Sometimes kids have tantrums.  And with children who have experienced trauma, loss, a lot of ongoing stress, or abuse, aggressive tantrums can also happen.  Parenting kids with these behaviors can be confusing, frustrating and can challenge parents to their core.  So what do do?  Having specific, powerful tools that truly help us reach our goals of helping our children learn another way is what today’s video is all about.  It gives Mamas and Papas a framework to maintain a parenting presence that is strong, gentle and gives their children a healthy template to learn from when stress gets overwhelming.

The problem is, when the most challenging behavior comes up in our kids, that is when our own “background noise” can get the loudest and make us more agitated, confused, and reactive–making it more likely we will make parenting decisions we  Read more »

Have you ever witnessed a tantrum, as a parent or as an adult in the grocery store and had a wide array of feelings come up about what that meant?  Maybe you felt judgement come up or as a parent felt worried and stuck because you didn’t know what the tantrums were about.

Or maybe, if the tantrum was happening with your child, you got lots of “looks” from other parents or family members that left you feeling inadequate and upset with your child.

Yet, many times with challenging behaviors, as parents we don’t know where to turn to get the right advice.  Or if we do get advice, something about it doesn’t quite feel right even though it may promise a quick “end to this ‘out of control’ behavior once and for all.”   You may have heard advice and comments like,

“It’s obvious who has the control in your household.”

or

“Better get that kid under control now.  Or it’s going to be really bad when he gets bigger.”

So to discover a different, short and long-term solution, we began with the pre-video to this video, where we talked about 2 Major Causes of Tantrums and 4 Keys for Dealing with and Preventing Them.  You can watch that here: http://www.kathykinskey.com/taming-tantrums-part

Today we’re taking that further as we go into 

8 Steps for Handling Tantrums–that Heal the Root Cause of Why They’re Happening.  While this approach won’t heal the physical causes of tantrums that we talked about in Taming Tantrums-Part 1, it does help us to listen more closely, investigate and take the steps necessary in order to address such causes.   We talk about a different paradigm for understanding and responding to tantrums, beginning with the response within you 1st.

You’ll find you have a new way of looking at this behavior and after watching both Taming Tantrums 1 & 2, you’ll have some real solutions that will boost your confidence for Read more »

Tantrums and meltdowns can be so bewildering and maddening.  It’s one of the most common reasons parents reach out to me.  It’s also one of the most common places where old parenting myths and practices show up that keep tantrums going and don’t deal with the root cause of the tantrum.  So what to do

with this situation that can feel out of control, embarrassing,  exhausting, maddening…       Read more »

Hello Dear Mamas and Papas,

Todays video comes from my heart.  Well, they all do! 🙂  But this one is based on the skill I teach ALL parents which has an impact that is only 2nd to empathic listening.

In this video you’ll learn how to do limits, or boundaries and structure in a way that works, that feels great to you, and that set your child up for naturally learning healthy boundaries for their future relationships.  Read more »

Today’s topic is not easy but so important.  Addiction and suicide touch all of our lives.  To empower ourselves and those we love with  Read more »

Ever wish you just knew, REALLY knew that you were right on track with your parenting? Does it sometimes seem hard to know what parenting advice you should listen to? Do you find yourself reverting back to parenting that doesn’t feel so great because you don’t have other tools that work? Today’s video will be a treat for you dear parent, because there is one parenting tool that is CORE to your child’s best development and to you feeling good about yourself as a parent…and to you knowing you have a bond with your child that is strong and loving and sets your child up for success in every area… Read more »