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Power Struggles with a 4-year-old

Here’s the thing about power struggles: once they’ve started, you’ve lost. The only cure is prevention. You can’t prevent all of them, but you can reduce the likelihood that they will happen.

adult and child sliding on playground

Coddling or cooperating?

Some kids do fine with broad choices, but all children need to learn to make decisions on their own, and the safest place to do that is with you.

Toddler saying No

Toddler and “NO”

Modeling is the best teacher. Even if you use the word “no” sparingly, you’re going to hear it repeated back to you.

Resting Kitten

Forgiving Ourselves

We say horrible things, grab too hard, react too strongly, and hurt the ones we love most. There are moments we can’t take back, no matter how fervently we wish to erase them. How do we move on, learn from our mistakes and earn forgiveness?