In this episode, Lora Ferguson and John Howard discuss a parenting approach called Positive Discipline. Positive Discipline encourages parents to cultivate mutual respect with their children, ask for their child’s input, share their emotions openly, and helps kids develop confidence, self-responsibility and critical thinking skills.
In this episode, you’ll learn what Positive Discipline is and why punishment may not the best way to get your kids to do what you want. You’ll learn how to cultivate mutual respect with your children, engage them as teammates in solving problems, have family meetings, and set up a relationship with your kiddo for the future that they will appreciate.
Lora Ferguson is the Founder and Co-Director of Austin Family Counseling, a family counseling practice in Austin, Texas. She is licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Board-Approved Supervisor. In her counseling practice, Lora specializes in supporting adolescents, young adults, and their families, and she provides clinical supervision to post-graduate interns. She is a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer and Parent Educator through the Positive Discipline Association. She facilitates parenting workshops for parents of children of all ages, and she trains Positive Discipline Parent Educators in schools, counseling practices, private agencies, and the community.
Lora is also a Mom to a 9 year old son and a 7 year old daughter who are her biggest teachers, so she is actively learning new ways to balance life and work every day!
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“It’s healthy to discuss emotions in the family structure. It’s healthy for the parents to share their own struggles. It gives kids a language and an opportunity to share their own emotions and allows them to see that adults are comfortable with their imperfection.” – John Howard
Show Notes:
- What positive discipline is
- Why punishment isn’t very effective
- How to cultivate mutual respect with your kids
- Why it’s important to let your kids make mistakes
- When it’s time to stand your ground as a parent
- How to access your child’s natural willingness to help out
- Should you share your emotions with your kids?
- Why kids need to hear their parents apologize
- What to do at your first family meeting
- How positive discipline can help parents bridge parenting styles
“Instead of focusing on the outcome (which is you getting out the door on time), it’s focusing on the process of creating a routine with [your child] and helping them learn how to work in a time-frame.” – Lora Ferguson
Links Mentioned:
- Learn more about Positive Discipline
- Learn more about Austin Family Counseling
“In family meetings– that’s the place where we’re really able to model mutual respect, encouragement, and focusing on solutions. And in that, we’re actually helping kids develop their prefrontal cortex.” – Lora Ferguson