Getting Your Kids to Listen

Getting your kids to listen is a dream come true for a lot of parents. What do you do? What do you say? How do you say it? How do you know it will work?

I clearly remember a time when my kids were very young and I felt that parenting was like herding cats. Fortunately, I had some child development under my belt, otherwise I would have never survived. Even so, I was desperate to find knowledge about "proper" parenting and techniques that were most healthy. The search resulted in an enormous and overwhelming plethora of books, articles, websites, and programs. I found that even if something worked for one family, it didn't work for others and what seemed to work for my kids was not what worked for others. It was a terrible feeling; not knowing the magic that made other kids listen and answer politely and take action when their parent asked them to.

This is exactly why we are offering our Playful Parenting group. Playful Parenting is a 5 week group for parents of children ages 2-5 that want to learn how to communicate and connect with their child to improve behavior and reduce the stress in a parent's life. Each group is made up of one parent-one child dyads. And is done with the support of a live coach to help apply skills in the moment! Playful Parenting is based on the principals of the highly researched and effective “Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)” into a structured 5 week format. Through play, parents can deepen their connection with their child while also learning effective behavior management skills.

Who may benefit from Playful Parenting?

Anyone parenting a young child (between the ages of 2-5) would benefit from this group. While most of us know that play is important, it is rare that parents are actually taught how to play with their children.

What will be gained from participating in Playful Parenting (besides just having fun)?

*Enhance parent-child relationship through play

*Reinforce positive behaviors such as sharing, being gentle, using creativity (the list is endless!)

*Manage challenging behaviors such as tantrums, whining, and mild aggression

*Increase compliance with directives