Karen's Parenting Mini-Course

Just follow my Simple Solutions and you can solve almost any parenting problem. They really work. If whatever you’re doing isn’t working, try something new! Once you start using my Simple Solutions, you’ll prevent lots of problems from happening in the first place and find that your relationship with your children improves. My Simple Solutions are based on the best from the worlds of communication, psychology, health and, of course, parenting. They’ll help you in any situation, no matter what’s going on at home. If you’re having trouble getting your children to eat properly, doing what they’re told, going to […]

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Stop and Think and let your children know you’re in control. I want to be a good parent and have a happy family life. Where do I begin? I’m going to start off by giving you a gift, and here it is: it’s the gift of time. When our children are misbehaving or aren’t cooperating, we don’t always need to solve the problem straight away. We can Stop and give ourselves time to Think before we agree, disagree or give-in. If you want to take time to think […]

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Listen and let your children know you understand them. What should I do when my child misbehaves and it’s all going to hell in a hand-basket? Shout? Plead? Despair? Surprisingly, after Stopping and Thinking, our best option is almost always to Listen. It’s a miracle-worker. Once children feel understood, the whole situation calms down. So don’t criticise. Don’t advise. Just Listen and acknowledge we hear what they say. Why does Listening help? When we Listen, we provide a safe place for sometimes overwhelming feelings. When our children feel […]

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Appreciate and let your children know you believe in them. When things are heading down a slippery slope, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can turn them around by focussing on anything that’s going right. Okay – so they’ve just traipsed mud into the house – again! But don’t mention it until after you’ve commented on how glad you are they’re back in time for dinner, if at all. Are you suggesting I ignore bad behaviour? Here’s why: Our children want our attention. If the best way to […]

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Love and Look After and let your children know you care for them. I already Love and Look After my children, so how can I change their behaviour by doing it more? When our children are being horrible, a little extra effort and TLC can be all it takes to make a big difference to their behaviour. If we get over tired, don’t get enough exercise and eat a bunch of junk, we feel terrible. And if we don’t get an ounce of attention or affection, we can […]

Cooperating teaches children invaluable social skills! Here’s why…

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Discipline and let your children know you’re in charge. Discipline can so hard to get right. Some parents think they’re too soft. Others think they’re too tough. Lots worry that they’re both! And even more end up feeling guilty. It’s important that we’re in charge. We feel better and our children are more secure when we’re in control. It isn’t good for them if we let them get away with murder because holding the power in a family is too much responsibility for children. They might have a […]

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Organise and let your children know you can cope. What does being Organised have to do with being a good parent? Surprisingly quite a lot. For starters, it’s so useful. Everyday tasks, like getting out the door in the morning with everything our children need, are so much easier. Meals are thought through in advance so there are no last minute panics – “Oh my goodness. It’s dinner time again? What do I cook?” Everyday items are where they belong so we aren’t caught off guard by the […]

I’m Karen. Welcome to my Parenting Mini-Course. This Simple Solution is to Know Yourself and look after you so you can look after your children. How can Knowing Myself help my children? Understanding and looking after our children is important. But we’re the other half of the parent-child relationship. And when we go down, the whole system implodes. So understanding and looking after ourselves is paramount! The happier and healthier we are, the better able we’ll be to look after them. How do I get the balance right between looking after them and looking after me? There is no one […]