Why Don’t My Kids Listen?

For years, I thought I was doing everything right. I had left the yelling behind. I praised my girls constantly; I made star charts. I was a trained teacher and a school counselor, and I believed with my whole heart that catching kids being good was the kind, positive way to pare ...  Show more

When your child is being hard, what is the first tool you reach for? A countdown. A consequence. A lecture. A raised voice. Almost every one of those is a version of the same instinct: when my child gets hard, I get harder. It makes complete sense, because that is exactly what we ...  Show more

You try to help your kids do something they are struggling with, something they say they care about. But they won’t listen to you, even though it would be so much easier if they did! It turns into a huge fight and you’re left feeling angry and resentful. I want to give you script ...  Show more

In this episode, I answer the following parent question: Nothing we do makes our daughter happy. Why can’t she just accept a comment, advice, suggestion without complaining and pushing back? How can I make her listen and accept what she is being told without an argument? 

Kids will refuse to do all kinds of things we ask of them, greeting others is only one of many! How do we first get to the reason and then guide based on both their feelings and level of comfort and our expectations for politeness or independence (depending on the situation?) Hav ...  Show more

Getting little ones to listen can drive parents to their wits' end! However, there are productive, practical, and pleasant ways of persuading kids to play along without bribing or bullying them.Motivating your toddler to listen can be extremely frustrating, especially when you ha ...  Show more