It has been my experience that parenting is the hardest job there is! I know that is also true of the parents I work with and others I talk with in the community. I am always reminded that any other job we have provides us with training, support, and often a mentor to help us learn the ropes, figure out what to do, and how to handle tricky situations. But we don’t get that as parents! Perhaps you took a childbirth class while you were pregnant and prepared for the birth. But how many of you were offered a classContinue Reading…

“How much do I have to play with my children?” “To be honest, I don’t really like playing…” I hear these sentiments regularly and think that they are common questions and feelings for many parents. Play does not come naturally for many of us – myself included! But even if you are a parent who comes to me for coaching and tells me that you don’t love playing, I can tell you this: You can do anything for 15 minutes a day. What we know for sure about play is that it is one of the easiest ways to connectContinue Reading…

The researcher Brené Brown has found that the average adult can only identify three feelings. To have real emotional intelligence, however, we should be able to identify thirty feelings. Why is there such a huge gap between what we know and what we should know — and how do we begin to bridge that gap? How do we become more comfortable talking about our feelings? I would not be surprised if reading the word “feelings” four times already makes you want to stop reading this column, but please stick with me. I promise it will not hurt. Emotional intelligence isContinue Reading…

As 2016 drew to a close, I heard people all around me saying the same thing: “I am ready for this year to be over.” My friends and family, people out in the community, and even strangers in the grocery store remarked to me that 2016 had been a tough year. The election took a toll on all of us no matter our political views, there has been so much loss, and the world seems overwhelmed by tragedy in every corner of the globe. It had been an awful lot to take in. I did not blame anyone’s desire toContinue Reading…

Parenting is 80% connection and 20% coaching. When I begin my Peaceful Parenting 101 classes with that statement, which was first shared with me by my mentor Dr. Laura Markham, I see a lot of confused looks back at me. Sometimes we all forget that beneath all of our daily ups and downs, parenting is simply a relationship between an adult and a child. When you break it down to that – a relationship – then it makes sense that it is about connection. If I suggested during class that the basis of your partnership with your spouse or yourContinue Reading…

I’m Lisa. You can read more about me here. I am a Certified Peaceful Parenting Coach. You can read more about coaching here. I work with parents to help them become the parents they want to be – more peaceful, patient, and connected with their children. I also teach workshops both locally in San Diego, California and online about Peaceful Parenting, for upcoming classes take a look at the event calendar here. In this blog I will be sharing different ideas about parenting: some old, some new, some traditional, and some that might take you a moment to wrap your headContinue Reading…

One of the first things they teach you when you become a social worker is to “meet the client where they’re at.” That is one of the hardest lessons you learn because many times your client is not in a pretty “place” and they are often quite comfortable there. Learning to meet them there takes a lot of patience and many deep breaths. Before I became a parenting coach, I worked as a hospice social worker. Meeting those patients where they are has led to some of the most challenging moments of my career because sometimes adults make poor choicesContinue Reading…