Parent With a Pro

  Marriage and family therapist, Jeff Tesch says that around twenty-five percent of the counselling he does is helping parents be consistent in their approach parenting together.  He has had great success helping parents come together to find common ground in their approach.  Jeff Tesch, LMFT is graciously sharing his handout he gives parents to guide them to a place where they can see eye to eye and help eliminate disagreements over parenting.  Click here to download this resource. I know that many of you are working so hard to improve your parenting skills and are starting to see a difference in how confident you feel as parents. You are likely starting to see improvement in your child's behavior. Now that I have spent hundreds of hours working with therapists for Parent with a Pro, I have come to find that there are some things the therapists keep mentioning that we can do as parents that will undo all the hard work we are doing!  That is the last thing I want to happen to you! This podcast will help you understand six of the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Happy listening!  

It is no secret that being a parenting can put a huge strain on a marriage.  With the kids having busy schedules, demanding a lot of time and attention, and so much more, we can find that our marriages take a hit. The good news is that the experts know how to childproof a marriage. Listen to today's episode with Alan Brooks, LMFT as he teaches his top tips for a successful relationship with your spouse. Don't miss an episode! Sign up to have a link to each new episode delivered directly to your inbox!

If you are getting ready to potty train or have tried and haven't had success, you'll want to listen to this episode.   Mike Fitch, CMHC has been a child therapist for a decade and in this episode he dispels some myths and teaches the do's and don'ts of potty training your tougher-to-train child. I have a toddler that I'm getting ready to potty train and this episode couldn't have come at a better time.  I feel much more equipped to tackle the dreaded task. Happy Listening! Don't want to miss a thing? Love parent coaching on the go? Sign up to have a link of each new episode sent directly to your inbox.

Parents of sassy, spirited, and strong-willed children are no strangers to power struggles.  Here at Parent with a Pro, it is our goal to equip you with as many tools as possible to avoid those power struggles. So what is one simple tool you could use starting today that would help you side step many power struggles without your kids even noticing that you did it?  Routines. Having routines, set things you do at a certain time and in a certain order, has saved my bacon many times. In this episode listen as Jeff Tesch, LMFT teaches the why and the how behind routines. I hope that they become as helpful in your home as they have been in mine. Don't want to miss an episode? Sign up to have a link to each new episode sent directly to your inbox.

Using consequences effectively (learn more about that here and here) is one of the best ways to improve behavior, but it's not the only way.  Evidence has shown positive reinforcement to be an effective way to help our kids behave better and develop a deep sense of self-esteem.  As a parent, I know that I want both of those things. Listen as Jeff Tesch, LMFT teaches the most effective way to use positive reinforcement in your home.  Many of the techniques are things you can start today! Don't miss an episode.  Sign up to have a link to each new episode delivered directly to your inbox!  

As a parent of a sassy, spirited, or strong-willed child, you know what it means to have your patience tried.  Your little cherubs want their way and they'll do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get it.  Yet, we've been taught over and over again through the podcast, that parents need to be calm, cool, and collected. So how are you supposed to be cool as a cucumber even though your buttons are getting pushed from sun up to sun down? Jeff Tesch, LMFT has some excellent guidance in this fabulous episode! I hope that you'll give it a listen as I think the principles taught in it could be life-changing. Happy Listening! Don't miss a thing. For a brief description of and a link to our weekly episodes, enter your email below!

I'll be honest.  Parenting a sassy, spirited, and strong-willed child has brought out the best in me and the worst in me.  I never knew I could be so forgiving, so resilient, and so loving.  I also never knew I could be so irritable, short-tempered, and angry. As I have accepted that I am an imperfect parent and that I might not always do what I'm supposed to do, I have wanted to learn if there were some things I should never do.  What things I should vow to not do no matter how mad, exhausted, or fed up I am.  Which things could do more harm than good. That's what today's episode is all about.  This is all evidence-based advice that I feel completely confident in sharing with you today.  I hope that you'll give it a listen as it may make a world of difference for you and your child. Happy listening! Would you like to have a link to each new episode sent directly to your inbox? Sign up today and never miss a thing.

Have you ever wondered if time out is okay to use and how to use time out in a healthy way? Today's episode will answer both of those questions. I'm excited for you to learn all about time out.  It is a tool we use in our family and it has helped us see some major improvements in my sassy, spirited, and strong-willed child's behavior. Happy Listening! Sign Up to have links of each episode delivered to your inbox.

Sassy, spirited, and strong-willed kids want their way.  Heck, I want my way!  However, kids throwing a tantrum when they don't get their way is frustrating behavior!  I learned from today's episode, that tantrums are a behavior we should NEVER give into. Listen to learn what else you need to know about tantrums. DON'T MISS A THING Sign Up to have a link to each episode sent directly to your inbox.  

Here's the deal.  We all need some help calming down from time to time (or often).  We learned in last week's episode on anxiety that some basic breathing techniques can calm the body and communicate to the brain that you are OK. I asked Mike Fitch, CMHC to do a special BONUS episode designed to teach simple breathing techniques to help us calm down.  My favorite part?  They only take five minutes a day! These techniques are for everyone. Happy Listening!

Could my child have anxiety?  This is a question many parents of sassy, spirited, and strong-willed children may have. In today's episode we learn what anxiety is, how it effects your child's behavior, and some exercises for calming the anxious child (or anxious adult). I was surprised to learn that much of my child's behavior stems from his anxieties and I am excited to start using the new tools Mike Fitch, LMHC teaches. I hope this episode brings so clarity and calm into your life. Happy listening! Books mentioned in this episode:  

Do any of you have kids that are starting to lie?  I do and I have googled what to do about it.  The different articles that I have read have conflicted with each other.  I finally decided that it was time to talk to the expert to learn what he had to say. In this episode, Jeff Tesch teaches about two different kinds of dishonesty, which one you need to address and how to address in the best way. Best of luck to all of us with this behavior! Happy listening.

  Being a parent of a sassy, spirited, or strong-willed child is a ton of work!  If only that were our only responsibility.  Unfortunately, we also have the enormous responsibility of running a household as well.  Wouldn't it be such a relief if we could get our kids to help out more around the house so we didn't have to do it alone?  Have you ever wondered how to do that? In this episode you are going to learn how to share the responsibility of caring for the home with your children.  We have specific tips for those extra stubborn kids who are very reluctant to help.

For those of you who aren't super familiar with Parent with a Pro, we have a private Facebook group for parents like us (come join us).  In this private Facebook group, therapist Jeff Tesch does a weekly "Ask the Expert" where we get to ask him any parenting questions we have.  During one of these Q and A sessions, the topic of consequences came up.  It turns out that many of us had a lot of questions about consequences.  Jeff and I covered several of them in Episode 012 but decided that we needed an additional episode. That's how this episode came to be.  I asked Jeff all the consequence questions from the parents in the group, thinking that I would be able to stump him, but Jeff knew the answers to each question!  We are so lucky to have him. This episode is a must listen if you have any issues with consequences at your house.

As parents we all know that we need to use consequences.  But has anyone sat down to teach you the ins and outs of consequences?  The do's the don'ts? The common mistakes to avoid? That's what today's episode is all about.  Therapist and parenting expert, Jeff Tesch talks about the most common consequence mistakes that he sees parents making and how to avoid them. I loved learning from him and doing a self-evaluation to see if I am committing any of the common consequence mistakes.  I was surprised to find out that I was making ALL of them.