Do you ever feel like you have no idea what advice to give to parents? Or maybe you do have the experience but don’t feel comfortable telling them what they really need to hear.
Well, I’ve recently found a podcast that is absolutely fantastic and is a great resource to share with the parents of your students. Or for you parents out there – it’s a great one to check out for yourself.
It’s called Have a New Kid by Friday with Dr. Kevin Leman, and I found it when searching for a bit of advice for how to handle my own little rambunctious toddler.
Now of course I don’t agree with 100% of what he says, but his advice is super practical and full of common sense. It’s also sometimes a bit unconventional, which is possibly exactly what we need in our crazy, out-of-control society.
Here’s a few of my favorite principles that Dr. Leman shares in his podcast:
Great Parenting Advice from the Have a New Kid by Friday podcast:
- Use logical consequences. Dr. Leman often says, “B doesn’t happen until A is complete.” This means that if the child didn’t finish a task (for example, his homework), then he cannot have his next request (such as going to his friend’s house that evening). I love the concept of declining a specific request as opposed to a nebulous “grounding.”
 - Be authoritative. According to Dr. Leman, there are two dangerous extremes in parenting – being permissive and being an authoritarian. The happy medium is being in God-given authority over your kids. You don’t rule with an iron fist, but you don’t give your kids whatever they want either.
 - Relationship is key. We’ll never have a real impact on our kids unless we develop a strong relationship with them. I love that Dr. Leman not only believes relationships are important but also gives so many practical tips for how to develop them and keep them strong.
 - Our kids don’t need to always be happy. “An unhappy child is a healthy child,” Dr. Leman goes as far as to say. And it really is true, isn’t it? If we are always trying to make our kids happy, we’re going to create a spoiled brat that won’t be able to face the realities of life. It’s healthy for our kids to experience disappointment and unhappiness and to learn the lessons these experiences can teach.
 - Teach responsibility. Dr. Leman often reminds his listeners to “keep the tennis ball of life on their side of the court.” So instead of doing everything for our child (or even watching every little move over their proverbial shoulder), we should give them the responsibility and allow them to experience the consequences if they fail. I love how he recommends using the phrase, “I’m sure you can handle it,” which shows a kid that you believe in them but that you’re not going to do the work for them.
These are just a few of my favorite principles. There is so much more invaluable advice on his podcast, in his books, and on his website. In fact, you can download the Ultimate Quick Reference Guide to Raising Remarkable Kids for free when you subscribe to updates on his website. Click here to go to the website, or here to check out the podcast.
And the next time you talk to a parent who could use some help, tell them about Have a New Kid by Friday.
What other helpful parenting resources have you found? (I could use all the great advice I can get 🙂
