Parenting, to put it in the lightest terms, is much like a rollercoaster ride. It’s thrilling, and it makes you go through the steepest ups and downs and the craziest twists and turns. But unlike an amusement park ride, you don’t have a specific track. You can’t just leave everything up to fate and hope for the best. It’s up to you to carve that path day by day. The choices you make ensure that the precious life entrusted to you will grow and thrive.
Now, this task isn’t always easy.
Fortunately, Positive Parenting Solutions by Amy McCready is here for you!
The Problem
We all love our kids. We absolutely do, and we’re positive that you do too. As parents, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do just to see them happy and thriving. And we all try to raise them in the best possible way we know. It just so happens life throws us a curveball every once in a while.
That’s exactly what it means to be a parent, isn’t it? We try to give our very best for our kids, day in and day out. However, sometimes, we get a bit lost about what to do. And admittedly, we let our emotions get the best of us at times. After all, we’re only humans and we get angry and upset like everybody else.
The Solution: Positive Parenting
If you’ve found yourself yelling or getting angry at your kids, know that you’re not alone. Other parents navigate parenthood just like you do. And you don’t have to beat yourself up over not knowing what to do. What matters is you have the chance to turn things around. You now have resources like positive parenting solutions to learn about more empathic ways to take care of your children.
Like all other things regarding parenthood, this journey will require your commitment and effort. But as with everything you want for your kids, it will show you the best way to treat your children.
What Is Positive Parenting?
Has someone ever called you a yelling mom or dad? Have you noticed your parent friends scolding their kids with force? Is time-out almost an everyday occurrence? Do you find yourself becoming upset over something your child did weeks ago? If yes, we feel for you. We love our kids to the ends of the world, but there are instances where we find ourselves laying these punishments out. Either we’ve gotten used to that kind of parenting, or we just don’t know any better.
We’ve seen previous generations raising kids with what we call “Dragon Parenting” or “Helicopter Parenting.” These are styles where force and strictness are usually the frontrunners. And they’re also techniques that sometimes drive kids away from their parents and family life.
Positive parenting is an entirely different kind of technique. It encourages a parenting style that holds children to realistic standards. It also promotes an approach that’s more empathic, compassionate, and sensitive but, at the same time, firm.
At first glance, positive parenting may sound like a nightmare. Some parents may think it involves coddling your children and spoiling them too much. Other parents may think it only focuses on the positive side of parenting while neglecting to enforce discipline. However, many can attest that positive parenting isn’t any of those things.
On the contrary, this approach will help you establish a healthier connection with your children. Positive parenting will help you raise your child to become empathic and self-reliant without the need for excessive strictness. This approach lets you teach your kids while setting healthy boundaries in your relationship to avoid power struggles. Positive parenting solutions can help you learn more about this.
The 3 Principles Of Positive Parenting
Positive parenting solutions are founded on Alfred Adler’s sentiments about kids. He called for people to treat children with dignity and respect. It’s worth mentioning that he did so back in the early 1900s. This period was when many parents raised their kids traditionally.
Along with psychiatrist Rudolf Dreikers, Adler combined two key concepts for adults to adopt. First, parents should treat kids with respect. And second, parents should avoid spoiling their kids.
At first glance, the two ideas seem contradictory. However, they actually promote a balanced parenting style. And they could help parents exercise compassion while being firm. This concept led Jane Nelsen, Ed.D. to come up with the methodology called Positive Discipline.
Amy McCready built Positive Parenting Solutions from those foundations. And like parenting experts around the globe, she echoes these three core principles:
1. A Child’s Primary Goal Is To Achieve Belonging And Significance
Positive parenting solutions encourage you to make your child feel that they belong. After all, we’re social creatures and we naturally long to be part of something bigger. And no matter your child’s age, it’s necessary to let them know that they’re wanted and needed. That includes making them feel secure in their place in the family. It also means helping them connect emotionally with the important people in their lives.
Establishing a sense of belonging becomes even more crucial when it comes to adopted or foster kids. It’s an unfortunate truth that they will encounter people who will ridicule them about their family life. And it’s up to their parents to assure them that they belong just as much as biological kids do.
The same can be said when major life changes occur. It’s crucial to nurture your connection with your kids when there’s parent separation, a new sibling, or disappointments in school. These circumstances may feel challenging to your kids. And in those times, it becomes doubly essential to make them feel that they belong.
Positive parenting solutions also promote letting your kids know their significance in every setting possible. Let them know they matter, especially in their own world. Early in their lives, even as toddlers, assure them that they have a voice and a say.
Making your kids feel significant will help empower them to be more confident and responsible. And you can do that by acknowledging their contributions in the house. Whether that be them setting the table or feeding the pets, let them know that their help is valuable.
2. All Behavior Is Goal-Oriented
It’s common for many parents to assume that their kids behave randomly sometimes. However, we need to understand that it’s an entirely different story. A child’s behavior is influenced by what they want to achieve. Behind high-stress tantrums and meltdowns lies a kid who wants to feel belonging and significance. A positive parenting solution can help you figure this out.
Sometimes, it may seem like kids are just losing control of their emotions when they break down. And ultimately, the pressure may cause many parents to tell their children to stop what they’re doing. Some parents may even feel like their kids are “uncontrollable” simply because children don’t want to listen. That may cause a parent to assert dominance once they start thinking a child’s tantrum stems from power struggles.
However, it’s important to realize that misbehaviors are symptoms and not the actual problem. They’re kids. And so, their behavior changes are their way of expressing themselves. This is particularly true when they’re young. As a parent, it’s up to you to make out the source of their behavior. And positive parenting solutions can help you get do so.
3. A Misbehaving Child Is A Discouraged Child
To start, young children don’t know yet how to express themselves and their needs. It’s best to keep that in mind when your kids misbehave. They’re not mean-spirited, and they’re neither defiant nor losing control. Instead, they’re simply discouraged because they feel like they’re insignificant or they don’t belong.
Positive parenting solutions encourage seeing misbehavior as a child’s cry for help. They don’t know how to express themselves yet, and that leaves them no choice but to misbehave. After all, they don’t know alternatives, or perhaps they’re used to seeing results when they act badly.
The 5 R’s Of Consequences
It’s important for your kids to learn about consequences early in life. Teaching them about the concept will help them understand and embody responsibility and accountability. It also lets them distinguish good from bad actions.
However, consequences shouldn’t feel like punishment. That much is true especially when kids misbehave. Positive parenting solutions support the use of the 5 R’s of Consequences. This then helps kids be more mindful of their actions.
1. Respectful
Tell your kids about your concern in a respectful manner. The goal is to let them know about their misbehavior without hurting or shaming them. This is your chance to set the tone of the conversation with your kids. And it will also serve as a learning ground for them to accept criticism and develop accountability.
To do that, you must treat them with respect and dignity. Remember, if you place blame on kids without being respectful, all that does is tell them they’re wrong. However, they won’t develop anything positive for the experience.
2. Related
The consequence you hand out must be related to the misbehavior. Harsh and unrelated punishments do nothing but spread negativity and put a damper on your family life. Gone are the days when it was okay to hurt your kids randomly and expect them to act better next time.
As a parent, your children look up to you as their role model. And in order to set the perfect example for them, your actions and decisions must be backed by reason. By setting out consequences that are related to their misbehavior, you show them that you respect them. It’s like saying they only misbehaved in one aspect. Therefore, it’s only fair that the consequence gets limited to that factor.
3. Reasonable
It’s important for you to set a reasonable duration for the consequence. Any longer and your child may feel like you’re punishing them.
Keep in mind that children misbehave when their needs for belongingness and significance aren’t met. Therefore, they don’t act out randomly. With that said, it’s important to understand the consequences from a child’s perspective. We know that children don’t misbehave without intent. That means a consequence must not feel unfair. That is, you can’t punish your child for something that they did not purposely do.
Positive parenting solutions support clear communication between children and parents. And that involves communicating how a consequence came to be and how its duration was decided. Check out how you can relate and communicate better with your teen with these top 10 tips!
4. Revealed
Another core aspect of positive parenting solutions is establishing expectations. Parents can do this by making the consequences known in advance.
That way, your child knows what will happen the next time they misbehave. It lets them have control and responsibility for their future actions. In addition, telling them the consequences in advance lets them know you treat them fairly.
5. Repeated Back
Positive parenting solutions promote ensuring that your child understands the consequences of their actions. And that can be achieved by asking them to repeat back the rules and consequences you set with them.
It also lets you know they’re fully aware of what happens the next time they misbehave. Asking them to repeat back consequences helps your child understand that you’re in agreement with them. It’s not just one-sided talking from your side. Instead, it’s two-way communication between parent and child. It helps them feel that they’re in control of what happens to them. They’re fully aware that if they do this action, they get this consequence.
Do you want to know more about how you can apply this positive parenting solution? Watch Amy McCready’s free webinar on the 5 R’s of Consequences!
Tips For Good Behavior
Positive parenting solutions promote the following tips for instilling good behavior in your kids:
- Allot time for your kids every day.
- Take your family’s sleeping schedule and morning routine seriously.
- Teach your family members to contribute, and thank them for doing so.
- Encourage your kids to resolve problems peacefully, like in the case of sibling rivalry.
- Be firm and reasonable about family rules.
- Promote behavior improvement instead of punishment.
- Focus on positive alternatives instead of saying no.
- Exhibit positive attention over negative attention.
- Be mindful of your energy and attitude, like your tone of voice and how you react.
Things To Watch Out For
We know this will sound overly simplistic. But the list of things you want to watch out for actually runs pretty short:
- Don’t nag and yell. Speak with a calm voice instead.
- Don’t let your personality spark arguments in the family.
- Don’t punish and hurt your kids. Rather, focus on consequences.
- Don’t perpetuate a culture of blame and shame.
- Don’t ignore the root cause of misbehavior.
Positive parenting solutions suggest treating your children with utmost respect and dignity. That entails taking their emotional, mental, and physical well-being into mind. In addition, it means not subjecting them to unfair and hurtful treatment. These may seem common sense, but they require mindfulness and effort on your part. Catch Amy McCready’s free webinar to know more about these no-no’s!
The Positive Parenting Solutions Course
Parenting educator and book author Amy McCready created the Positive Parenting Solutions course to help parents from all kinds of families. It’s an online course that features videos and a toolbox with actionable content to help you raise your children.
The Creator: Amy McCready
Amy McCready is a mother of two young boys. As a “recovering yeller,” she aims to help parents raise, educate, and support their kids. She also designed the online parenting course in a way other parents can do those things while preventing power struggles. In addition, she’s a show contributor and she has written books about positive parenting.
The Packages
You may be asking: how much does Positive Parenting Solutions cost?
The online course comes in two packages. There are originally three online courses, but Amy offers a free upgrade from the Bronze to the Silver plan. All of them have more than 37 Positive Parenting Solutions tools, 49 videos, and downloadable workbooks. The online courses also guarantee lifetime access to all the modules, in addition to the free upgrade. Additionally, they have the Parenting Personality Assessment and more than 25 Advanced Power Struggle Modules.
The Positive Parenting Solutions online courses come at $199 for the Silver package and $249 for the Gold. Amy McCready even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee!
Private Facebook Community
Aside from lifetime access, an exclusive Facebook page awaits Positive Parenting Solutions Gold members. There, Amy introduces parenting techniques applicable even for kids from different age groups. Whether you’re looking for help to raise your little girl, have a better school day, or avoid potty accidents, Amy can help. Read any Positive Parenting Solutions review to see how much everyone enjoys the course!
Amy Coaching Calls
Amy McCready offers a one-year personalized success coaching for Gold members. You’ll also have access to the library of calls where Amy teaches you techniques to raise your children well. Amy coaching you may feel intimidating. But know that the only thing you need to focus on is that you love your children so much that you chose to ask for help.
It’s worth mentioning that you shouldn’t be ashamed to seek assistance to become a better parent. Parenting is a journey; one that you’ll need all the help you can get. And so, Amy advises you to seek help if you need it, especially when you don’t know what to do. After all, Positive Parenting Solutions can help you and your whole family become the best version of yourselves.
Exactly What Can You Get From An Online Course?
Positive Parenting Solutions comes with an array of workbooks, tools, and course materials. All these are meant to help you become a better parent.
The seven-step online course starts with the first tool: the Parent Personality Assessment. It also includes advanced training materials like Potty Training 101 and Sibling Rivalry. You’ll learn how to let kids take responsibility for their actions instead of always relying on the same old “you guys better stop fighting now.”
Additionally, there are focus sessions for several parenting concerns including the following:
- Bedtime blues
- Moving to a new school
- Building a nest egg for kids
- Entitlement epidemic
- ABCs of allowances
- Navigating sibling relationships
What makes the Positive Parenting Solutions worth it is that you need only one tool to solve your parenting concerns. We know that your time is gold, especially with kids needing your attention. Therefore, the content comes in bite-sized videos you can watch in your free time. You get to learn about battle-tested techniques at the comfort of your own home, at your own pace!
Who Can Benefit From Positive Parenting Solutions?
With all its package contents, Positive Parenting Solutions can help parents from all kinds of families out there. After all, it was founded with care and mindfulness, and the intent to help all types of parents. Regardless of background, parenting classes under Positive Parenting Solutions can help you discover and improve your style.
Positive Parenting Solutions Review
You may be asking: is Positive Parenting Solutions worth it?
If you’re still not convinced, you can always look at reviews to see how other parents found the course. We hope to see you learning about parenting solutions with us next time!
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