Do you know how to get the behavior you want from your children without being the parent you hate? Do you have someone that you call when you want a second opinion on your parenting decisions? I think we all have someone or someones that we call when we feel like we need confirmation that we made the right choice. It’s okay. We all have these moments. Moments when we flounder and blow up or just feel like we are doing it all-wrong. The fact that we even care probably means that we are doing it mostly right.
I have a lot of friends who I get my parenting “second opinions “ from; sisters, friends, doctors, teachers, parenting books and even the Internet. I’m lucky because I happen to have a great tribe of moms in real life and also online, one of my favorites is Doc G, Deborah Gilboa (or as I refer to her in my head, Doctor Gilboa Medicine Woman).
Whatever you call her she is not only a doctor, she is the mom of 4 boys and has not only specialized in kids but has hands on experience. Not only is she a member of motherhood, she just might be one of the Presidents of her local association of motherhood. Somehow, she manages all of this and still makes her advice feel like a personal house call.
I know because I have Doc G on speed dial and if you’ve ever talked to her when you are at your parenting wits end, she stays calm, focused and gives you practical, helpful parenting advice instead of simply commiserating with you. Don’t get me wrong, I love when my friends tell me I’m not alone and that their kids can be assholes too but I really appreciate the helpful takeaways that I get from my conversations with the Medicine Woman.
Do you know who Doc G is? If not, no worries. Even if she’s not on your speed dial, you can still benefit from her expertise and advice because she wrote a book, Get the Behavior You Want…Without Being the Parent You Hate!
She had me at “Get the Behavior You Want”. Wouldn’t parenting be magical if we could all just get the behavior we wanted without having our heads spin around like Linda Blair in the exorcist and shouting at the top of our lungs, so much so that you worry that the Sheriff next door might come over and arrest you for being verbally abusive? I’m just kidding he has kids. He knows how it is. I wonder if I could pay him to arrest the kids when they misbehave? Now, that’s an idea.
But if you can’t pay the local Sheriff to arrest your ornery children, or maybe you just don’t want to, you should totally pick up Deborah’s book. Last night, I was scanning it for so much needed assistance in the how the heck to get my daughters to stop bickering department, so I got out my book, and found “Sibling Management” and scanned for our age group (Yes, because she not only makes the advice easily digestible for the busy mom she makes it easy to locate!) Right there on page 131, ages 8-10 was “bickering” and right beneath it were a few helpful tips to end bickering.
- No bickering around other family members. Take it somewhere private.
- No tattling about bickering. If it gets out of hand, demand a change or step away.
- If you tried to handle it these ways and need help, ask an adult.
If I didn’t already love her, I would now. No bickering around family members. This rule is so simple yet so vital. I don’t want to hear their bickering.
No tattling about bickering, may favorite rule of all. It’s like the first rule of fight club is there is no fight club. I can’t wait to share these guidelines with my girls when they get home from school today. I’ll keep you posted as to how it turns out.
I love Get the Behavior You Want…Without Being the Parent You Hate because it was easy to get through and reference when you need it. It’s poignant information from a expert who could be one of your closest girl friends. I know this because she is one of mine. If you are looking for a easy to read and actually helpful parenting book, this is the one you should be reading. Also, for more great parenting advice, check out Ask Doctor G’s Youtube channel.