No matter how many parenting tools you have, no matter how good your intentions are, you’re going to make mistakes as a parent. You’re going to do things you regret. And while you may KNOW that you’re going to make mistakes -- that you’re human and far from perfect -- you may still worry about how your “mistakes” impact your kids. In this episode, you’ll learn why it’s actually important for your children to see you making mistakes. You’ll also learn a simple strategy for handling those mistakes in a way that supports your child, even when things don’t go perfectly for them in your relationship.

We know it’s our job to teach our kids how to act more responsible. But what happens when you can’t find consequences that work to motivate long-term responsible behavior?  In this episode, you’ll learn why most of the strategies we use as consequences aren’t effective in the long run… and what to do instead to foster internal motivation so that kids do what they’re supposed to do, even when we’re not around.

Many parents these days are feeling guilty, especially as we’re stressed or depleted and taking that Yuck out on our families (or dealing with Yuck in other ways that we regret). The truth is that most of us DON’T know how to deal with our Yuck in a healthy way. In this episode, we’ll discuss why so many of us struggle in this area... and how we can use that knowledge to act more in line with our values and experience less guilt and regret.

Because kids have been home for so long, many of the activities that they used to enjoy are no longer engaging them. So they are bored, and as a result, their behavior has become more negative. While many parents recognize that kids’ boredom leads to misbehavior, most aren’t sure what to do about it -- beyond saying “Go find something to do!”... which inevitably doesn’t work for long! In this episode, we’ll discuss why so many of kids’ negative behaviors (more than you probably realize!) are related to their boredom, why the solution isn’t entertaining them yourself all day long, and what to do instead.

As parenting seems harder and more depleting these days, it’s easy to focus on the things that we’re doing wrong. We may worry that we’re letting our kids spend too much time on screens… or that we’re not supporting them in the “right” way. Unfortunately, focusing on what we’re doing wrong doesn’t change anything… and it wastes precious energy. Instead, focusing on our strengths actually saves energy AND improves our relationship with our children. In this episode, you’ll learn how to identify your strengths (even if you’re not sure right now what they are!) and turn them into simple, concrete action steps that can help you feel less exhausted and less guilty.

You may know all of the reasons that spending one-on-one time with your kids is important, and you’ve probably experienced the positive effects of having this time with them. But these days most of us are just trying to get through the day, so finding the time and energy for one-on-one time seems impossible -- especially when you’re dealing with their resistance to spending time with you… or with meltdowns when their time with you is over. In this episode, Rachel will share tips for making one-on-one time work… and how to make sure you and your kids are getting the most out of it when it happens.

Parenting takes energy. Even at the most basic level, we have so much to do because we are taking care of multiple people who depend on us. However, many of us are spending more energy than we have to spend… and as a result, we’re more depleted, irritable, and unhappier than we need to be. In this episode, learn changes you can make (that don’t take extra time!) to give yourself what you need, give your kids what they need, and to parent with less stress and less energy.

One of the most frustrating behaviors for many of us as parents is when we try to tell our kids something… or teach them something… or ask them to do something... and they act disrespectful or even defiant. So how can we set effective boundaries if they won’t even listen to us? Increasing your positive influence and motivating better behavior, moods, and attitudes isn’t about “convincing” kids to do anything. It’s about approaching them in a way that makes them open to listening. In this episode, you’ll learn exactly what that looks and sounds like.

There is a lot of negativity in many of our homes right now. We’ve been home together for a long time, and it’s likely that we will continue to be in this situation for a little while longer. Unfortunately, the way we usually approach our unwanted behavior, moods, and attitudes only increases the negativity. So instead of trying to make these issues go away, we need to reduce the Yuck that’s causing them to begin with… and in this episode, you’ll learn a very simple action you can take to do just that.

Few of us have extra energy these days. Between trying to get things done and trying to keep kids entertained, off of screens, and not fighting, we are exhausted. We certainly don’t feel like we have the energy to be consistent. Yet it’s consistency -- following through when we tell our kids that we’re going to do something -- that actually gives us more energy. Consistency leads to fewer power struggles, fewer meltdowns, and less time spent nagging. And the best news is that there are simple strategies that make following through even easier -- strategies that you can use now (even when you’re currently exhausted) so that you can, ultimately, be less exhausted.