Your Parenting Long Game

Let’s be honest: Raising a child with big emotions can take a lot of energy. Dealing with resistance, dramatic reactions, and everything else in your life can be exhausting, so it’s natural to lose your patience (and, unfortunately, your influence). This episode shares a specific strategy to stay calm and keep your influence… even when it’s taking longer for your children’s behavior to improve than you’d like.   In this episode, you’ll learn:  * The 3 main reasons kids don’t do what we ask * Why we tend to lose our cool when there is a setback in our child’s progress * A simple technique to help you stay calm and supportive rather than resentful of your child’s behavior  -- Resources to support you as you're raising children with big emotions [https://rachel-bailey.com/everything-page/] Work with Rachel [https://rachel-bailey.com/work-with-rachel] Join Rachel’s Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelBailey/]

Having a strong relationship with our kids is a huge priority for many of us. So when we’re setting limits or addressing our kids’ big emotions, we usually approach them in a nice (or what we think is “respectful”) way. Unfortunately, many kids won’t listen – or feel confident – when we’re being so nice. So how can we raise kids who follow limits and can handle hard feelings… without ruining our relationship?  In this episode, you’ll learn:  * What it really means to “respect” your children  * One question you can ask yourself when you’re struggling to influence your children  * What simple quality leads to long-term security and healthier self-esteem for your kids (and less guilt for you) -- Join Rachel’s Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelBailey/] Resources to support you as you're raising children with big emotions [https://rachel-bailey.com/everything-page/] Work with Rachel [https://rachel-bailey.com/work-with-rachel]

Often when our kids refuse to do what we ask, it can seem like they are being deliberately defiant or strong-willed. But often in these situations, our kids are having a hard time with something beyond their control…and our frustration with them only makes things worse. Fortunately, when you take a closer look at what is really going on for a “strong-willed” child, you can see what they really need in order to feel and act more positively.  In this episode, we’ll look at several real-life situations from the dual perspectives of a child and parent. You’ll learn:  * Why children with big emotions display more “strong-willed” behavior * What’s really happen when a child is acting resistant or defiant  * How we can can spend less energy addressing this behavior and expand their ability to handle things not going their way in the future  -- FREE RESOURCE: Know what to do when YOUR child displays strong-willed behavior [https://rachel-bailey.com/strong-willed-micro-steps-in/] Join Rachel’s Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelBailey/]

It’s natural to want to help a child when you see that they’re upset. But sometimes our attempts to soothe their big feelings and calm them down actually makes things worse, leaving us feeling confused and helpless. Ironically, doing less in those situations – not saying much! – actually does more to make the situation better.   In this episode, you’ll learn:  * What happens when we do and don’t try to make our child feel better  * How to handle a child who questions why we’re not doing more  * How this simple strategy sets kids up to be more resilient in the long run --  FREE RESOURCE: How to help someone when they're "in Yuck" (on the Yuck Curve) [https://rachel-bailey.com/yuck-curve] Join Rachel’s Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelBailey/]

This week, I’m doing something a little different: Instead of picking the topic myself, I’m answering parents’ questions. These questions demonstrate challenges that many of us face behind closed doors — and I’m sharing practical ways to handle them with more confidence and calm. In this episode, you’ll learn:  * How to respond to two specific situations as a connected and confident Leader Parent  * What to do when children respond negatively to positive feedback * Why kids with big emotions frequently complain of being bored but resist any suggestion you make  -- FREE RESOURCE: How to raise children with big emotions with HEALTHY SELF ESTEEM [https://rachel-bailey.com/self-esteem] Join Rachel’s Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/RachelBailey/]