Holidays are stressful for everyone. The rush of holidays at the end of the year can be especially rough. Changes in routines, new people, new places, new foods. All of it can be overwhelming for our children, as well as us! In this episode, I'll share why being prepared and proactively setting things in place for success is crucial AND possible. I'll walk you through the steps to making the season calmer by helping you be confident in facing whatever changes or challenges are coming your way.

Grab a PDF guide to remind you of the WHY and the HOW of proactive solutions!

How the “Just Right” support creates growth and eliminates struggles.

When a child fails to follow directions, makes mistakes or struggles physically with a task it is easy for us to slip into control mode. So much easier to just do it for them, especially as we are rushing out the door or trying to get dinner on the table at the end of the day. But children learn by doing and they need support to learn in a way that is developmentally appropriate.

In this episode, we’ll explore the power of scaffolding and how providing the right amount of support at the right time will pay off in the long run, in ways that controlling or doing things for them never will. When you learn the art of scaffolding, you learn how to build your child’s skills, confidence and independence. You'll find that your stress level goes down as you let go of control and feel confident in teaching skills. You’ll see how small adjustments in the support you give will turn daily battles into opportunities for learning, connection and lasting change.

We’ve all been there. You thought you'd planned for everything, used your tools and had it under control. But now your child’s having a meltdown at a family gathering, bedtime turns into a battle, or you miss an appointment because your child refuses to get in the car. In the moment, it feels like chaos. Later you blame yourself, worry about the mistakes or feel like you've lost control. But what if those hard moments could actually become your best teachers?

In this episode, I introduce the "Reflect & Repair Review," a simple 3-step process for turning frustration into insight. You’ll learn how to look back at tough situations with curiosity (not guilt), uncover what really happened beneath the surface, and build a plan to handle it differently next time. Focus on a little "R & R" that really helps you find the calm next time!

Because growth doesn’t come from perfection, it comes from reflection, repair, and the courage to reset. Let's do this!