Winging it as a parent

For the past five years I have been like 99.9% of parents on the planet: pretty much winging it. While I have read my fair share of books on parenting, I never took an in-depth parenting course. I gleaned what knowledge I could from teachers, other moms, and from occasionally catching tips from a parenting expert on TV or in a magazine.

I knew that my general goal was to raise happy, well-adjusted boys who loved to learn. I have a plan when it comes to enriching their lives with activities and helping them achieve major milestones. But I had never really mapped out a plan for becoming the kind of parent I needed to be in order to raise children who fit that bill.

Honestly, I never really saw the need. Yes, I was flying blind through this incredibly important job. But, I figured I had a great role model in my mom, and felt as long as I stayed close enough to her approach, my kids would turn out okay.

Sure there were many days when I couldn’t remember what my mom would do in a certain situation, or felt frustrated with my own short fuse, or guilty that I could have handled a scenario better. But there was no crisis, if you will. My boys are very active, but generally well behaved, loving, and decently well-adjusted.

A Webinar That Should Be on the “Required Reading” list for Parents

And then a few weeks ago my good friend Aviva introduced me to Amy McCready. She is a Today Show parenting expert and the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions.

Aviva invited me to sit in on a free webinar Amy was giving that afternoon on getting kids to listen without shouting or nagging. I was a little skeptical at first. Would she share useful information, or would it just be a big advertisement for a more expensive program (I’ve been on those kinds of webinars before and avoid them like the plague)?

My friend assured me it would be worth attending.

It was probably the best hour I’ve spent in a good while on anything.

I sat riveted in my seat alternating between the stomach-dropping realization that “ohmyGOSHIamCOMPLETELYyscrewingupmykids” to the uplifting “oh I see what I could be doing differently and I could totally do that.”

While it was sobering to realize that I had been pretty darn random when it came to discipline, especially how confusing that randomness must have been for my boys (particularly for my oldest), I also felt like I got some insights that would enable me to adopt a more proactive, positive approach going forward.

In fact, I took notes like a crazy person and that evening got my husband to commit to making the same changes I was going to. In just a few weeks, we’ve noticed a significant drop in yelling chez nous. Even better, spontaneous hugs and kisses from our oldest, Will, are on the rise.

I was so impressed with Amy and her content that I had to figure out a way to share it with our readers at Buttoned Up. We connected and I am thrilled to announce that she has agreed to partner with us to bring her webinar content to you.

So on Wednesday October 19th, you will have a chance to attend the same life-changing webinar that I did.

Topic: Get Kids to Listen without Nagging, Reminding or Yelling!

Date: Wednesday, October 19th at 9pm Eastern Standard Time

Access: All you need is a computer with a speaker to hear the presentation. When you RSVP Amy will send you the log-in instructions.

RSVP: Webinar seating is limited due to technology so, you need to reserve your seat — and I’d do it early as I have a feeling it will fill up quickly. Click here to register and participate. Trust me, you won’t want to miss this.

How It Works: Once you register, you will receive an email confirmation with the link to access the webinar. When you “enter” the webinar, you’ll see the session slides on your screen as well as a video box to see the presenter – but Amy won’t be able to see you! You can use the chat box to type questions or make comments. She runs these webinars in a very interactive fashion, so if you have a specific question, she is very likely to see it in the chat and answer it directly.

Bottom line: if you want to be a better parent, taking the one hour to attend this webinar is an absolute must.

Disclosure: I am such a believer in Amy’s program that we have decided to enter into an affiliate relationship with her – our first ever. If you end up purchasing her program (which I did and have been bowled over by) we will receive a commission. We would certainly not even consider doing this if we weren’t 100% convinced of the incredible value of this program.