are you grateful for now? That’s the question Abigail poses to Elle this episode.

We’ll be talking about how we feel about being thankful during the thankful season, what happens if it feels difficult, and how we can inspire gratitude rather than demand it from our children?

Feelings about gratitude are often triggered around the holidays. In this episode, Abigail and Elle share ideas for:

• Promoting true gratitude in the family
• Making space to see and hear your child as they are and monitor your connection
• How to let children offload trusting they will go back to center

Special Time is a great tool for promoting gratitude. Find out how it works or deepen your knowledge with this free chapter on Special Time from our book Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges. 

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

You can listen to this episode and every episode on iTunes. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Elle and Abigail are talking about ways you can get children to listen and respond to your requests, without resorting to yelling or punishments.

Elle shares a story that happened that morning about her son refusing to come to the breakfast table and how they worked their way through the hurdle before he missed the school bus. Elle has an enlightening moment about her childhood breakfasts and how they might impact how she handles breakfast refusals. Meanwhile, Abigail recalls the time her son, as a 9th-month-old, gave a low growl that meant HE WAS NOT GOING TO EAT THE SPINACH PUREE, and reveals a more hopeful story.

Practical Tips and Tools for Getting A Child to Listen

They talk about why so often parental requests seem to go unheard, and what parents can do to avoid resorting to shouting, bribing or coercing action.

• Why “shoulds” make requests to hard to give, hard to hear, and annoying when they are ignored
• How tracing your triggers helps you decide which battles to fight going forward
• How to blend your parental wisdom with your child’s innate desire to do things
• Ways to connect so that more of your requests get heard

Listen as Abigail and Elle share parenting tools that can be applied to almost any situation, from setting screen time limits to getting out the door on time.

Free gifts, links and mentions…

The giveaway that Elle mentions about Listening Partnerships is wonderful and can be found here.

She also mentions the post What If Parenting Is an Emotional Practice?

We’d love to hear about the issues affecting you and your family. You can follow Hand in Hand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to drop Elle and Abigail a message

You can contact Abigail Wald about parenting courses and consultations at realtimeparenting.com

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter 

You can listen to this episode and every episode on iTunes. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Elle and Abigail talk about the difficulties they, and many parents have, setting limits on screen time. They view the issues that worry us most, from the addictive nature of screens to the disconnection, bartering, and bribery that seems to step up around them.

Though they are on very different parenting journeys, Elle and Abigail have a lot in common, including Hand in Hand Parenting. Hear why they want to share that with you.