Want to Learn a New Lesson Everyday… Become a Parent
Every summer we keep our grandson, Aidan for a week. It helps out because his daycare is closed the week before school begins in the fall, and it gives his parents a rest. 😴
I love spending time with him. It gives my husband and I a chance to spend time with him, teach him some of our values and customs, and to learn more about him and his generation through his experiences.
I continue to learn patience from Aidan, which is funny because after raising four children, I feel like I already know quite a bit about parenting. 😉
Here’s what I learned this week from Aidan:
⁃ Sitting next to him is not necessarily spending time with him, especially if I’m engrossed with one of my devices.
⁃ Expecting him to do the right thing doesn’t work unless I explain it clearly and give him a good example to follow.
⁃ Having fun and learning new things is what’s important to him as a three-year-old and I’m OK with that.
Being a great parent or grandparent really works if you are willing to:
1. Spend the time
2. Make the time
3. Be present and love them unconditionally
Have a blast & enjoy every minute.💥
Interested in managing your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my parent coaching programs that help guide you through Aging Parents, Mother and Daughter drama, Mothers and their Sons challenges, Fathers and Daughters as well as Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
One Size Does Not Fit Everyone
Thank you for reading and sharing my blogs. As a mom who has raised 4 children, and has taught teens and young adults, I know how important it is to live in a stable, loving home. I believe in healthy family relationships, and doing all I can to support moms, dads, to raise the next generation. I am here to support you through my books, blogs, workshops and coaching programs.
Being a mom requires you to be on call 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Moms soothe sick kids, scared kids, broken hearts, and those who struggle with insecurities. They also take care of their brothers, sisters, parents and friends. Remind yourself that you are doing an AWESOME job! Take time to do something relaxing or fun for you!
Moms, help me help you guide the next generation. Completing this survey helps me design coaching programs and workshops that make you feel better mentally and physically. A one size program does not fit every mom!
Check out my survey and thanks for completing it. You will find the link below the graphic. Share it on your social media page and tag me @msparentguru, to receive a complimentary gift.
Click here for survey link.
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 Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
Understanding and Addressing the Symptoms of Parenting Fatigue
The article is for parents of special needs children who wish to assess their level of fatigue and create a self-care “treatment plan” (though this should definitely not replace a doctor’s treatment plan!).
New Mom Advice: Remember Yourself While Breastfeeding
Guest blog by Katherine Williams, whenthebabysleeps.com
Breastfeeding takes a lot of energy out of new moms. From late-night nursing sessions to minimal sleep, to feeling emotionally drained, having a new baby has its challenges. To make this special time better for both your baby and you, it’s crucial to find ways to take care of yourself. As laughable as it might sound, author and coach C. Lynn Williams offers up several ways to make self-care happen without feeling overwhelmed or guilty.
Care for the Necessities
Your kids need you to care for not only them but also yourself. When breastfeeding, it may feel like you spend all your time and effort on one child. Raising a baby can be mentally taxing and you must take care of your kids to give you the peace that you want.
You have to learn to stay calm, not only for your sake but for the baby. Kids pick up on your stress and if you do not stay calm, the baby may not want to keep close to you. All your baby wants is skin-to-skin contact and food. When breastfeeding, find yourself a comfortable chair to sit down in. You should feel supported by the chair and have no trouble elevating your legs if necessary. Additionally, stay close to your baby. Babies need a comfortable feeding session to remain close to their mothers.
In addition, find clothes that fit you correctly and remain comfortable. For instance, maternity bras are supportive but also can help prevent leaks. Do not wear a regular bra when nursing; instead, look for a nursing bra.
Take Control of Your Mental Health
Before you can fix your mental health, look at your diet. According to the experts, a healthy diet consists of fiber, fat, calcium, and protein. If you want to succeed and feel better mentally and physically, prepare your meals and make changes to the way you eat with or without help.
A new baby can be the source of a lot of stress. New mothers may go through physical changes, fatigue, or lose confidence about breastfeeding. Be careful not to try diets that may slow you down or cause rapid weight loss while engaged in breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding comes with various emotions attached, including postpartum. You may need help from a therapist to stop feeling overwhelmed. Virtual therapy is a good option to consider. Online therapy is easy because anyone can go online to watch a therapist. To ease your mind, take part in physical activity. Different types of exercises, including walking, can be done anywhere.
Teach Older Kids How to Cope
When your other kids welcome a new baby brother or sister home, they may seem overjoyed. Even excited kids need reassurance from their parents. Try to prioritize time with all of your kids. If you do not spend time with them, you may feel more pressure or guilt. Do what you can to stay available each night. You may want to help your kids with basic chores or make sure to plan for new experiences you can all celebrate as a family and keep morale up.
When it comes to your other children, acknowledge how they feel. Even if they act scared or negative, remind them that being an older sibling does come with responsibility and allow them to take as much time as necessary to build their confidence as a big brother or sister. When you acknowledge your children’s feelings, you have more coping tools and less jealousy to deal with.
Interested in managing your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my parent coaching programs that help guide you through Aging Parents, Mother and Daughter drama, Mothers and their Sons challenges, Fathers and Daughters as well as Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
4 Reasons to Write a Will
Here are 4 reasons why having a will is important to your family.
How to Have Healthier Menfolk
As I sit here and eat a bag of Hershey’s kisses, I wonder how in the world my kids learned to stop loving junk food 😝 and stay healthy? 🤔
Wonder how you build kids who love junk food, into healthy adults? 🍪🍟
This month of June, celebrates men and boy’s health. So let’s talk about physical health.
When it comes to male health, I literally have to call “the kids” when my husband needs to go to the doctor. He’s pretty clear that there is no need to go to the doctor.. just take an Advil or Dayquil and stay in the bed. 🤷🏽♀️
So you can imagine, there’s no such thing as scheduling an annual well visit.
Do you live with someone like that? 🤦🏽♀️
Scheduling annual well doctor and dentist visits are easy to do when our sons are young. They need both for school or to play sports. As they grow into men, it becomes more challenging to have them see a doctor as a preventative measure. My husband would rather write a check for a million dollars 💵 than have a wellness visit. 🤷🏽♀️
It’s a shame that body parts have to stop working, in order to visit the doctor. Maybe it’s the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” strategy.
If the males in your family are the same way, it might be easier to help them eat healthier. Personally, I like vegetables and a fish protein since I don’t eat meat. I get a little push back if I make what my husband calls, double greens. 🥬 For example, cooking stir fry veggies and a side of spinach is considered double greens. On those days, I’m pressing my luck.
With your sons, especially if they play a sport, having a good amount of healthy carbs makes eating junk food less enticing. Maybe they’re not interested in eating grapes, apples and cherries, but have them in the fridge. Having popcorn, cheese bites, and healthy snacks in the pantry, may make flaming hots, or hot Cheetos less attractive.
I recommend starting a healthy regime now at the beginning of the summer before more bad eating habits get started.
Consider adding in a mother-son (or husband-wife) evening walk to give you time with each other, and a little exercise.
Or… encourage your husband and son to go to the park and throw a baseball, football, play soccer, or run on the track together. You might get push back if they’ve not done this before. Just keep encouraging them.
I’ve been trying to get my husband to walk with me in the evening, so that we don’t become a fixed part of the sofa. 😂 I’ll keep trying.
At the end of the day, exercising and healthy eating, can help you control your weight and keep your sanity.
Write me and let me know how successful you are with the males in your family. I’ll do the same. 👀
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my parent coaching programs that help guide you through Aging Parents, Mother and Daughter drama, Mothers and their Sons challenges, Fathers and Daughters as well as Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
What is Your Teen Doing This Summer?
I was talking with one of my parents on social media about kids working and what we did (as kids) when summer break occurred.
One of the things that was always understood was that my sister, brother and I did not have summers off. We may have been out of school, but we either had book lists to read and write reports on, we attended day camp; we were camp counselors or we had summer jobs. We did not take the summer off and get up when we felt like it. 🤷🏽♀️
My mom said that “An idle mind is the devil’s playhouse.” 😈
The relationship between entitlement that parents complain about, and their inability to set boundaries on what they require their child to do or not do is very interesting. Teens will never admit that they want to work, go to camp, or read books during summer break.
No firm plans for the summer doesn’t do anything for your child but allow them to get into mischief, or start bad habits for getting up in the fall and the next school year.
A relationship that I find interesting, is the importance of teaching our kids how to earn and manage money. My parents tied our allowance to weekly chores as a way to help us learn how to earn and save money.
Requiring your child to work, complete chores around the house, cut grass for neighbors, babysit, or work part-time, builds character and responsibility.
“An idle mind is the devil’s playhouse.”
I would love to hear how you will work with your child this summer to help them build responsibility and character. 💪🏽
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my parent coaching programs that help guide you through Aging Parents, Mother and Daughter drama, Mothers and their Sons challenges, Fathers and Daughters as well as Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
Education Technology and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Are you aware that the Children’s Online Policy Statement, announced on May 25th, affirms that kids under 13 shouldn’t have to give up their privacy rights just to do their schoolwork? It also tells ed tech providers they can’t require parents and schools to agree to the comprehensive surveillance of children in exchange for students’ use of such learning tools.
Even before the pandemic forced kids into virtual learning platforms, ed tech has been used in schools. The FTC is working to ensure that the companies offering this technology are following the law – and to let parents know that the FTC is watching what information companies collect about kids, how they use it, for how long they keep it, and how they protect it. When it comes to protecting kids’ personal information, the FTC is on the side of parents who are concerned about data collection and privacy.
That’s why I am sharing their consumer blog (also available in Spanish) with my audience, and letting people know about this important topic. To read the policy statement, visit: COPPA statement. For more information about protecting kids online, visit ftc.gov/parents.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my parent coaching programs that help guide you through Aging Parents, Mother and Daughter drama, Mothers and their Sons challenges, Fathers and Daughters as well as Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
What Do I Need to Do To Get Your Attention❓
What’s one of the first things you do when you get a moment to yourself? You probably pull out your phone. 📱
There’s so much you can do on your phone. You can have a whole conversation by text or talking. You can play a game, shop or watch one of your favorite shows.
However, when you’re raising children, there’s so much of you that’s required for them to grow up healthy: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most important is to know what’s going on in their heads.
I was talking to one of my friends about their kids who are under the age of 5. We all agreed that if your child was awake and the house was quiet 🤫, they were probably getting into something! You had to watch them constantly!
As our kids get older, we feel that we don’t have to watch them as closely and assume that things are okay with them. If they weren’t, our kids would tell us. Natural assumption right?
Wrong!
In families today, our children are relying on us to put aside our devices and initiate discussions; listen to what’s going on with them. It’s not easy….
Your teen will talk. They have to be assured that you’re listening and won’t judge them. There can’t be any topic that you won’t discuss with them. Are you willing to talk about anything and everything? Can you listen without letting your facial expressions show how horrified you are with the conversation? 😫🤯
We are living in times where anything is possible and are kids want to explore, try out new and different theories, relationships and experiences. Being able to share their thoughts and concerns with you, helps them put them in perspective. Keeping the lines of communication open, by relating to your child’s thoughts and feelings; asking them what they think – makes all the difference in the world.
Have a meal together; it doesn’t matter which one. First require that all phones and tablets be put away. 2nd requirement: allow your child the freedom to say whatever is on their mind (must be respectful). Ask “Tell me what’s going on”. The first several conversations may be awkward while your kids try to figure out if you’re being honest and whether they can say what they feel. 🤷🏽♀️
Every time I hear or read about another mass shooting; I wonder who the shooter had to talk to within his family. If they shot or killed a family member before taking other lives, I wonder what kind of dysfunction was taking place. Were they able to share the fact that they were being bullied or that they were feeling anti-social? Were they abused? Are they suffering from a mental illness that went unaddressed?
I realize these are simple questions for complex issues. But what I do know is that young people have lots of challenges going on in their lives these days. We as parents can’t solve them all. However, being watchful, following your intuition (if you feel something is wrong, it is) and making it safe to tell you what’s going on, goes a long way to minimize issues that cause our kids to self-harm or harm others. Peace.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my parent coaching programs that help guide you through Aging Parents, Mother and Daughter drama, Mothers and their Sons challenges, Fathers and Daughters as well as Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
My Spouse and I Parent Very Differently
How is it possible that the person you fell in love with; who understands you perfectly and finishes your sentences… parents so differently from you?
Not only do they parent differently, it’s inconsistent, they show favorites with your kids and it’s ALL WRONG 😑
Well, I wonder if they feel the same way about you?
The funny thing about parenting, is this: how can someone else tell you how to raise your child? Yet, that’s exactly what has to happen when you coparent whether you are in the same household or in separate households.
Ideally you discuss things that are important to you to instill in your children before they are born. If it’s important that your son or daughter to speak candidly, then your spouse can’t be annoyed when your out-spoken child speaks at a family gathering (and the comment embarrasses you).
Parenting isn’t one of those “scripted” professions. You start out with the best intentions of raising your child together, until you hit a non-negotiable topic.
Here are 3 things to consider to help you resolve those sticky parenting issues:
- Take a moment to calm down (if you’re angry)
- Think about whether you can accept what your spouse is saying (lose the ego)
- Communicate your concerns with your spouse (outside of your child’s hearing)
Trying to talk while angry, is insanity. Once you calm down, you may feel differently and be willing to compromise. Marriage and raising children require compromise and patience from both of you. Acceptance of your spouse’s parenting style is important to your relationship, and the relationship of your spouse and child.
If you or your spouse are the bonus parent, and are new to the parent-child relationship, either one of you may have a difficult time, “allowing” the other parent to share in important decisions, behavior management and life issues. It’s a normal human emotion to be protective of your child. However, the blending takes place when you share your concerns and decide how to handle.
That was the challenge my husband and I faced when we married and blended our children of previous relationships together. It wasn’t easy when we started. It took a lot of conversations and a few arguments (when the kids were not around). It also took prayer and patience. Our children are adults now, and we are celebrating 20 years of marriage later this year.
You can do this!
Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens 
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