Parenting Doctors Podcast

Developing Your Children To Become Overcomers Of The Sharing Problem

All siblings argue and engage in conflict making sharing difficult sometimes.  Positive households with warmth, good communication skills, and unconditional acceptance by parents make repair attempts and subsequent sharing easier.  But, sharing can still be difficult.  The One-Child Mentality ("Syndrome") makes sharing even harder to develop.   Still, sharing is hard for everybody.  We can help children be overcomers with regards to problems with sharing.  Both short term common sense strategies and long-term solutions are provided.  

Two Family Techniques for Dealing with Household Chaos & Overwhelm: 5 Senses Strategy and the Mindfulness Grounding (Countdown) Technique

Do you ever feel overwhelmed as a parent?  Do you ever feel like you have lost control or are on the verge of "losing it" in the face of chaos?  If that is you, you seem normal to me!!  But, we know that maintaining poise is key in the face of the pressures of life and parenting.

Here are two techniques that can help you keep it together and regain control.  Most importantly, these techniques can help your kids regain control of themselves.  The 5 Senses Strategy is useful in bringing down the sympathetic activity and anxious energy.  It increases focus and reduces anxiety.  The mindfulness grounding (countdown) technique helps kids (and parents) regain control when things seem chaotic, overwhelming, and out of control.  This technique can help kids regain control and get grounded again.  

Protective Parents: Five Nights At Freddy's?

Protective Parents: Five Nights at Freddy's?  I taught seminars with approximately 100 educators and mental health clinicians this week in Alabama.  One of the issues that came up this week is the issues associated with video games.  Parents use video games for baby-sitting purposes.  We've known for decades that video games increase aggression.  Lately, there have been some games that are increasing psychiatric symptoms.  I heard several reports this week from professional therapists in a variety of capacities and teachers who observe significant sleep issues, distressing dreams, sleep terrors, and sleep walking after playing Five Nights at Freddy's.  Recommendations are provided.  

Pivotal Moment Involvement

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We have seen the devastating effects of parental uninvolvement.  And, we have seen the research and media identify the concerns regarding over-involvement (i.e. snow plow parenting, helicopter parenting).  What about Pivotal Moment Involvement?  Common sense parenting tells us that Pivotal Moment Involvement (PMI) is critical in child development.  This podcast emphasizing the value of pivotal moment involvement in parenting.  These are those important moments in the life of your child.  The idea "you won't get that moment back" is true. Listen to today's podcast and be reminded, encouraged, and stimulated with five simple reminders on how to approach pivotal moment involvement.  

Does Parenting Decrease Happiness?

Does parenting decrease happiness?  Parenting is the epitome of inconveniences.  With regards to happiness, the pleasant life does suggest that happiness goes down.  But, the good life and the meaningful life cause happiness to go up.   Engaged parents, as opposed to disengaged parents, can do specific things to increase engagement, meaning, and subsequently happiness.  

Interpersonal Joining

Parents can do a lot to not embarrass their child or leave them out there alone for uncomfortable moments.  "Can we have another milk.  Lisa spilled it."  Instead.... Say, "Could we please have another milk, we spilled it." (Or, "I spilled it.").  

This podcast emphasizes some of the keys to joining with your child.

The Problem Of Overemphasizing Personality Traits

To emphasize personality functioning minimizes the power of love in parenting.  

There is a misperception in parenting – you are smart if you can describe your kid’s personality really well.   

Shaping, reinforcing, instructing, teaching, guiding, instilling, strength-building are all more important jobs as parents than coming up with descriptions of your child’s personality.  

Conflict Resolution Part 2: Sibling Conflict Is Good!

In Part 1, I suggested two belief changes for all parents:

- Conflict is positive, not a negative in family life.

- Promoting conflict as a healthy pillar in childhood development, maturity, and education.  

- I suggested 3 phases of sibling conflict: problem identification, solution exploration, and solution focused agreement.

In Part 2, identifying emotions, summarizing the other person's (sibling's) position, and using "I" language instead of "You" language.  

Sibling Conflict Is Good!

Conflict is Good

Since the beginning of time, siblings have fought.  Everybody in my generation who had siblings understands sibling rivalry and arguing. 

Arguing is a part of life. 

I’ve taken some time to look at sibling conflict from a different parenting angle.

I see conflict as good and I encourage arguing.   

Not Letting Anything Go!