Homework tips for parents:
- Plan homework schedule together
Avoid power struggles
Validate feelings of struggle and challenge
Offer organizational tips
Praise effort rather than outcomes
Book: The Best Things Parents Do, 2004, Conari Press.
About Susie Kohl:
She is the author of five parenting books, numerous articles, is a regular parenting columnist for Diablo Magazine; is a college instructor, consultant human development and director of The White Pony School.
She consulted with parents for over thirty years, tries to stress what parents do right, and emphasize how much better parents are doing in this generation.
General parenting tips:
- Speak respectfully, even your child is angry.
- Apologize when you use an inappropriate tone.
- Acknowledge the feelings behind what they're saying, before correcting the tone "I see your upset, but I can't listen to you when you're screaming."
- Coach younger children to express feelings "You can say you're angry, but you can't call me names."
- Insist that children change a disrespectful tone or you won't be able to respond.
- Sometimes children are angry, work on the relationship in addition to the words.
