Calm Parenting Podcast

5 Things I Feared About My Son & His Future #470

Our son had extremely intense meltdowns, got in trouble routinely at school, didn't study or try his hardest, had a messy bedroom, and left lights on everywhere. Diagnosed with an alphabet soup of labels, he didn't listen, did argue, and underperformed in school. How did we address these issues and did we really have reasons to fear for his future? This is both very pract...

Moody Child Who Blames YOU? 5 Ways to Avoid Emotional Collisions #467

You have a child who is moody and disrespectful. You tell her that attitude is not tolerated in your home. She keeps coming at you. You try staying calm, but eventually everyone ends up yelling and you impose consequences. She then blames you for her attitude. How can you stop this vicious cycle? Kirk gives you five specific action steps and a script.

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Why Kids Refuse Homework (ADHD), Fight Siblings & Argue #468

Do you have kids who argue like attorneys, pick on siblings, resist doing homework, procrastinate, and/or do things the hard way? Kids who chew on things, talk loudly, like to push buttons? Of course you do! Kirk gives you scripts and practical action steps to stop the constant power struggles and fights!

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Why Won't My Child Apologize? Disrupts Family/Sibling Dynamic #467

Your child says something mean to her sister. She knows it's wrong. But when you ask for a simple apology, she digs in and refuses. How can you get contrition instead of a forced, fake apology? Do you have a child who is great one-on-one, but then disrupts the entire family dynamic when you're all together? Kirk shows you practical ways to navigate these tou...

Q&A: Kids Interrupt On Phone, Co-Parenting, Kids Who Lose It When Lose Games, Focus in Classroom #466

How can you stop your kids from interrupting while you’re on the phone? How do you handle a child who loses it emotionally (in front of all the other parents!) when he loses a game? How can you co-parent better when you have joint custody? How can you improve focus in the classroom? You find something grown up in your t...

Stop Lying & Stealing. Help for Adopted Kids. Alternatives to Spanking? #465

Most of our kids lie and you may be surprised why. Many of our kids—especially our adopted kids—steal. Kirk gives you creative strategies and scripts to stop the lying and stealing while building trust (without spanking or yelling).

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Defiant, Disrespectful Child: A Script to Repair Your Relationship #464

You have a challenging child who says disrespectful things to you. You would be justified in punishing this child, but that won’t fix the underlying relationship that’s strained or broken. This is a powerful real life story with a script and action steps to repair this relationship with a strong-willed child. Share with Dads.

These ideas are from the...

Adoption #2: Kids Who Never Seem Full or Happy, Unhealthy Attachments, Separation & Sleep Issues #463

In this special episode, Kirk addresses these specific issues from parents of adopted kids:  Our son will attach himself to anyone who gives him positive or negative attention. Our daughter always wants to be attached to only me and won’t separate. Our child has a "love bucket" with a giant hole in the bottom. Our kids ...

Q&A: Kids Who Complain, Compete with Siblings, Quit Sports? Anxiety and OCD Issues? Teen Priorities? #462

Do you have kids who complain incessantly and seem like they are miserable (especially when you’re supposed to be having fun!)? Should you allow a child to quit a sport? How can you help a child anxious and obsessed over something? What should we focus on in the teen years? How do you handle kids who one-up each oth...

3 Easy Ways to Change Your Child’s Behavior Quickly (Discipline That Works!) #461

What is one easy way to change your kids’ behavior that has nothing to do with changing them? How can you teach your kids impulse control and delayed gratification? Want to replace behavior charts with a tool that will get to the root of the behavior? Kirk shares over a dozen practical strategies you can begin ASAP to change your family. These...

Do Adopted Kids Struggle More? Part #1 #460

Parents often believe if you adopt a child from birth and provide a loving home, that will mitigate most issues. It doesn’t usually work that way. There is no judgment here. Just the reality that trauma triggers different issues. That can manifest in kids with an insatiable craving for intensity, sensory pressure, connection, food, and things. Adoptive parents should not feel guil...

A Life-Changing Script for Kids With Negative Self-Talk (Forgetful, ADHD) #459

Do you have kids who react angrily, lash out, or have a meltdown when you correct them or remind them to do something? Does your child struggle with short-term memory or forgetting things? Do you have a child who beats himself and says things like, “I am so stupid!”? It can be painful to watch this and hear the negative self-talk. Kirk provides a...

Raising A Resilient, Responsible Child (Even When They Thrash About!) #458

How do you NOT react and get triggered when your child is in a bad mood or slamming dresser drawers, then acts like nothing happened? I want your kids to feel frustrated and distressed…so they learn that they are capable of working through hard things in life. Kirk shows you how to resist jumping in to fix situations so your kids can develop the conf...

Kids Ignore, Resist, or Fight You? Get Them Moving More Quickly. #457

Why can't your kids just come when you ask them? Does it always have to be a fight? It's like they can't hear you when playing video games. They aren't grateful for time with friends--they lash out when you pick them up. And when you call them for dinner, all you hear is, "Just a couple more minutes" and they ignore you. It's frustrating! Kirk shows you a...

3 Ways to Break Childhood Patterns & Reparent Yourself #456

"I hadn’t realized the degree to which so many of my adult choices—my spouse, my career, my friendships, my daily life—have been dictated by the patterns I learned as a child." Kirk gives you scripts and practical action steps to heal those childhood wounds, reparent yourself, and break those old patterns. Take advantage of the Black Friday Sale in March at htt...

Tough Discipline Your Kids Will Respect (Without Being Mean) #455

What can you do if your kids aren’t listening to you or taking you seriously? What if your kids are late, defy you, won’t do their chores, or get off screens? How can you be tough without being mean or making it personal? Kirk gives you actual scripts to use in the toughest situations. Get dozens of scripts and an action plan with our Black Friday Sale in Mar...

Jr. Attorney, Cop & Judge At Home? 5 Responses to Arguing #454

Do you have a relentless arguer at home? A child who can prosecute everyone else, but is immune to rules? Who has a strong sense of justice and fairness? Your strong-willed kids ARE going to argue. Kirk provides 5 different responses/scripts, including an emotional one at the end. Listen to this one twice!

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Kids Anxious, Smashing Toys, Calling You Stupid, Refusing to Eat, AM Routine? #453

I love this podcast. I recorded this while tired so I'd be more vulnerable and direct without filters. It's packed with practical strategies and insights for tough situations when natural consequences don't work. Get scripts for what to do when kids smash toys and break things, refuse to eat or go to a new activity, call you "stupid" and stru...

FAFO Parenting Will NOT Work With Strong-Willed Children #452

"F* Around & Find Out" is the classic idea that you allow your child to learn from the natural consequences of their actions. It makes sense in theory. But it will NOT work with our kids. This approach can backfire badly and cause more damage than you think. It is critical to understand your child's very nature so you don't create more power struggles.

Thi...