Blog | MarySmithParentCoach

Mary helps you improve your parenting in 60 seconds or less!

These are brain-science and child development simplified . . .

with a script to try the concept out right away.

2 min read

Holidays And The Pause

What is it? We're facing the holidays wrapped in a pandemic. More than ever we want the time to be harmonious and joyful. And it will be....

2 min read

Belonging just slips off my tongue like we all know what it is: at a minimum, we all 'belong' in our families, right? But it's not that sim

2 min read

When my children used to walk in the room... I looked at them... It’s not [affection]. When they see you, they see the critical face....

2 min read

SIBLING RIVALRY: PLAN AHEAD What is It? Thanksgiving. A time of families and fun, relaxation and rest. Ah yes, except when the kids start...

2 min read

ONLY MY OPINION COUNTS: THE MYSIDE BIAS What is it? When our children are tiny, it is easy for our conversation to be one-sided: we tell...

2 min read

Do you feel like this school quarter or even the entire quarantine period is not going the way you want? Do you want another chance to be...

3 min read

I had heard that being curious was a great way to invite conversation with a child. But my children were teens at this point; it just...

2 min read

DECIDE AHEAD The Background? Have you ever noticed that you feel out of control or act impulsively when you are angry or have fear about...

2 min read

Sitting in one of my favorite places in the world, it seems very natural to be grateful. Generally I have a very positive, outgoing,...

2 min read

CONNECTION THROUGH TRADITIONS What is it? Postive family memories are not only fun, they are actually protective. Research shows that...

2 min read

POWER STRUGGLE ANTIDOTE #1: ONE WORD What's the background? I've mentioned children's hard-wired emotional needs to be seen and feel...

3 min read

COVID-19 might give you an opportunity to practive active listening and we’ll make it simple. Set off 3-5 minutes.

2 min read

This article caught my eye because mental illness is up during COVID but I guess it’s really not surprising. There’s the obvious physical...

2 min read

I like to call it the 80/20 rule. Paretos’s principle - also known as the law of the vital few or the principle of factor sparsity[1]:...