Category: Parenting Tips

10 Guidelines for Kids and Cell Phones

February 28, 2021

In this video you will get ideas on how to set limits with your kids around cell phone usage. Shiloh Lundahl, LCSW is a child and family therapist who has worked with well over 1000 families helping them improve their family relationships. He is licensed in Arizona and California and currently has a private practice in Mesa, Arizona. In addition to working with families one on one, he also provides parenting classes. You can find out more information about him

Discipline, Three Strategies to Change Behavior Quickly

April 15, 2019

Discipline is defined as training people to obey rules or a code of behavior. Parents often wonder what is the best way to discipline their child or teenager. Discipline has two main goals. First, two change behaviors and second to maintain the relationship. Three strategies to change behaviors quickly Improve Adult-Child Interactions: Adults must go out of their way to have positive experiences and interactions with children and teenagers. Give positive attention to the things our children do appropriately.

Prompting and Fading Parenting ADHD, Autism, & Developmental Delays

January 17, 2019

Principles of Prompting and Fading Children with ADHD, Autism and Developmental Delays can be forgetful, impulsive and prone to distractions with daily tasks. Parents often get frustrated when their child or adolescent does not complete their tasks and responsibilities completely. Using effective prompts can help parents reduce their stress and maintain the relationship. Effective prompting and fading can help children and adolescents become more independent, respectful, and responsible. Reasons for Using Prompts Prompts can be used to increase skills

Teaching Children and Adolescents Responsibility

December 10, 2018

Parents often ask me, “How do you teach your kids how to be responsible?” Responsibility is defined as the state of fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management. So how do we teach our kids to be responsible? The Perfect Life As parents we want our children to succeed and do well socially and academically. We want our children to never have to struggle too much, be uncomfortable, or be disappointed. We

Helping Kids Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

November 24, 2018

Lately, I’ve been pondering a lot about how important it is to develop gratitude in families, and especially how important it is for our children to develop an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude helps kids be optimistic and combats entitlement. What is entitlement and why is it so rampant? Entitlement in this sense is a feeling that I deserve certain things simply because I believe I should have them regardless of the work that I have put forth to acquire them.

Homework and Being Successful. Do they go hand in hand?

October 1, 2018

It’s that time of year again. Time to put up the bathing suites and get out the book bags. School is in session! For many parents this time can be a time of relief as they get their kids back into school and back on a routine. For other parents, this time can be stressful as they hustle to get everything ready for their kids to go back to school. Then there are other parents whose anxiety starts to build

5 Suggestions to help kids feel secure and truly happy

September 1, 2018

“I just want my kids to be happy” Seeking for your child to feel secure over being happy will help them more in the long run. I often hear parents say that they just want their kids to be happy. Who can blame them? I think that’s what every parent really wants for his or her kids. However, if we as parents aim for our kids’ immediate happiness, we will often miss the mark on their overall happiness. Have you

Emotional Flat Tire

July 19, 2016

Imagine you are running late to work and you are frantically rushing out the door. As you’re hustling down the freeway trying not to speed (at least trying not to noticeably speed), you suddenly feel the car start to vibrate followed by a low juddering sound. You recognize that dreadful sound and realize that you have a flat tire at the most inconvenient time. You now have a decision to make, you can either pull to the side of the

Being a Super-Powered Parent can be a Blessing and a Curse

November 25, 2015

As a therapist I often work with very smart and capable parents. The kind of parents that seem to have the answer to someone’s problem even before that person knows they have a problem. These superpowers have helped these parents become successful in many areas of their lives. They are often ultra responsible and their employers love them for it. So why do such capable parents bring their children in for counseling? I find that one of the reasons is

Giving Kids the Opportunity to Succeed

April 30, 2015

One of the topics that often surface in the parenting classes that I teach is the parent’s fears of their kids failing in school. This is especially true for parents of kids with ADD or ADHD, because of their child’s difficulty staying focused on a school task to completion. Parents want their kids to succeed. So when their child starts to struggle with something such as schoolwork, the parent steps in to support their child by helping them with their