Calm Parenting Podcast

Ever find yourself in a stand-off with a strong-willed toddler and realize, "I'm fighting with a 5-year-old!?" Have you ever thought, "Why does my 10-year-old have to make everything so difficult and always touch that hot stove?" Are you struggling to connect with and motivate a teenager? Learn 3 quick ways to stop these power struggles AND change yourself...forever. Lots of great insight. Th...

How can you get your provoking child to stop picking on others? How can you teach your compliant child to speak up and be confident? How can you use sibling fights as a critical opportunity to teach your kids life skills that you and I struggle with as adults? Kirk gives you actual scripts and specific actions steps. Our Christmas in July Sale is live NOW! Visit https://celebratecalm.com/july...

Do you have kids who struggle to connect with kids their own age, miss social cues or act silly to get attention? Who dominate conversations, get bossy during play dates or with siblings, become possessive with a friend? Do you have a child who gets anxious about going to school or summer camp and would rather isolate? Kirk shares 12 very practical strategies and scripts to help you...

What should I do when my son wants to do anything BUT his work? How can I get my anxious child to the doctor’s office? What do you think of the ODD diagnosis? What do we do if our kids are starting to hoard and refuse to get rid of things? Why does my child prefer to go with her grandmother and not me? What are the potential pitfalls of blending our families? What is the proper role of the step-pa...

Do you ever fear you are raising an entitled child? How can you help the compliant child speak up? How can you use a tough approach without feeling guilty? How can you get kids to listen without resorting to endless consequences? Kirk gives you five options and scripts that work! Want to change your family very quickly?  Join 300,000 other podcast listeners who changed themselves and stopped...

Do you have a child who walks into a room with a single-minded focus declaring they're going to do something…without even asking your permission? Do you have a child who just HAS TO complete this project before they go to bed, even though it’s now well past bedtime? You reasonably say no to their request and then it sets off a huge power struggle, meltdown and argument. So...

Do you have a child who must touch the hot stove, resists what you want first, refuses to do chores or anything the easier way? Who is not immediately obedient, doesn’t respond to consequences, appears self-centered, won’t show math work, does the bare minimum to get by, won’t push through when things get hard?   Good! I want to show you how to work with these traits instead of fighting them...

Do you ever get judged by relatives because your strong-willed child doesn’t behave the right way? What do you say when kids are bored or complain the entire time? How can you be free from constantly being responsible for everyone else’s happiness and trust your own instincts? How can you get grandparents and relatives to be constructive instead of judgmental? Kirk provides concrete strategies and...

Should you really not give kids eye contact when they are upset? Why does too much talking and the sweet approach make kids more angry? What specific actions steps de-escalate meltdowns? How we can we help kids who need sensory pressure? Kirk gives you 10 very practical action steps to take in this short, jam-packed episode. Want to change your family very quickly?  Join 300,000 other podcast...

Why don’t consequences work? What are appropriate expectations of your child and yourself? How can we discipline without being authoritarian or permissive? What three questions should we ask before we discipline? Kirk shares how he struggled with discipline and gives you three practical actions steps and scripts that actually work. Want to change your family very quickly?  Join 300,000 other...

Sometimes the stress of the school year can strip your kids of their confidence and create conflict even with siblings. Kirk gives you 6 new, creative, and powerful strategies to rebuild your child's confidence, reconnect as a family, and help with screen dependence. Want to change your family very quickly?  Join 300,000 other podcast listeners who changed themselves and stopped the powe...

I don’t know how to describe this episode other than to say it is filled with several profound and practical insights and scripts that will change your family. It includes two phrases that work 99% of the time to de-escalate and discipline a defiant child…but by the end of the story, we discover he wasn’t really defiant, just overwhelmed. Like most of us as parents. Want to change your family very...

In Part 2 of this series, Kirk addresses how to get your kids to understand how their brains work best. As one child mentioned after listening to Part I, “I have super powers!” Kirk also gives you specific tools to counter weaknesses so your kids can be successful and confident. Want to change your family very quickly?  Join 300,000 other podcast listeners who changed themselves and stopped t...

How should you talk to your kids about their diagnosis or struggles? How can we do this in a positive, constructive way without shame, negativity, or singling them out? I want to give you a framework that builds your kids’ confidence and gives them practical tools to overcome weaknesses. This is very important so please share. Want to change your family very quickly?  Join 300,000 other podca...

Before I was the Calm Guy, I was the Triggered Guy! My default mode was, “My strong-willed son is doing things on purpose to irritate me and I need to correct him for that.” But then I learned how to turn those irritating behaviors and power struggles into opportunities to teach and bond. I give you 10 practical action steps and scripts. Want to change your family very quickly? Join 300,000 other...

Do you have a child who HATES being corrected? Even if you do it in a very sweet way, your child gets furious, lashes out, screams or covers his or her ears. Does your child blame others and refuse to listen? Good! You’re not alone. Kirk gives you 11 very specific scripts and action steps to get kids of all ages to listen without the power struggles. Want to change your family very quickly? Join 3...

I have told this story before, but today a new flood of emotions came out as I realized this story with my own son…mirrored my experience with my own Dad. Walk step-by-step with me through the ups and downs of discipline, self-doubt, guilt, and ultimately connection with an outwardly defiant strong-willed child. Please share this one. It’s very powerful. Want to change your family very quickly? Jo...

Your strong-willed kids experience childhood differently than other kids. Sometimes it’s hard to really understand. There’s no instruction manual for these kids. This episode will give you much-needed, rare insight into how to help your kids feel confident and good about themselves. We encourage you to let your kids listen to parts of this episode to prompt helpful conversations. Our Summer Sale c...

Do you have a child who fights you over going to new places or hemming and hawing about not going to that expensive camp you paid for? Do you have a child who is nervous about family vacation or an upcoming move? Kirk gives you very specific strategies and scripts to overcome anxiety, stop the power struggles, and bond with your child through these big emotions. Our Summer Sale continues this week...

How To Be A Dad Your Kids Listen To It’s really hard for some Dads to connect with their strong-willed child. So they end up sabotaging the relationship. Kirk shows you exactly how to rebuild this relationship with very specific, concrete action steps and words. Please forward to your husband.  Our Summer Sale continues this week. Visit  https://celebratecalm.com/products  to take a...

Our greatest enemy is our own self-inflicted parental anxiety. It sabotages our efforts and hurts relationships. Your anxiety yields the exact opposite outcome you want—your kids resist you and misbehave more! Kirk gives you 7 action steps and scripts to break this negative cycle. Our Summer Sale begins now. Visit  https://celebratecalm.com/products  to take advantage of our Summer Sale...

You’re supposed to be on vacation relaxing. Instead, your strong-willed child doesn’t listen, makes “bad choices,” and someone gets hurt. This can either ruin your vacation with endless fights OR be an opportunity to change behavior and draw closer to the challenging child. There is A LOT of insight into strong-willed kids in this fun, instructive story. Our Summer Sale begins now. Visit  htt...

How do you motivate kids to do tasks without reminding them 18 times...or do uncomfortable things without arguing every single day? What should you do when a child defies you, disregards your instructions, doesn't do school work or go to sports practice? Should you force your teenager to go on family vacation? Kirk's a...

Spicy Toddlers, Teens & In Between: 10 Ways to Prevent Constant Battles How should you respond when your teen or tween defies you and complains that you’re too controlling? How can you stop the power struggles with spicy toddlers? How can you help kids struggling with behavior and confidence? Kirk gives you powerful scripts and specific strategies to stop the battles and drama. We are extendin...

Plans get changed, your child gets disappointed or doesn’t get his way. This turns into a nuclear meltdown with defiance and disrespect. But there is a solution. Do you know WHY your kids sometimes go scorched earth? How can you de-escalate everyday situations without threatening consequences or talking too “calmly” to your kids? Kirk gives you five specific action steps and a creat...