Parents know, letting fear stop us can really hold us back in life. We can each think of a time in childhood we wish we had overcome, or overcome the fear sooner and stepped into being more brave. Being brave doesn't mean we aren't afraid. Being brave means we feel the fear and do it anyway. As adults we know the great benefits of pushing ourselves past our discomfort (even if we struggle sometimes too!) Kid fears often seem so minor to us now. But they are big for them. Regardless of age, how can help your child see past the fear to the benefits of trying and overcoming, toddlers to teens? Like everything, it looks a little different at each age. I cover some great tools for helping kids build their courage muscle. Because the more we use it, the stronger it gets!

Even though parenting goals are going to differ, most parent share the common goal to build and maintain a relationship with their child(ren) of trust, safety and connection. This means creating and maintaining the relationship in such a way that our kids want to come to us with their problems and struggles, that they feel safe with us to share their fears, their hurts, their goals and their dreams. We want them to see us as a place of refuge, a soft place to land, and a helpful and positive resource. In this episode, I discuss how to create this type of connection that will serve your kids and your connection for life.

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Anger in parenting often feels so loaded & unacceptable. But every emotion has a purpose. Learning how to accept them, hear the message they are sending and then use them for the positive is what emotional competence is all about. In this episode I cover how we can learn to accept, tune in, process and use our anger as a parent for positive introspection, growth and as a catalyst to getting needs met that we may be ignoring. This also help us become better equipped to lead and guide our kids in working with their own anger and its messages.

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Negativity in kids can show up in 2 ways, what appears to be opposition or refusal and negative self-talk/self-sabotage. These two are actually linked and can be greatly reduced with one change in approach. I cover this along with additional specific tips for helping kids overcome negative self-talk and self-sabotage.

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It seems like guilt in parenting is just par for the course. We come into this journey with so many expectations, hopes, and goals about the way we will parent, but when the reality of day-to-day parenting sets in, we often feel we are falling way short on so many fronts. So in this episode I'm here to help you more realistically assess your expectations and confront your guilt in the 6 most common areas parents experience guilt. In addition, I cover two major decisions parents make that are often cause for big guilt and the realities that show how children can actually benefit. This episode is a no guilt zone!

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When toddlers & kids set boundaries, it can often come across as rude and off-putting. Believe or not, many times kids are actually setting healthy boundaries for themselves, just not using the best skillset! In this episode I discuss what healthy boundaries for kids sound like and what areas are common and healthy to support, so you can make room to allow for them while guiding them to use better delivery skills.

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If you want to learn one simple tool, that builds healthy self-esteem, a growth mindset, a sense of independence & responsibility, and improves cooperation, for kids of all ages, this is a not-to-miss episode! This is my favorite tool because it does so much and it's so simple!

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Toddlers aren't the only ones who have big feelings. Kids of all ages and adults too, have big feelings. Emotional competence is the key to managing these feelings in positive ways. Emotional competence or intelligence is the a keystone to a life of happiness and success. So helping our kids develop this is a huge gift. Learn the 4 key parts to emotional competence and how to improve them in yourself and guide your kids to have a strong foundation regardless of age.

Toddler behavior can be overwhelming and even baffling. In this episode I share some basics of toddler behavior so you can more easily decode it, as well as ideas for improvement. Once we can decode it, we can make a plan for improvement. But we have to take several factors into consideration. Learn what these factors are, tools for decoding toddler behavior and ideas for improving behavior through teaching and guiding.

A healthy for personal growth and goals is a good thing, while perfectionism is push to be and do everything perfectly, an impossible standard. Perfectionism often comes from a fear of judgement and research shows perfectionism is far more nurture than nature. In this episode I cover how to support kids in developing a healthy mindset in setting and striving for goals without spilling over into the unhealthy striving that shows up as perfectionism.

The more capable our kids become, the easier it is on us and them too! Here are 4 common areas I see parents waiting or avoiding teaching independence that can cause a lot of frustration throughout their parenting journey and leave their kids lacking skills that will help them live happier more successful lives. I cover ways to allow and guide children to learn these valuable skills.

These are 4 common expectations that can cause a lot of frustration for parents. But armed with the right information, these can be a lot easier to manage. In this episode I cover these 4 very common expectations and what to do for each so you don't have to struggle through them.

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Frustration in parenting is normal. But with some tools we can eliminate or minimize a lot of it, leaving more room for joy and connection. In this episode I cover 6 different ways you can address the frustrating moments so you can rise above, making yourself much more effective in problem solving and teaching. This has a positive effect in how kids react, creating better habits and behaviors going forward, making parenting much more rewarding and enjoyable.

Media is everywhere. It's almost impossible to avoid. Are there some pitfalls and dangers? Of course, just like any other area of life. This is a quickly evolving landscape and it's only going to evolve faster. We can both protect our kids and teach them good online choices and still allow them the opportunity to benefit from all the positive aspects. In this episode, I cover the many ways you can leverage the positive aspects of media with your kids.

Did you know you have an emotional bank account for every relationship? We have different accounts with each of our kids, our partner, friends, our own parents, colleagues... In this episode Erin talks about the concept of the emotional bank account and how when we keep them in a good positive balance how it can pay big dividends. Learn how to assess each account and add uniquely to the account you have with each child and work with your partner too, to make sure you are each contributing to each other's emotional bank account too.

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Is your toddler, child or teen sometimes bossy, controlling, throws attitude or tries to get their way by communicating in ways you don't like? If you want to raise strong, independent children who know how to advocate for their wants and needs in respectful ways, this episode is for you! Raise kids that use emotionally skillful and mature communication with the steps covered in this episode whether you have toddler, teen or a child in between! This episode has lots of examples, steps for each age, and what you can expect by age (and it's probably a lot more than you think!) when you create a home environment with the space for kids to share their needs along with guidance on how to setup respectful communication strategies. Happy parenting!

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Do you wonder how you can allow your child the room to discover and be their true selves and still be respectful & cooperative too? In this continuation from episode #290 where I shared how to set up positive open-ended expectations, in this episode I share how to set up an environment where kids are not just allowed but encouraged to advocate for their own needs, goals and autonomy in ways that are still respectful, bringing the concepts from these sides together.

Emotional intelligence gives us and our kids freedom to choose how we want to show up in the world. Emotional intelligence is such an important attribute to develop early in life. But most of us didn't have this kind of upbringing ourselves. So having the tools to help our kids develop this is something we practice and learn. The earlier we can help our kids with this, the easier it is for them. Alyssa has some amazing knowledge to share about how we can do just this!

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Does your toddler or child have a lot of big ideas, a light that shines bright and a lot of spirit? Are you trying to figure out how to best make space for these bigger than life attributes but still setup expectations of respect and cooperation? Believe it or not, these can go hand in hand beautifully with the right combination of freedom and more open-ended expectations. This episode covers some great ideas and tips for balancing these two, sometimes seemingly-opposite goals.

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School shootings are nothing new. As parents we can feel so powerless when the issue continues with little to progress on programs and policy. In this episode, I cover the basics of talking to kids. But beyond that, I share how you and your kids can do more to keep everyone safer at school.

Co-dependence is rampant in modern society, with studies showing 90-96% of adults exhibit some level of co-dependence. Because children do need parents to varying degrees throughout childhood, it can be difficult to parse out healthy parent-child connection to when it spills over to co-dependent patterns. Since most adults have experienced some level of co-dependence in their own childhood, it's hard to always recognize how it expresses in our own parenting. How can we as parents begin to break these patterns for our kids so they can learn healthy relationship patterns? In this episode, I cover what co-dependence is, signs of co-dependence in general, how it often shows up in parent-child dynamics and some steps to freeing our kids from this unhealthy and often detrimental pattern of relating.

Co-dependence is rampant, with studies showing 90-96% of adults exhibit some level of co-dependence. Because children do need parents to varying degrees throughout childhood, it can be difficult to parse out healthy parent-child connection to when it spills over to co-dependent patterns. Since most adults have experienced some level of co-dependence in their own childhood, it's hard to always recognize how it expresses in our own parenting. In this episode, I cover what co-dependence is, signs of co-dependence in general, how it often shows up in parent-child dynamics and some steps to freeing our kids from this unhealthy and often detrimental pattern of relating.

As parents, we get the opportunity to teach our kids what we wish we knew earlier in life. Starting with the foundation of positive discipline, we can break unhealthy relationship cycles. Once this foundation is in place, we can move beyond to breaking or even preventing other unhealthy cycles that would otherwise hold them back. Imagine where you will see your child go in life and what a gift you will give them when they are free from unhealthy cycles! In this episode I cover 10 unhealthy cycles confront and break for ourselves and for our kids, freeing us and them to live their and our lives full of potential, joy and adventure.

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Allowing the voices of shame to have power can hold us back from fully showing up for ourselves and others in our lives. What if we could help our kids learn how to mitigate shame from their earliest days so they don't have to struggle and suffer? Learn how shame shows up from our earliest days, what it looks like in kids, how to approach your kids with compassion when they are dealing with shame, how to have conversations with our kids around shame and how to teach kids to become shame resilient. Website: yourvillageonline.com IG: @yourvillagonline FB: /yourvillageinc Book: Connected Parents Guide to Toddlerhood

Shame comes from feeling "not enough" and is often perpetuated by beliefs in societal norms that are misguided and dangerous. All parents are susceptible to parenting shame but the pressure moms feel to be perfectly present and connected is especially strong. Shame often gets in the way of us being present in all of our relationships, with ourselves, our children, our partners and beyond. Learn about common shame triggers that affect parenting and how to conquer these to be able to be more present in your relationships with your kids. Website: yourvillageonline.com IG: @yourvillagonline FB: /yourvillageinc Book: Connected Parents Guide to Toddlerhood

Research shows girls self-esteem peaks at age 9 and that boys self-esteem has also fallen in recent decades. The reasons are varied but there is a lot that parents can do to foster a strong baseline for self-esteem in their children starting in infancy. This episode is chalk full of tips and information to avoid common pitfalls that well-meaning parents often fall into that can actually damage self-esteem and what to do instead.

Here are 2 of the 5 most common parenting myths and some fixes that Erin helps parents untangle every day. Unfounded belief systems can keep us trapped in fear and therefore from being the confident leader and guiding force we would like to be for our kids. After uncovering the truth about these first 2 myths, she shares some tips to get you started in approaching these situations in ways that are empowering to both parent and child.

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The last episode of a 3 part series on parenting styles, where Erin covers the latest parenting styles that have evolved in the last several decades. Are there new things science and society has learned that we should be incorporating? What do kids of today need that past generations did not? What things should we be incorporating into our parenting that will benefit the future for our kids?

New parenting styles have been evolving and emerging over the past 30 years. Learn about life skills our children need for confidence, success and happiness that are missing from some of the modern styles and how to make sure you are preparing your children with those skills.

Parenting style greatly affects our children's motivation and initiative, confidence and self-esteem, and long term happiness and success in relationships. But parenting styles have evolved significantly over the past 100 years. We've even seen rises (and some declines) in newer styles. How do we know what is best for our family and child in the world we live in and the future they need to be ready for? Is there a blend to consider? or should we be trying to stay more within one style? In part I, learn about the classic styles most psychologists still refer to in scientific literature today, the positives and negatives of each and the expected long term outcomes into adulthood. How to pivot or readjust if you've gotten a little off track, like we all do from time to time! Part II will cover the modern styles that have come into popularity in recent decades.

Have you ever struggled through a discipline exchange? Discipline just fell flat because your child wasn't having it? Or you had a tool that worked like a charm and then just stopped working all of the sudden?! Why do these strategies other people swear by not work for you at all or work for a while and then stop? Erin addresses 4 common reasons discipline strategeis can fail so you can get your positive discipline game in the flow.

Our kids have so much potential. With our guidance, they will reach far beyond anything we accomplish and I hope they do! That is my goal for my family and for any other family who shares that vision for their child's future. In this episode I dive into two building blocks that are a foundation for raising kids to this next level. I bring awareness to our own potential blocks as parents and uncover a lot of new information in this episode.

During the developmental process, there are many windows of opportunity to setup positive habits. Outside of these windows, creating the habits: sleep, healthy eating, cooperation, empathy, and more, are more difficult. Knowing these windows and how to leverage them can make some parts of parenting a whole lot easier. Tune in to learn about these opportune times.

If you ever have to take your child, infant to teen to the doctor again, this is an episode you don't want to miss! Dr. Jody Thomas shares seriously simple tips for making what can be a very anxiety provoking experience for most kids into a much easier experience for everyone, child, parent and medical professional alike. She shares the most up-to-date science based tools to reduce and even eliminate pain and anxiety! Setting up children for success in these visits early on can literally save their life later on in adulthood, as Dr. Thomas also shares why and how.

Is it possible to miss a developmental window? A mom writes in asking if this is a possibility, if they missed the window when their son was more willing and pushing for independence and now they need to make up for it? Or is something else possibly going on? Erin gives some insights about developmental windows, getting to the crux of behaviors and fixing refusals in our young children.

A mom wants to make big changes in the way she disciplines her kids and the way they relate to each other. Tough times, got life off to a tough start but she wants to change and make things better for everyone. She knows it's not too late but the idea feels so overwhelming she doesn't know where to start. She also doesn't want to overwhelm her kids with too many changes at once, making it worse for everyone. So she wrote to ask Erin how she can undertake this process and make sure it's a successful transformation rather than a disaster.

One of the more anxiety provoking decisions is finding and hiring the right fit for your family, whether it's occasional babysitter or a nanny who works in your home regularly. Carole Kramer, shares amazing information about vetting and finding the right caregiver for your family, broaching tough subjects with your caregiver and dealing with special circumstances and special needs you may have in your family or for your children.

A mom and dad are concerned about their son's behaviors while at school and are seeking help on what they can do to help him learn to make better choices when he's not under their direct supervision. Erin helps parents break things down to first learn why misbehavior happens. Once we know why, then we can address the unique reason with the proper solution. She then gives ideas and tips to work on fixing behavior for several different scenarios and reasons when kids are out of direct supervisions.

Young children and even older children can struggle with all kinds of fears, phobias and anxiety throughout childhood. Erin answers a question from a mom about her 4 year old who is dealing with a fear that has gotten progressively worse and a new fear that has also recently come about. Erin discusses these fears, why they happen. What is normal and when it crosses over and gives parents a plan and steps to support their child in learning to face their fears and anxieties in healthy loving ways without ignoring the issue.

In this episode Erin talks with Katy Joy Wells about her 4 step process for curing toy clutter. Not only is it a stress relief for parents, it actually is for kids as well and helps them go deeper in play, supporting independent play. Learn the steps, the benefits and how to make your child's play space more inviting.

Toddlers can go from quiet and calm to grabbing, hitting and worse within seconds. Erin covers great foundational information so parents can understand how to guide and coach from ages 1 to 4 as well as how to help older siblings who may be getting the brunt of the aggression when they are within striking range of a toddler sibling.

Toddlers often have big reactions. But what do you do when it seemingly comes out of nowhere? How can we work on new behaviors and prevention when it takes us by complete surprise? Erin dives into some great fundamentals of the steps of toddler emotional development so parents can feel assured when they see these sometimes troubling behaviors and the steps to guiding young children towards better behaviors when they feel upset, anxious or overwhelmed.

What do you do when your toddler is playing with their private parts? How do you answer questions about sex, private parts, puberty and more? How do you prepare your child for puberty, dating and beyond? Most of us grew up and still carry some level of discomfort and even shame around our own sexuality and body. How do we parent from a place of empowerment and help our children grow up feeling more confident about their bodies, sex and sexuality? We have you covered in this episode! We do speak frankly and openly about many topics of puberty and sexuality in this episode. To learn more about Ariel and her great work go to mylittleyoni.com or see her account on IG @mylittleyoni

We often think of overindulgence as too many toys, too much "stuff" or too many sweets. But the latest research is showing that overindulgence comes in two other forms besides just material overindulgence and actually these other two areas are even more prevalent. The outcomes are not favorable. Erin covers this research, including the common outcomes and what parents can do to avoid these types of overindulgence, by age from toddlers all the way through the teen years! So no matter your child's age, there is information for you to support your child in developing a strong foundation for success!

A mom asks Erin for help in finding strategies to work with her very difficult to discipline 5 year old. The struggles are running the gamut from power struggles, not listening, negative ungrateful attitude, bedtime struggles, whining, basically anything but cooperative, including a possibility of ADHD. Erin gives some great insights and strategies for re-building a new foundation for this relationship to get the behavior turned back to a positive direction.

Sometimes we think we are following the steps to fix problem behaviors, when we might actually be unknowingly doing the opposite. Erin shares some great foundational information to troubleshoot any problem area. If you are seeing repeated behaviors you don't like to see, and want to figure out how to get it to stop, this episode can help you figure out the sticky area. Then Erin applies this information to a mom dealing with very difficult power struggles at bedtime.

What do you do when your preschooler tries to rule the roost, not just saying no and trying to undermine parenting authority over themselves but even trying to control parental behavior? There are several reasons preschoolers may engage in this level of control. There are clues our children give us as to what is happening. Once uncovered, parents can tune in to these clues and help their young child work through the issues that are leading to controlling types of behaviors.

Erin shares some new insights into supporting kids to develop a strong and healthy sense of self-esteem throughout childhood. Learn a new paradigm on how to view the development of self-esteem and some great new ideas for working with your children to help them develop into their most confident and independent selves.

How do you handle a child's behavior when it is seemingly manipulative and/or controlling in nature? Erin gets to the heart of the issue, what kids are really trying to tell us and how to help support them overall, and work with them in that moment when they are trying to control the situation or manipulate others into behaving the way they would like.

Preschoolers can really struggle with social skills and this often means they react in aggressive ways towards one another. How do we help sibling and friends make better choices when interacting with each other? Part 2 of this mom's question involves bedtimes that have gone from bad to worse. How can this family get a better handle on bedtimes and get back in a better direction? Erin covers both of these topics in this one episode!