Ways to Get Your Kids to Do Chores

boy doing dishes - kids and chores

Tips on How to Encourage Kids to do Chores

I was recently asked to share my thoughts on helping parents find practical solutions for involving their children in chores and responsibilities around their home.  Disclaimer to the parents reading this post: It takes effort, consistency and sometimes being the “bad guy” in your kid’s mind. The conversations I have regularly with parents asking for help in this area are numerous, and it has become evident to me that it is a continuing challenge for families.

Let’s talk about why having your child help around the home is so important. Over the last 20-30 years, it seems more and more parents are not requiring or teaching their children to do much around the home. Excuses for this are plenty: “the kids are too busy,” “it’s easier for me to do it myself then have the kids do it,” “they don’t do a good job,” “I just don’t like fighting with them to get them to do it,” and the list goes on.

Transitioning Tweens: The Leap to Middle School

Transition to Middle School

Helping your child transition to junior high school

Whether your school district transitions students from elementary to middle school in sixth grade or seventh, it can be a difficult time for kids, and parents, as well.  There are the obvious adjustments like a larger school building, use of lockers, loads of new faces, unfamiliar teachers and different rules. And the entrance into middle school usually  brings about new pressures to wear the right clothes, say the right things and fit in with certain groups. Many childhood experts see this as the most difficult time, socially, for most kids. I have heard it referred to as the time to “eat or be eaten.”

So what can a parent do to help alleviate the pressure their children may experience during this time of life? There is no magic bullet that will ensure your child goes from elementary school into middle school experiencing no stress. However, if handled well, many of these experiences can end up being beneficial life lessons in the long run. As a parenting coach I often recommend the following formula.

Helping Kids Heal: When Your Child Needs Psychotherapy

Therapy for Kids

Helping a Child who is Entering Psychotherapy

We prepare children for all sorts of things in life—a new babysitter, the first day of school, the arrival of a new sibling. Preparation is important because children, like adults, find comfort in knowing what to expect. The same sense of security is critical to helping a child who is entering psychotherapy.