by Kirk Martin | Apr 3, 2017 | Calm Parenting
Soccer Field Meltdown: This Dad Did A Weird Thing & It Worked It’s Saturday morning and dozens of parents crowd the soccer field, cradling cups of coffee and cheering their kids on. I’m standing next to my tough Italian friend, Lou, watching his very...
by Kirk Martin | Mar 22, 2017 | Calm Parenting
What do you do when your kids are defiant or disobey? You cannot allow strong-willed children to walk all over you. This will be perhaps the shortest blog post I have ever written. Because I only want you–in fact, I implore and beg you–to really...
by Kirk Martin | Mar 22, 2017 | Calm Parenting
Before you discipline today… 1) Change your expectations. Are your kids perpetually falling short? Do they feel like they can never measure up, that it’s never good enough for you? Maybe you need to adjust your expectations and control yourself. Spend more...
by Kirk Martin | Mar 22, 2017 | Calm Parenting
“Kirk, my son has come home dejected with red X’s and stomach aches nearly every day this year. He says he’s stupid and it doesn’t help that his teacher and his Dad say he’s lazy and just needs to apply himself. I know he IS trying. So...
by Kirk Martin | Mar 22, 2017 | Calm Parenting
Your kids are different. Sometimes odd. So rather than destroy their confidence and spirit, let’s use creative ideas to improve focus and behavior. WEIRD HOMEWORK IDEAS THAT WORK “Kirk, I took your challenge and told my two boys (8, 10) that I am no longer...
by Kirk Martin | Mar 21, 2017 | Calm Parenting
Break A Strong-Willed Child’s Spirit? Casey and I went for a walk last week after our workshop. He told me that a well-meaning Mom approached him and said the following: “God gave us two good children and one strong-willed son. He fights us over...
by Kirk Martin | Feb 8, 2017 | Calm Parenting
You must get comfortable with the fact that sometimes your kids are simply not going to like you or be happy with your choices. You must get comfortable with the silent treatment and feeling that distance. I don’t want you to be mean, short, abrupt, rushed, hurried. I...
by Kirk Martin | Feb 7, 2017 | Calm Parenting
So I want you to begin a new tradition that invests in your marriage and creates proper boundaries—don’t discount this. If you’re a single parent, you can simply do this alone. I’m going to dramatize this, but here’s what it sounds like. I’d love for Dad to come home...
by Kirk Martin | Feb 6, 2017 | Calm Parenting
HOW TO DISAGREE RESPECTFULLY Forward this message from my son, Casey, to your kids. I have watched almost all of my friends in their early 20’s struggle with their relationships. I know how important the quality of relationships is in life. Very few kids...
by Kirk Martin | Feb 5, 2017 | Calm Parenting
So here’s a perfect example of getting to the root of the issue versus looking at outward behavior that we talked about in the last newsletter. I call this great Mom for our 52-minute phone consultation and this is what I hear: “My son is not listening to...
