Posts filed under ‘#MsParentguru’
3 Habits for Healthy Families
During this Thanksgiving holiday, we will share many things with our families: holiday traditions, good-night hugs and good times. I truly love family customs and traditions, hugs (not just at night) and the good times we share as our family gathers together.
In addition to these things, check your ‘list’ to see if you are including these healthy habits as well. I’m including three of my favorite ones here:
- Make mealtime family time – This matters because shared meals help families catch up and connect. Studies show that kids who regularly eat with their families have healthier eating habits than those who don’t.
- Volunteer together – This is important because helping others lifts our spirits and improves our overall sense of well-being. It also teaches our children that they can make a difference, which can help boost their self-confidence and make them feel good about themselves.
- Handle anger in a healthy way – When we lash out it strains relationships within and outside our family. “Kids tend to express anger by lashing out at parents and teachers, and their anger may isolate them from their peers.”[1] In adults, angry outbursts can raise the risks of heart attack and stroke.
Thank you Rush University Medical Center for these healthy tips for our families!
As you welcome your college students back home and see family members you haven’t seen in a while, take time to relax and enjoy them. Even Aunt Josephine who manages to say something completely crazy to everyone she sees, still needs a hug. ♥
Time Saving Tip: Sparkl Now – The Car Wash Service That Comes to You!
Are you tired of riding around in a dirty, cheerio-ridden car?
I was just like you! As a mom of busy and messy boys, I found myself living most of my day in the car—shuttling to/from school, practices and play dates. My kids often had to eat meals in the car in order to get to where we needed to be on time.
This is what inspired me to launch Sparkl – an eco-friendly, waterless car wash that comes to YOU. All you have to do is download our app, register, and schedule a date and time. We do the rest. Our products are bio-degradable and our waterless solution is safe enough to use on any car. All of our washers are background checked and trained to provide a quality car wash anytime anywhere. We will come to your home, office, parking garage, or just the street. It’s that simple…and convenient. No more dirty car… and no more waiting in line at the car wash! Now your car can get cleaned without wasting your precious time…or our environment’s precious resources. To learn more about Sparkl, please check out our website: www.sparklnow.com.
C. Lynn Williams’ Upcoming Events:
Dating With The Right Tools webinar Dec 6th – Part 2 of Romance Series
Kick the Chaos workshop Dec 9th – kickthechaos.eventbrite.com
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and their Sons or Fathers and Daughters.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Coach & Author
www.clynnwilliams.com
[1] Adrienne Adams, MD, MS – Rush University Medical Center
The Divorced Kid Shuffle (reprint)
This article by Tiffany Beverlin so resonated with me as I tried to maintain a relationship with my kids and their father during and after our divorce.
– C. Lynn Williams 
www.clynnwilliams.com
I am writing this blog while having just distributed, varies suitcases, and bags to each of my children to start packing for spring break, like all holidays for most children of divorced parents, my children are expert packers and spend their lives going back and forth between my home and their fathers. It’s still the part of divorce that bothers me the most, when the children started to have to go on back and forth between us, I would have hard time holding it together long enough to pack their little cases and kiss them good bye then to watch them walk down the drive with their bags in tow before I would cir-cum to tears. Fast forward 3 years, it still bothers me, they trek their instruments, their bags, science projects they even take their tortoise and chameleon back and forth, kissing them good bye still has a bitter sweet feel, but my attitude to it has changed. Click on the link below to read more…
Routine! Routine! Schedule…
I don’t normally write about parenting young children because I feel that the market is already saturated with experts on early childhood rearing. However, this summer I had a several opportunities to observe not only my family but also other families who are raising young children and I had some thoughts.
I’m a free spirit and enjoyed being out most of the day when my kids were little. But they taught me that they needed structure like regular mealtimes, naps and bedtimes.
When my daughter was young, I worked jobs that required me to be out of the house for long periods of time. When she was first born, we had a nanny and when the nanny was off, I had a hard time getting my daughter to go to sleep whether it was nap time or bed time. Our nanny relationship lasted for a year and I found that I had the responsibility for getting my daughter to sleep at night as well as on the weekends. It took some creativity and a lot of times of putting her back to bed before we were able to get her to sleep at night without getting up every few minutes.
For those of you who are sleep deprived and completely exhausted, here’s what I did. I went back to how I was raised with a few modifications.
My parents had routines for us as children and as teens. The routines were consistent and impartial. There were times to do homework, time to eat dinner, time to complete household chores, and time to go to bed. We seldom strayed from those routines even when I attended high school.
Understandably, young children can’t set their routines like when & what to eat, as well as when to sleep. And, depending on your parenting style, establishing any routine can be challenging to put in place. If you’ve allowed your son or daughter to sleep with you OR you sleep with them, setting a bedtime and having them sleep in their own bed is pretty traumatic for both of you. Start now and stick to it. Make it fun by making a game out of it. Children love games! Have dinner at a specific time everyday. The dinner doesn’t have to be formal or fancy, your goal is to start a routine of eating together. During dinner ask what book they want you to read (to them) at bedtime. As it gets close to bedtime, ask them about their favorite part of the day and share yours. Make sure they aren’t hungry. Give them a bath. Have them brush their teeth. One final trip to the bathroom. Say prayers. Read a short book. Give them a hug & kiss. Say goodnight.
Here are 3 suggestions for establishing a bedtime routine for your 2 or 3 year old:
1. Have them pick up their toys before nap or bedtime by making it a game.
2. Tell them what you’re going to do before you do it AND what you want them to do.
3. When it is time for bed, let them know that you expect them to go to bed and to sleep. They may continue to ask for water, another story or for you to sleep with them. Kindly and firmly say goodnight.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for aging parents, Mothers and Daughters or Mothers and their Sons.
Click Here to join my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Coach & Author
How to Keep Your Daughter from Making ‘Man’ Mistakes
As we drove home after a weekend of our 
daughter and son in law’s engagement party, I checked in with my Followers on Twitter and ran into a group of people who were lamenting having married people who didn’t appreciate them, dogged them, or left them for others.
Having been a child of divorced parents, and having gone through divorce myself, I remember how devastating divorce was on our family and how it wrecks both parents and kids (for a long time). I began thinking back over my conversations with this daughter to make sure I’ve been honest in our talks about love, relationships, men and marriage. 
Marriage is more than love. I mean yes you want to love the person you marry; you also need to be friends – good friends and be willing to serve each other with as little ego involved as possible. As many chic flick movies as I’ve seen (and enjoyed), at the end of the day I know they’re really fairy tales and as much as I’d like life to end up with my king riding up in a fast sports car to whisk me away, the truth is marriage takes:
- commitment by both parties
- acceptance
- love
- respect
- patience & tolerance
- Sharing
- friendship
- faith (in God)
As I think back on our conversations, I’ve shared my good times, the times I was wrong ( and how important it is to admit it to your spouse), and the importance of respect – being respectful and commanding respect with my daughter. Have talks with your daughter(s) so that when they’re ready to marry, they don’t unknowingly make the same mistakes we made.
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C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
The Beauty Inside…
Last week I had a chance to spend time with my biological sister and my wonderful sorority sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha. It was our 
biennial conference and thousands of us descended onto Atlanta, Georgia. It was a beautiful sight, and connecting with each other, some who I hadn’t seen in two years, was just great. My sorors are part of my extended family.
However I also thought about my biological sister and how blessed I am to have her in my life. I know there are families where sisters don’t get along or support each other. I’m the oldest, and when I was growing up, my mother told me to look out for my sister. I never forgot my mother’s words and we continue to look out for each other.
I also look out for my “girls” – ladies I grew up with and those who are more recent friends. That’s something we were raised with, but I don’t think it’s being taught anymore. Look out for your family, friends, or neighbors. It’s about me and nothing more. That’s probably why there are the random acts of violence taking place all over the world instead of random acts of kindness.
Do me a favor. Smile at someone as you walk down the street. Hold the door open for a perfect stranger. Let a car pull out in front of you and instead of cursing, give them a friendly nod. Sisterliness begins with me and I’m paying it forward. 
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for aging parents, Mothers and Daughters or Mothers and their Sons. Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
While we may come from different walks of life, as women young and old, we share common challenges, goals and passions. If you want to share the love with girls and other womenfolk join me on August 14, 2016 by attending my Mom & Me ❤ Tea, designed to provide a setting where girls and their caregivers can enjoy an afternoon of communication, culture and fun together. Register here.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Coach & Author
http://www.clynnwilliams.com
3 Ways to Avoid Cincinnati Zoo Parenting
I normally try to avoid the nightly news, because it’s always so sensational and it seems that each 
network tries to outdo the other network with the worst possible things that humans are doing to each other. My ears pricked up last night when the news reported that a four year old boy crawled/fell through the barriers at the Cincinnati Zoo, was dragged by the gorilla (probably a mother) and rescued by zoo officials after the gorilla was killed.
I felt outraged! How in the world did he get through the barriers? WHERE WAS HIS MOTHER when this happened?
Okay moms before you yell that boys are quicker than the blinking eye – I completely agree. My own son was three when I noticed him smiling (like he just got into something) and running from my bathroom. I caught him and got a whiff of what smelled like fingernail polish remover. My question to myself was how did he get away from me that quickly – it seemed like seconds! But it only takes seconds for your kid to get away from you and unfortunately in this case, he’s slid into the gorilla habitat with Harambe, an endangered and well-loved gorilla.
She was on her phone… Doggone it! Being on your phone with any four year old is dangerous – boy or girl. It only takes a minute for them to get into something. Our phones can take our attention away so quickly that minutes go by like seconds. She probably thought – “who just texted me”. The next thing she knew, her son was gone. She is really lucky that her son is alive. Having raised one son from birth, and another as a bonus, I know boys. They are wonderful but do unexpected things a lot!
Here are three (3) things to remember when raising boys:
- Pay attention at all times especially once he starts crawling through his 6th birthday
- Believe that he can reach anything he sets his mind to – he has No Fear
- They will tell you whatever you want to hear – meaning he won’t always be truthful
Interested in learning more about what makes your son tick? Pick up a copy of my book – The Pampered Prince: Moms Create a GREAT Relationship with Your Son. Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for aging parents, Mothers and Daughters or Mothers and Sons. Email me at: info@clynnwilliams.com
C. Lynn Williams – #MsParentguru
Author, Coach & Family Dynamics Specialist
Endangered Species – Our Sons
When I was growing up, if somebody had an issue with you, they put their fist up to their eyes and nose and then mouthed 315; which meant, I will see you once we get out of school. Nowadays, if somebody has an issue with you they shoot you and if they miss they hit your neighbors, unsuspecting children and anybody else who happens to be in their crossfire. 
As we were retreat more and more into our electronics and less and less into just talking to each other, it’s sad to say, but I understand how we’ve gotten to this point. When I was growing up, we ate dinner together and whether you wanted to tell your parents what was going on at school or not you had an opportunity to do that because there was no TV playing; we weren’t on our cell phones texting other people and if you didn’t talk, there was dead silence. Eventually somebody talked.
In many households today, everybody is busy. Parents are working multiple jobs or are not at home for their kids to talk to when they really need to talk. So who do these boys talk to? For our boys many who are being raised by their single moms, who do boys talk to? When my mother and father divorced, my father moved out. It seemed to me, my brother got into trouble immediately. He got into trouble at school, and started hanging out with the neighborhood troublemaker. My dad would come by the house to spank him and the next time we would see our dad would be when my brother got into trouble.
While I don’t live with many of you, I know that you are doing the best you can to raise your son as a respectable young man. As a single mom, that’s hard. I raised my son and daughter for a while as a divorced mom, and I know the challenges you face making sure that son of yours respects and obeys you. I would call my ex-husband when my son got beside himself. Usually a telephone conversation was enough for him to straighten out. If there is no dad at home, you run the risk of your son being influenced by the closest male figure to him, whether that man is positive or negative. So talk to your pastor, or enroll your son in a sports program where the coach is a positive, male role model.
To stop the violence I believe we have to be present and available. Show up at their events – unexpectedly, listen to what they have to say. Even listen to those things you don’t want to hear. Let’s win back the trust of our children and reduce this violence that’s happening every single day.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for aging parents, Mothers and Daughters or Mothers and Sons. Email me at: info@clynnwilliams.com
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Author, Coach & Family Dynamics Specialist
www.clynnwilliams.com
Trying to Stay Sane While Raising Your Teen (St. Paul Press, 2010)
The Pampered Prince: Moms Create a GREAT Relationship with Your Son (St. Paul Press, 2012)
Raising Your Daughter Through the Joys, Tears & HORMONES! (220 Publishing, 2013)
NEW® Yours & Mine: The Winning Blended Family Formula (220 Publishing, 2015)
Teaching Millennial Young Women…OMG
I have been absent from this blog for the last month. Hard to believe, but it’s true and I apologize to those of you who look forward to my weekly posts. I have a good excuse though; I’ve been teaching a group of young ladies that have given me a run for my money. Call them young female millennials.
These young women are outspoken, opinionated, oppositional and hard to love. Many of them have dysfunctional relationships with their mothers – they have said “I hate my mom”, don’t respond well to rules and have very short attention spans.
I took it personally at first and couldn’t understand why I was dealing with this type of student. Then I realized that many of you have these young girls or women in your home. These are your daughters and they are not easy to parent or get close to. There are many reasons explaining why our daughters appear distant from us. It could be the fast pace of social media; how women and girls are portrayed in the media, or the inattention that they receive at home from us their mothers and fathers when we’re busy.
I know we have to change our mindset in order to reach this generation. They love technology. That means we can’t hate technology and expect to stay in touch with our girls. Whether it’s through texting, emailing, Face-timing or Facebook messages, talk to your girls and let them know you love them and are there for them.
While the attitudes of these students were enough to make me think about retiring early; I realized that I was being given an opportunity to do what I love to do – get close and share my love with this millennial generation – your daughters. There are all kinds of things going on in their young lives. Some good; some not so good. They just need to know that someone really cares and is listening. No matter what type of outward attitude they give off.
Keep the lines of communication open Moms…your daughters really are listening.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for millennial daughters, aging parents, or mothers and sons.
Email me at: info@clynnwilliams.com
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Author, Coach & Family Dynamics Specialist
www.clynnwilliams.com
Trying to Stay Sane While Raising Your Teen (St. Paul Press, 2010)
The Pampered Prince: Moms Create a GREAT Relationship with Your Son (St. Paul Press, 2012)
Raising Your Daughter Through the Joys, Tears & HORMONES! (220 Publishing, 2013)
NEW: Yours & Mine: A Winning Blended Family Formula (220 Publishing, 2015)
Motivated Mompreneurs – Parent Goodies #4
Check out my YouTube video on balancing family, business, and having time for yourself too! This is for successful entrepreneurial mothers like you and me…
Parent Goodies – Motivated Mompreneurs
Ms. Parent Guru
www.clynnwilliams.com
Hey I’m An Adult… I Don’t Need A Curfew
I remember the summers that I came home from college. At school, I had no curfew; at home, my mother had a different view. Girls did not need to stay out late! While I don’t remember our first encounter with the issue of curfew, I do remember the summer before heading off to law school in the fall. I was 20 years old and felt that I was an adult. I usually made it home just before daybreak. Part of it was having a great time, and not wanting the fun time to end. The other reason was that I felt I didn’t have to answer to my mother, because of my age. My mother’s conversation with me was “What will the neighbors think?” Being young and full of myself, I told her I didn’t care what the neighbors thought. Case closed right? But it wasn’t. What I now know, is that it’s important for parents to discuss the house rules and expectations especially curfew, guests (girlfriends or boyfriends) sleeping over and issues like that with their young adults preferably before they go out and stay all night.
When our daughter came home on college breaks, we discussed a reasonable curfew – 2 am. As she matured, I only required a text message if she didn’t plan to make it home. Our youngest son is in his mid-20s, and hasn’t come home the last three nights he’s been out. I thought, okay so clearly he’s an adult, but if something has happened, we would never know. So we had the talk. This time, it wasn’t about curfew, but about the responsibility of letting us know his plans, especially with the random violence and police brutality young black males are facing these days.
How are you managing life with your college student at home?
Interested in learning more about generational parenting? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Young Adults, Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters or Mothers and Sons. Email me at: info@clynnwilliams.com
Want to read more about 21st Century parenting with old school values, Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens 
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