Bill Corbett

Six Laws about Kids That Parents Need to Accept Much of the frustration we experience with our children’s behavior is caused by a lack of understanding kids.  Expanding our thinking about our children and accepting some basic, rudimentary facts will help us change the way we see their behavior and also change our behavior as a parent.  We will be much more successful as caregivers if we see the world from our child’s point of view.  Here are six irrefutable laws about kids that will change the way we use discipline. They Live Only In The Moment.  Whatever the young child happens to be doing at the moment is his entire world.  His full attention and focus is on the activity in front of him and he is usually unable to think about anything else unless another activity offers more incentive than the current activity. What Adults Can Do:  Establish rules prior to the start of each activity Use visual timers to create limits for some activities Be patien...

There are really good parent education programs, and then there are some with good intentions but containing misguided information. I have personally attended many myself or obtained the instructor's manual from others. Having authored my own, the Love, Limits & Lessons parenting course and instructor training course, I don't hold back on offering my opinion. This brings me to one of the first ones I attended, way back in 1995. I was looking for parenting help as a father who didn't have a positive role model when I was growing up. I attended the Redirecting Children's Behavior (RCB) course for instructors in Tampa, FL, created by Kathryn Kvols. It instantly changed the way I parented my children and enhanced my relationship with my three. GET A COPY OF THE LOVE, LIMITS & LESSONS PARENTING BOOK. What I loved most about this course was how I had learned to, as Kathryn said, PAUSE BEFORE I PARENTED. The course taught me to stop and think about how my emotion in th...

Love Notes Between Parents and Kids: A Simple Practice That Transforms Families In the rush of daily life, parents often find themselves scrambling to meet deadlines, manage schedules, and simply keep the household running. But amid the chaos, there lies an opportunity to create something deeply meaningful: a practice of writing love notes between parents and children. This small but powerful ritual has the potential to nurture emotional health, deepen family bonds, and create a home atmosphere rooted in love and connection. Why Love Notes Matter Children thrive when they feel loved, seen, and valued. A regular love note practice reinforces these feelings in a tangible way. For some parents—especially those who struggle to express emotions verbally—writing love notes can become a safe, thoughtful channel to communicate affection. GET THE NEW LOVE NOTES BOOK TO SHARE WITH YOUR CHILD How I Came Up With The Idea of the Love Note Book During a family meeting when our three children were 7,...

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard it more times than you can count:      =============================      LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     ============================= “Mom, can I get this?” “Dad, I need that toy!” “Can we pleeeease go to the store?” Whether it’s a commercial on TV, a shiny new toy their friend just got, or an ad that pops up on your phone, kids are surrounded by things they want — and they’re not shy about letting you know. And if we’re honest, many of us have given in at one point or another. Why? Because giving in is often faster and quieter than standing our ground. It ends the whining, the pleading, and the meltdown in the store aisle. But here’s the problem: every time we give in, we teach our kids that persistence (and loudness!) works — so they repeat the pattern next time. But what if there were a way to break the cycle that also taught them patience, gratitude, and the value of waiting? Introducing: The Wis...

PARENTS WHO LISTEN MORE AND SPEAK LESS . A child's emotions, thoughts, and behavior may be unstable during this difficult time. They need to be able to express how they feel without their emotions being stuffed. Some of the things they say may be difficult for the parent to hear, so don't dismiss or minimize what is said or how they feel. REGULAR ACCESS TO GRANDPARENTS . Relationships with your extended family may be complicated for you, but the kids still need them. Determine what access grandparents and other extended family members will have to your children, and remain open to the fact that these adults can be beneficial during this difficult time. It can often times be easier for children to express their feelings to grandparents and others. The best parenting tool ever created! PARENTS WILLING TO TAKE A PARENTING CLASS . I'm not referring to the inexpensive divorce class that most states require all divorcing parents to attend; I'm talking about a multi-session pa...

Even the most patient parent has moments they regret, such as the checkout meltdown, the raised voice in the car, or the hasty words that sting more than intended. What you do after those moments matters as much (if not more) than what happened in the heat of it. Children are resilient, but they need guidance to process what they have just witnessed and to learn how to manage their emotions effectively. Here’s how to turn a moment you wish you could erase into one of the most powerful lessons you can teach. 1. Wait Until Everyone Is Calm Jumping into the conversation right away can backfire if either of you is still upset. Give it time - sometimes minutes, sometimes hours - so the conversation feels safe and not like a continuation of the conflict. You might say: “I want to talk about what happened earlier, but let’s wait until we both feel calmer.” This teaches that cooling off before talking is not avoidance - it’s wisdom. Want to listen to the podcast version of this post? CLICK HER...