Megan Whitesides Coaching

I love this quote by Andy Smithson. "The sign of great parenting isn't the child's behavior.  The sign of truly great parenting is the parent's behavior." This is such a great quote to ponder.   How do I respond when my child is having a tantrum? How do I respond when my kids are fighting? How do I respond when my kid is annoying? How do I respond when my kid won't do what I ask? How we respond makes a HUGE difference in how things will go.  It is hard to stay calm sometimes, but it makes a big difference.  I want to offer a few things that may help you to stay calm. 1.  You don't have to take action right away.  It's very beneficial to wait until you and your child are calm to either talk or enforce consequences. 2.  Take a time out yourself.  I remember feeling so mad at my son that I wanted to throw him in his room.  When I take a min. to be alone it's so much easier to calm down. 3.  I say this to myself, "It's his job to b...

What to do when you don't know what to do. Parenting can be hard.  There are times when I don't know what to do when: The kids are fighting. My teen comes home late. My son is having a tantrum. My son is crying. My child can't sleep. I feel mad, annoyed, irritated, etc. and I want to threaten and have all these consequences, but I know in the moment I am reacting.   As much as possible I try to keep my mouth shut until I am calmer so I don't say anything I regret. So here are a few things you can think that will help you to know what to do. 1.  ALLOW whatever feeling you are feeling.  Sometimes I feel bad that I feel annoyed and am not as kind as I'd like to be.  I am actually resisting what I'm feeling and that makes it worse.  So just LET yourself feel whatever you are in the moment.   2. REMIND yourself that this is just a moment.  You won't feel like this forever.  Find a phrase you believe that helps you remember not to react i...