How to Have More Fun with your Child

I’m going to the gym this morning with my wonderful son Orion where we regularly attend one of our favorite gym classes together. We both look forward to our Friday morning gym date and all the “it hurts so good pain” and the great conversation we share.

REMINDER: JOYOUS CHILD JOYOUS PARENT BOOK GIVEAWAY!!

From Monday, August 13 until midnight, Friday, August 24, I am giving all of my printed books away for FREE. And you are welcome to get additional copies for your family and friends! All I ask is that you cover the low investment of handling and shipping.

Quantities are limited so don’t wait until the last day to get yours! When they are gone, they are gone, even if it is before Friday, August 24.

Plus I’m including an additional value-packed gift for those who take advantage of my book giveaway.

Watch for my announcement this coming Monday when I’ll tell you how to get your FREE copy of my book and the added gift. I am so excited to be sharing this with you!

TOP TEN TIPS VIDEO SERIES

In case you haven’t been able to watch my recent videos, I’m doing videos on each of my Top Ten Parenting Tips, which are included in my book. Today’s video is Tip #4.

A word of warning: My Top Ten Tips can be deceptively simple Most parents believe they know this, yet most people do not actually implement these important basic ideas in their life.

Knowing something intellectually is very different than living it day-to-day. For example, when was the last time you tried to eat more healthy foods or to work out more at the gym?

When you watch the videos, you have an opportunity to deepen your understanding of the idea and how to make it a part of your daily life. When you live these truths, you more profoundly bring out the best in your child and deepen your emotional connection with her.

Here are links to all 4 tips I’ve done so far:

#1 – The Most Important Parenting Question

#2 – Your Child Needs Structure

#3 – Nurture your Emotional Connection with your Child

#4 – Play with your Child – below

All of these videos are short – 4 to 5 minutes in length and will deepen your ability to be the parent your child wants and needs you to be.

Happy trails!

To your Joyous Family!

Connie

For Dads…and the Women Who Love Them

I’m delighted to talk with you again. Our home remodel is complete – new hardwood floors and new lovely, warm colors, and more of our incredible granite in the bathroom! You can tell I love it!! Now all that’s left is unpacking a few more boxes.

My husband Doug and I also took a 6-day camping trip in the Sierra Mountains of Eastern California two weeks ago, discovering spectacular new territory, hiking, and enjoying the breath-taking beauty and peace of Mother Earth.

I hope you’re spending time with your child in nature this summer. It’s good for you and your child. It’s the perfect place to have spontaneous meaningful conversations.

I have a new video for you that I am really excited about! Of course, I’m excited about all of them, and this one is especially dear to my heart.

The emotional connection between you and your partner makes a profound impact in your child’s life, probably more than you realize. I designed this short video to give you powerful insights to deepen your partnership and communication.

A dear friend and colleague Meryn Callendar is about to release a book in which my son Orion and I contributed “Why Dads Leave: Insights and Resources for When Partners Become Parents” that addresses this topic more deeply. I’ll let you know when it is released. It is a must-read!

Feel free to share the video with your partner and other dads you know. I especially recommend sharing it with your partner, whether male or female.

What do you do to keep your emotional connection with your partner strong and flourishing? Please tell us in the comments section below. You just might give someone else an idea that will make a big difference to them. That’s one of the values of community.

Secret to Being More Patient with Your Child

I hope you and your family are enjoying the start of summer! My husband and I are deeply into a remodel of our home – the offices and bedroom – all of which have closets with lots of stuff. It’s expanded into a bigger project than we anticipated — doesn’t it often? — and we are making good progress and love how it is looking.

Today’s Video

Every parent gets frustrated and angry with their child from time to time, and you say or do something you later regret. What makes the difference in its impact on your child and in your relationship are how frequently you become upset and how intensely.

It’s important to remember how emotionally sensitive your child is. Yes, even your surly teen. In fact, your child is probably more aware of your up-tightness than you are. What you say and do affects your child’s self-confidence and his connection with you more deeply than you probably realize. This one is crucial!

Today’s short video gives you the most important step to being more patient with your child. Without this step, you will continually try to control and manage your anger without getting to its root causes and making the long term changes you desire.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I love hearing from you and want you and your child to love your joyous time together! Write your question in the ‘Comment’ section or send me an email.

Parents’ Most Common Misunderstanding

When are the times you struggle to understand why your child is acting the way she is?

When you wonder why your child repeats a behavior that you’ve frequently told him not to do?

Your child’s repetitive behavior challenges occur when you unknowingly misunderstand what matters most to your child, what she most needs from you, her mom and dad.

Watch this video and gain a deeper understanding of what makes your child tick!

Then tell me what you are you going to do to improve your relationship with your child. How do you see these behavior difficulties differently? Share your insights with other parents!

Perfect Parenting or Joy!

I did it! The first video in my Joyous Parenting Video Series is up and ready for you to enjoy! I’m excited to make my next one and hopefully will have it up before all of my travels begin next week.

It’s only 3 minutes long so you can easily find time for it in your busy day.

In this video, I mention lines in the recording. As it turns out, the lines mostly show in the recording phase and not in the viewing phase so you probably will not see many lines. Part of my learning curve.

If you feel others in your network would find this information useful, please share it with people you know and care about. Thanks!

If you want to be among the first to know when I make new videos, be sure to subscribe to my blog by entering your email in the far right column under the social networking links where it says “Subscribe by email.” Or you can use Feedburner.

As you may recall, I am beginning a series of travel adventures next week. I plan to post updates of my travels on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. So if this sounds like fun, you can sign up to ‘follow me’ from my blog also. This way you can share my adventures with me. That would be fun!

In what ways are you trying to be perfect as a parent? Feel free to share your experience in the comment section.