Peace and Parenting: How to Parent without Punishments

Even I have a difficult time figuring out what the heck everyone is talking about. It’s not just punishments anymore. Now we have logical consequences and natural consequences and regular consequences? Do I have that right, they are all different? I am finding it more and more confusing. I attempt to make a distinction in this episode. Let me know what you think. Leave us a rating and tell us your...

Even if we are doing away with punishments we can still have a critical attitude when it comes to our children. Those criticisms and judgments might stick deeper than all of the positive things we are experiencing with our kids each day. Our mind processes positive and negative things differently. Unfortunately, the negative things become our focus. When they do, can they get stuck in our inner sp...

What does scarcity have to do with parenting? Are there moments in our parenting where we are creating more desire where we don’t necessarily need to be? Do things that feel scarce end up being more sought after just because they are scarce? How can we make things a bit easier for ourselves in order to unwind this tight string?   Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite work. We di...

Rushing and being late can stress our parenting and our kids, not to mention us. What works when we are late and how can we mitigate the stress and angst we are experiencing and also place on our kids in moments which are difficult? Have a listen and see what you think. Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite work. We dive deeply into the ideas of connection and unravel the strugg...

Coming alongside my own children when they were having huge feelings was never easy, but it got so over time. I learned to be supportive during the upheaval and it ultimately helped everyone including myself. In my course: Understanding Big Emotions, I teach you how to do the same. Click here to take this online, on-demand, hour-long course.    Leave us a rating and tell us your thoughts on this e...

We all want our children to be empathic, but how do we teach it, and is it teachable or do we leave it up to nature? I am solo this week answering a question from my podcast editor and his wife. I think we all have this question…how do we make sure our children care about other people? Listen in as I give some ideas that might be helpful to you too.   Working with individuals and couples is my mos...

If you don’t know Mr. Chazz you should! He is a preschool teacher turned parenting expert with some helpful and incredible insights into raising kids consciously. Have a listen and get his unique perspective and thoughtful responses around helping kids with tough behaviors.  Connect with Mr. Chazz on Instagram @mrchazz   Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite work. We dive deeply...

Julian Sarafian is a young attorney who has the pedigree we all wish for our children or should we? Julian succumbed to many of the pressures society places on children to do more and be better. To the detriment of his mental health and happiness. Michelle and he discuss his journey and help us reframe what success really is in 2022. If you'd like to connect with Julian you can do so here... I...

We are expected to parent perfectly, have well-behaved kids, take care of the house and everything else. This is so unrealistic and unattainable. Gabrielle and I keep it real, say it like it is, and are honest about the fact that we mess up, parenting is hard and some days it’s fine to say you don’t want to do it or Special Time! Let’s be honest, 20 minutes of Lego can be excruciating.   Working w...

Sarah, a mom of two girls, wants to help her oldest with control and needs to direct her baby sister. We also discuss issues around getting dressed and ways to implement the “good” kinds of choice and control. Join me with mama Sarah and dive into the principles of connection and the effectiveness of Special Time.    Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite work. We dive deeply int...

Comedy is connective and can bring together communities. Alyce brings us comic relief shamelessly in her incredible IG ( @momcomnyc ) and onstage. And now I get to dive in with her about her parenting struggles, particularly around what to do when your child hits you? Are you promoting hitting by allowing it? Should we punish? Listen in as funny lady Alyce and I discuss.    Working with individual...

It can get confusing when it comes to trying to set limits without the use of punishments or rewards. How do we get our kids to do “x’ and what happens if they don’t? What can we “do” instead of using a punishment or a reward? Do we just let them do whatever they want and stand by and watch? No. Have a listen and get some helpful ideas.    Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite w...

All of us want the same thing. Well adjusted kids who can take care of themselves on every level, and hopefully take care of themselves better than we do! But how? How do we make sure they learn all the lessons, make meaning of all the experiences and know right from wrong while still embodying who they are and how to “be” in this world. It’s no easy feat and it certainly doesn’t come without its...

It can be unhinging for us to hear our child say something mean. We can go down a rabbit hole of thinking our child is disrespectful and will end up in jail because of the things they say. Re-framing this idea and coming to our kids with more connection might be the only way we can unravel this hard parenting moment. This week's podcast will help you find more perspective when it comes to the...

Homework and grades can become such a struggle in our homes. How can we help our kids be successful and also take responsibility for their grades and homework? Is it possible to take a step back and still have kids who want to succeed at school? How can we instill self-motivation and pride without being the warden of grades and homework? Join me on the podcast as I give you real-life examples and...

Katie, a mother of 2 gets advice from Michelle about using special time with her girls, when is the best time of day for this to get the most out of it, and how to navigate the uniqueness of each child. Join me and Katie as I answer all of her parenting questions through the lens of positive parenting.   Want to make yelling a thing of the past! Are you tired of apologizing for becoming upset and...

The role we take on in our nuclear family may easily transfer into our parenting, and often informs the ways in which we treat our children. Subconsciously we may perpetuate these roles without fully recognizing what they are or where they come from. Largely because children in our society are viewed as immediately “being” wrong and therefore we may jump to these conclusions without even recognizi...

Advice may seem like a good idea when our children are struggling, but maybe it isn’t. Unsolicited advice can often fall on deaf ears or worse cause conflict with our children. I play out some scenarios that might help you understand the pitfalls of advice-giving this week on the podcast.   Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite work. We dive deeply into the ideas of connection a...

Continuing on from last week's episode Tara, a mother of 3 brings her questions about her 12-year-old daughter. How do we begin to parent without control and punishments when our child is older? What can we do to unravel conventional parenting and come with more connection? Join me and Tara as we discuss ways to cultivate connection with our preteens and older kids. I answer all of her parenti...

Tara, a mother of 3 brings her questions about her 12-year-old daughter. How do we begin to parent without control and punishments when our child is older? What can we do to unravel conventional parenting and come with more connection? Join me and Tara as we discuss ways to cultivate connection with our preteens and older kids. I answer all of her parenting questions through the lens of positive p...

“Use your words” and other phrases have me thinking deeply. Where do they come from and what do they mean? Can we reframe and rethink those ideas and perhaps leave them for the generations past. This week I discuss some of the big offenders, giving some alternatives and finding ways to be more supportive with our children.   Working with individuals and couples is my most favorite work. We dive de...

Brain Science is at the heart of all things Parenting with Connection. The inner workings of the brain help us better understand behavior. When we use it as our guide it helps us understand why Connective Parenting works so well and what the benefits are all around as compared to Conventional Parenting. Brain Science gives us the underpinning of tangible facts which help guide our everyday interac...

It has been said that parenting with connection lacks limits because it fails to use punishments or rewards, but limits do not need to be set using these methods and can in fact use empathy and understanding instead. Limits can also be used to create a place for a child to offload feelings and process emotions. This can only happen with empathy as opposed to punishments.    How do we dole out puni...

How do we dole out punishments and when we do, do they actually work, or are we chasing our tail in hopes of finding ways to “get” our kids to “behave” follow directions and listen? Is there a better way and why? Why are punishments so ineffective and what can we do instead? Join me for one of my FREE Webinars: How to Parenting Without Punishments. I will be live talking all about it and helping y...

Connective parenting can be confusing. What is it? What are the values and how can I get my children to be good people by just being nice? Well, there’s a bit more to it and maintaining and promoting the child-parent relationship is the most important aspect of Connective Parenting. Whereas conventional methods rely on control and punishments. How does it feel to be in a relationship where you fee...