Positive Discipline Parenting Blog
Sproutable's Positive Discipline blog.
Real tips. Real talk. Read & grow.
Latest post
8 Fun Things to do with an 8 Year Old
I’ve always been drawn towards working with young children, and I simply don’t have as much experience with the older elementary crowd that I do with the littles. Luckily, because of Positive Discipline, I know[...]By Danielle Taylor
0 Views 
Opening Up to Your Resistance
When I work with parents, lots of families resonate with the idea of letting go and being open & present with their children. But in reality, we spend so much of our time resisting in parenting. We hold onto a vision that we’ve created for our children - a narrative, an expectation, an attitude about how things should play out. This isn’t even in our consciousness; we often don’t even realize we’re holding onto these ideas.By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
Dealing with our Parenting Triggers
What is a trigger? Trigger. There’s a difference between being uncomfortable and being triggered. Some people say triggers have to be very traumatic, like PTSD. I’m going to use trigger in a broader sense here. We talk about being triggered by content, by media, by each other, by our children. I really appreciate this definition from […]By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
Empowering Teens: The path from enabling to positive parenting
Parenting is a journey filled with ups and downs, and navigating the teenage years can be particularly challenging. Many parents strive to raise responsible, confident, and accountable young adults. However, one common pitfall in parenting is falling into the trap of enabling rather than empowering our teens. In this blog post, we'll explore the transition from enabling to positive parenting and how it can benefit both you and your teenagers.By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
The Art of Parenting Teens: Taking a rest day
Parenting teenagers can be a challenging journey filled with ups and downs. It’s a phase of life where both parents and teens undergo significant changes, and navigating this transition can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of taking a “rest day” in your parenting approach and understanding […]By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
How to motivate teens and tweens
How do we motivate adolescents? Sometimes it feels like nobody wants to help around the house, nobody wants to clean their room. I know, I’ve been there! We work and work on our relationship with our kids- it’s ongoing. It’s a practice of connecting, creating and tweaking agreements, problem solving, checking in, and finding solutions. […]By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
Tips for validating teens
I like to think of validation as a way to be human to human with my kids. I want them to have the experience of feeling seen. When we validate, it’s an opportunity to let our teens know we can handle them being in their emotions and that we have faith in them to navigate that. Validation improves relationships, deescalates conflict and intense emotions, shows we’re listening without judgment, and that we care. I also think of validation as the opening of a door: when our kids and teens feel seen and not judged, they’re so much more likely to move into a receptive, problem-solving state.By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
Getting out of our teen’s way
Something that keeps coming up in my class and in my own parenting is the power of the tension of life. I’ve been thinking about how Jessica Lahey and Ned Johnson both talk about getting out of our kid’s way. We have to get out of the way so our kids can feel the tension […]By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
Getting curious about the Belief Behind Behavior
A few years back I did an interview with Alison Smith. It touched on the importance of finding the need beneath the behaviors we see. I also often reference the iceberg metaphor - the idea that behavior we’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg, and if we can go under the surface and really get to what's fueling the behavior, we can make lasting, sustainable change in our home environment.By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
Exploring “Is This Positive Discipline?”
A lot of parents and caregivers who read my blogs or listen to my podcast are interested in Positive Discipline philosophy but haven’t actually taken a Positive Discipline class or program. You might hear some things that inspire you, but you may be asking, “Is this Positive Discipline?” I know it can feel unclear, so I want to break it down so you know some criteria about if you’re handling things the Positive Discipline way. Know that I’m not here to judge! It’s not about being a perfect parent, it’s about sharing information and guidance to support you if you’re heading in a Positive Discipline direction in your home and with your kids.By Casey O'Roarty
Views 
How does firmness show up for you?
Something that’s been coming up with my clients lately, as well as in my own life, is firmness. I was on a call this morning with other Positive Discipline trainers, and we were asked to think about the difference between authoritative parenting and authoritarian parenting, specifically around firmness.By Casey O'Roarty
Views