“I hate chicken! I won’t eat it.” My daughter wailed. We were driving home from a long day in London, and with no food at home, we decided to grab dinner out.
Question: “Just wondered if anyone had any advice for me?? I have two children, the eldest is a very strong willed 4-year-old daughter. My hubby and I have just taken the children on holiday with my parents. Every day my daughter has been a drama where she has had tantrums, continuous moaning and really ungrateful behaviour...In short, her behaviour has been truly awful on holiday!!
If you want outings with your child to be calm and enjoyable, then you need these 3 powerful coaching tools I’m going to be sharing with you.
As soon as you see your child’s tantrum begin and escalate, literally in the first few seconds, you can do these three things to defuse the situation. When you’re feeling very triggered, or have run out of patience, it’s simple enough that you can use it in the moment to get you the results you’re after.
I was recently asked- What can I do when my kids accidentally hurt a sibling? - either verbally or physically. It's not something we experience often, but my children don't think to say sorry. Their initial reaction is to blame the other person for it happening. An example would be snuggling in bed with one child. Another child jumps on the bed to join in and lands on a leg. Not intentional, just an overexcited accident. Rather than apologise and ask if you're OK, they blurt out "It isn’t my fault, it's your fault for having your leg there!" I get disappointed when they don't apologise after an accident or mishap.
If your child is cheating or a sore loser, we know that's not very healthy, and we often want to put a stop to it by any means. But when you really look at what's their need behind cheating or being a sore loser, it will completely shift your perspective and the way in which you respond to your child. I know many adults who still rage if they lose. My daughter used to be a sore loser, she’d storm off if she lost a game. If she didn’t win you could guarantee she’d fling the game and all its pieces across the room. Nothing changed until I understood what was really going on, and when I did it blew my mind.
Question: How do I get my children (6 & 3.5) to eat dinner without having a tablet in front of them?! We started using them occasionally to get them to just stay in their chair or they wouldn't eat a thing. Now I regret my decision. If I try to get rid of the tablets there is a joyful mix of screaming rage and sulking. The littlest will wander off. The 6yr old agrees with us that it shouldn't be there all the time but struggles as he's so used to it.
You might see your child as clever and bright, funny and gorgeous and be like “Why can’t you see what I see? Wake up! Get with it, you're worthy, you're amazing and the best thing that’s walked the planet.” As a parent we know how important healthy self-esteem is for our children. It affects everything, how they think and how they behave. Self-esteem has a massive impact on their mental health and their future success. We know that by having good self-esteem, you’ll generally feel more positive about yourself and more likely to best handle whatever life throws at you. No wonder it feels so hard to watch our kids suffer with low self-esteem.
I often get parents who reach out to me and let me know that they’ve tried the gentle approach. They tell me that they remain calm, explain their boundaries, and talk about emotions but yet their child is still not ‘behaving’ or is going wayyyyy past their boundaries, and they are at their wit’s end. They feel that they are “doing it wrong.” And although I wholeheartedly believe in the philosophy of gentle parenting, it falls short. You’re made to believe that validation and connection is enough to change a child’s behaviour. And it’s not.
Is your child not listening and talking back? If you’re in the middle of a power struggle and every day is stressful, read this! My life used to be one massive power struggle, yup! When our daughter hit the toddler years, she never listened to a single word I said. Every day was a battle of wills. Aghhh! I knew things needed to change pretty quickly before I lost the will to live. Using the steps I share with you below, I was able to turn things around, my daughter started to WANT to listen to me, her defiant behaviour melted away and calm returned.
Hi I’m Camilla!
I support parents to restore harmony to their household and fun to their family life.
I have a teen and a nearly teen and I know just what it’s like to navigate the trials and tribulations of parenting.
Dive into the large collection of blog posts for free parenting guidance.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
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It will give you a simple yet powerful way to gain the willing cooperation you’re after.
Imagine:
- No more shouting out of pure frustration
- No more bribing or threatening just to get your kids to do as you ask
- No more power struggles and stress