Parenting Beyond Discipline

Parenting can be hard, but step-parenting adds a whole other level of concerns and issues and therefore requires a whole level of cooperation and communication, if things are to run as smoothly as possible. Erin helps a step-mom begin to wade through this minefield of parenting encounters! Then in the second half, Erin answers a question about how to help a six year-old who is having consistent after-school meltdowns.

How wild is too wild when it comes to a preschooler? How can you guide your highly active youngster to get out his energy in more appropriate ways? In this episode Erin answers this question for a mom whose 4 year old is driving her crazy with his wild and sometimes aggressive behavior! Then another question about dealing with a toddler who refused to stay in bed, even when using the mantra method. What could be going wrong? Listen to find out!

How do you teach a toddler to be polite to friends, relatives and sitters when they hit a shy stage without pushing and ending in a power struggle? Erin gives tips to this parent on guiding his toddler through this stage. What do you do when your toddler strongly prefers one parent over the other? This can be very painful to the rejected parent and exhausting for the preferred parent. Erin guides these parents in dealing with this issue with their toddler.

What does a child really need to ready for kindergarten? What do you do when the school says your child isn't ready but you don't agree with the assessment? In the second question, Erin covers more tips and tools for dealing with toddler aggression and outbursts, some great first steps to get things turned around, dealing with the aggression and/or outburst in the moment and secondary steps to take to continue the learning process for your process in finding and using better ways to behave.

Potty training happens differently for almost every child. But there are several common themes/issues and one of them is being fully potty trained for pee long before being ready to train for poop. Erin shares information with a mom about why this happens and steps she can take to encourage her son towards this milestone. The second question is from a mom about the best way to handle possessiveness in her 2 year-old. Erin shares why this happens and the ways to work with a toddler throughout this stage. Erin also interviews all 3 of her kids to introduce the audience to her kids that she talks so much about!

How do you help your child learn to recognize and deal with anger in age-appropriate ways? Listen to this episode to learn about things that affect the way children experience and process anger, stages of anger and what to do.

Toddlerhood is the first big push for independence and with that often comes defiance. How do we support independence while also setting healthy boundaries? One mom asks for some guidance on dealing with her toddler's defiance, while another asks about how to deal with her toddlers pinching.

Two of the most common toddlerhood struggles, getting kids to try and enjoy healthy foods and bedtimes, are often not about the foods themselves or bedtimes at all but about POWER! Once kids figure out the holes in the system, they will use it to their full advantage. Learn how to be ready with tips and tools to circumvent these and other common toddlerhood power grabs in this episode!

Potty Training regression can happen for many reasons, one being for attention when a new sibling enters the home. Erin shares with a mom how to work to get her son back on track. Then Erin answers a question from a mom seeking clarification on when encouragement is too much, when to know the difference between encouraging for behavior you want to see and when a behavior should be expected.

Hitting is a common problem in toddlerhood. Toddlers are still learning social skills and brain development that is necessary for self-control. Learn how to coach and teach toddlers better ways of sharing frustrations. Also, how should parents balance setting boundaries and building a strong connection since both are necessary in for raising responsible happy kids?

Erin helps a mom who is struggling with her toddler who seems to be obsessed with cartoons. Erin shares some new secrets about the science of psychology and shaping behavior, some things many parents do that actually backfires and creates more of the behavior they are trying to minimize or eliminate. Then Erin answers a question from a mom about helping her young daughter form more positive friendships.

Step-parenting brings in a whole new set of challenges. How do you setup rules that may be different than the other home without undermining the other parent? Also, sleepovers? Yes or No? If so when, with and with whom? Learn some sobering statistics that may give you a different perspective about sleepovers.

Confidence will get you anywhere! But how can you make sure your kids develop and keep a good serving of confidence? It has to be built and cannot be given! Listen to this episode to learn how to instill confidence in your kids, and just as importantly what NOT to do, things that many well-meaning parents do that can undermine their child's confidence and chip away at their self-esteem.

Potty Training relapse is common and can happen for many reasons. Erin shares how to deal with a potty training relapse when it's due to a complete lack of motivation or interest. Also changes in sleep schedules are common throughout infancy and toddlerhood, be they nighttime, middle of the night or those dreaded early morning wakeups. Erin answers a mom's question about how to get her toddler back on track with better sleep habits.

Parenting has changed immensely in recent decades. With households where both parents are becoming more equally involved in the parenting process, it can create another area for disagreement among parents. Whether parenting in the same household or separate, this episode covers tips for learning how to come together rather than working against each other.