Have you ever found yourself in a very toxic pattern with your child? Maybe it is a constant power struggle, a battle of wills, talking back, not listening, yelling…the list goes on and on. How do you get out of it? This first part can be very tricky, until you understand what I am going…
I have heard from a lot of moms of teens lately, so I knew I needed to address this age group in this week’s blog. I’ve gotten calls, emails and found myself in conversations with parents who are struggling to connect with their teen. Here are 5 steps you can take to connect with your…
This past week, both of my sons had plans with their friends. I took this beautiful opportunity to take my 13-year-old daughter to see the movie Eighth Grade. This is a film all about the awkwardness of middle school and the common challenges that kids in middle school face. The movie is rated R, which…
Screens, video games and social media are three of the things parents struggle with the most. I have seen a huge increase in challenges among parents with these topics over the past 25 years that I have been working with parents and families. Technology is a constantly-evolving thing, but one thing I know for sure…
Parenting is hard – no doubt about it – probably the hardest thing we will ever do. And we just cannot do it alone. That is where the inspiration for Building Connected Families came from for us. How many times are we in the middle of a really stressful situation with our child and we…
Anxiety can be a crippling burden sometimes, and it shows up in many forms – from headaches, sweating, trembling, excessive worrying, rapid breathing and increased heart rate, to feeling weak or tired, having difficulty concentrating or just feeling nervous, restless or tense. Most of us worry from time to time, but when we carry the…
It is back-to-school time and another fall sports season is about to begin. For me, it will be my seventh year coaching youth soccer for my youngest of three children. Based upon the inspiration and ideas of John O’Sullivan, I would like to offer the following tips to parents of young athletes to have a…
We were leaving for church last Sunday, and my 8 year old was playing on his iPod. This is not an unusual occurrence and my son is usually the first one ready each day when we need to leave so it is rarely an issue. But as is usual in the summer, our routine has…
This week is a busy week for me. My kids finish school tomorrow. The next day – Wednesday – is the first official day of summer break for them and then I leave for a work conference on Thursday. My younger two kids do not particularly love when I travel for work, so last year…
Here is my recent interview with John O’Sullivan, author of Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids. John is originally from New York and graduated in 1994 from Fordham University, where he was a soccer team captain as a senior and a member…
