Roma Khetarpal's Blog, page 17

Drinking Alcohol in Front of Kids… Right or Wrong?

If you know how to manage your alcohol and have good boundaries and guidelines, drinking alcohol in front of your kids is not wrong. Despite all the confusion and controversy around this topic, this is really a black-and-white issue.

As with any other parenting topic of concern, in order to parent mindfully and to have a lasting relationship with our kids, we must consider perspective first. Then we can move on to some tools.

Perspective

Be clear about your intention. Your goal is not to role-model “no drinking”—though if that’s the case, your choice is easy—it’s to advocate drinking responsibly. Bypass the urge to say, “I can’t wait to get drunk tonight.” Or, “Man, I need a drink.” Instead try, “I’m so looking forward to the party tonight. It’ll be fun!”


You are a role model and rule model. Be a good one for your kids—one that makes you feel proud of yourself. Why? Because they will follow your lead, now or ten years from now. It is much less work to exert self-control now and be a healthy role model for your children than to pick up the pieces of their bad drinking habits—whatever their age. If the finger of responsibility points in your direction, that’s a hard burden to bear. Bob Dylan says, “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.”

Tools

Honest, mindful, effective communication—being open with your kids, to a point—is a great place to start. Discuss the benefits and risks of drinking in an age-appropriate way. For younger children, let them start a conversation and answer their curiosity. If they don’t start the conversation, but their body language, emotions, and expressions are sending a message loud and clear, bring the subject up with them. The key is to allow kids to ask the questions and then answer to the point. There’s no need for “Oh, I had a hangover last weekend and barely made it home.” This is not truth or dare; it’s not the place to showcase your heroic youthful qualities. But don’t hide behind the answers either. Use your intuition to guide you. Hiding and lying will backfire, as will giving too much information.


Draw clear guidelines and boundaries for yourself, follow them, and discuss them, if they come up in conversation. For example:


“I usually only have two drinks. Anything over that makes me not feel well.”
“I don’t drive even with just one drink.” My husband and I have lived by this guideline since our first conversation with the kids, when my son was 9 and my daughter 12. They both said, “You had one drink; you shouldn’t drive.” The rule is not “You can drive if you’ve had one drink,” it’s “there’s no drinking and driving.” Yup! The kids put us in our place, and we vowed to live by it. As it stands, if our kids drank, they called us to pick them up (earlier on), used taxis (as they got older), and now…hooray for Uber! The risk of drinking and driving is not worth it! This is non-negotiable. Hard, but non-negotiable, and perhaps the most important teaching moment.


If you have exceeded your boundaries or guidelines in the presence of your kids, start the conversation yourself. Take the lead by saying, “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I know this makes you feel mad and sad, and I am sorry. Can we talk about this?” If your child is willing to engage, great. If not, let him or her know how you are feeling physically: “I feel awful right now. My head and tummy hurts.” (No need to say, “I fell down the stairs and made a pass at our neighbor.”) Or, “This is a big learning lesson for me. In the future, I will be sure to limit myself to two drinks.” Or, “Ugh, this is what excessive alcohol does, it makes you lose your judgment, and once you pass that limit, you don’t make good decisions. I’m sorry for myself; I need a hug.” If you don’t get a response, don’t force it.

Balance is key. Parenting is about being mindful and real. Other than that, enjoy yourself! This is real life. Be real with your kids. Use your in-tuition to guide you. If you parent intentionally, you can’t go wrong.

“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

George Bernard Shaw

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Top Three Rules for Effective Discipline

 

I was asked by another parent what my top three ground rules to discipline were. Without ANY brainstorming, this is what popped and topped my list.

1. Know that you are in charge:

How? Make it very clear that you will decide the consequences. Be aware that after a certain age, children know their parents’ weaknesses and start to bargain. Put all else aside and honor your position!

Why? Children need structure in their lives. Claiming your lead role makes you dependable. It lets your children know that they can rely on you for guidance, which is a huge TRUST booster.

2. When you’re right, be kind:

How? Pay attention to your tone of voice. When we are right, we tend to be far from kind; our tone of voice changes. When we are angry, we tend to be loud. When we are right we tend to be condescending. When a mistake is repeated, we tend to get sarcastic. And absolutely no foul words… ever!!

Why? Parenthood is directorship, not a dictatorship. When kids make mistakes, they are about to learn something new. Your words and tone of voice can either shut them down and take you farther from getting the point across or help you cruise constructively through issues. Work it to your and their advantage. Lead by example because this is your chance to teach them how to bounce back from mistakes and earn their respect and once again, their TRUST.

3. Always give your child the benefit of the doubt:

How? Allow them to explain their side of the story especially if you KNOW that they were wrong. Breathe and just listen.

Why? This helps them put the event into words and more often than not, a huge emotional release will follow, which is ultra helpful in resolving issues. It is also a great way to practice self reflection and self realization, both big milestones for internal growth. Most importantly, it builds TRUST, the foundation of good communication and effective parenting.

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“Parenting Is The Hardest Job In The World.” – WHY?

 

Here’s a statement that we all have made at some point in time while parenting. Some more often than others. But why is it that the most gratifying experience of our life is often awarded the “hardest job in the world” title?

Henry Ford said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is…” Parenthood is all about not just thinking but also feeling, not to mention all the physical labor that goes into it. It’s a Whole Body experience.

Thanksgiving Homecoming

 

Here we are again—it’s Thanksgiving already. This holiday always seems to usher in the holiday season. Once we’ve had that Thanksgiving meal, it’s go, go, go. We are all familiar with the dichotomy of December: celebrating the season, enjoying the festivities and the beauty of the lights, cherishing the time off—all while running around checking off our holiday shopping lists, dragging our out-of-school kids behind us, skipping meals, eating out, running on empty. Thanksgiving is the kickoff to the madness that follows until the New Year.

Typically, we start out by wishing everybody whose path we cross a Happy Thanksgiving, along with a “good bye,” “see you later,” and “take care.” Last week, every email I sent or each person I connected with—those I knew I wasn’t going to see until after the Thanksgiving—received a wish from me: Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I even reached out by phone to a few new connections and friends I made this year to express my gratitude for meeting and working with them.

This morning, in my morning quiet time, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and thanked my universe of friends. I actually visualized friends across the globe and sent them a “thank you” vibe with a big smile. Then I silently thanked all the wonderful people who have championed my cause—friends who have helped support and propel my mission and vision at Tools of Growth. Moving inward, my attention and awareness were drawn to my extended family, and I sent gratitude out to my parents, my mother-in-law, my siblings, my in-law siblings, my nieces, and my nephews. Really close to my heart, I saw the faces of my darling husband and my precious children and reflected on how blessed I am to have these beautiful partners to share my life with. Along with the joys of simply being around them, laughing, joking, and teasing, I treasure and am grateful for the growth and learning that comes from the challenges we face together. I am humbled by the communication that we display every single day. We yank, we pull, we argue, we step on each other’s toes and invade each other’s space. We call each other out and, yes, sometimes we yell and scream… just as we apologize sincerely, love deeply, respect wholeheartedly, show up consistently, share profoundly, connect greatly, and give each other heart-to-heart hugs. The swell of gratitude in my heart made me smile and even giggle.

And then came the silence. Complete silence. Having virtually traveled around the globe, I was back home—in my body, with my heart and my self. Why had I never thought of thanking myself on this day? So I did. As I have learned in meditation, I started from my toes and went all the way up to the crown of my head. I thanked the temple of my body that houses all the complicated “systems” that I do not see but only feel the workings of. I moved to feeling gratitude for the emotions, intellect, wisdom, knowledge, power, and energy that is contained and emitted simultaneously from the intelligence of this body. I shyly admired my strengths of kindness, empathy, compassion, service, and hard work while thanking my weaknesses of pleasing others, internally aiming for perfection—getting it all done and getting it all right and not knowing when to stop or pause. It is through these weaknesses that I continue to grow, learn, and become a better version of myself. I thanked my ego for always keeping me in check. I reflected upon the light that shines within me and through me—the one that we all have, each slightly different and yet the same. Truly this life that we all lead on planet earth is worth being grateful for. As I felt this swell of gratitude, I heard a bird chirping nearby. I opened my eyes, and it flew away, but I saw a lovely green tree in front of me. I looked at the blue sky and felt the crisp morning air, and I felt nurtured by the beautiful nature that surrounds me. We all have much to be grateful for, and we are never alone.

So while you’re out there wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to your community, your co-workers, your network of friends, and your immediate family, remember to return home—to your self. This is the starting point and the end point of who we are and all we do. And take a moment to thank this beautifully abundant nature—water, air, energy, the earth and its planets— that keeps us alive.

As you take yourself through this gratitude practice, share with your children how it made you feel. Talk to them about the importance of each of us reconnecting with and feeling gratitude for ourselves. I promise you, they will be inspired to try it as well. There is no bigger gift we can give our kids, one that will help grow their self-love and self-respect, which will translate into increased self-worth and self-confidence. Be sure to record their feelings of self-discovery and gratitude. It will make for great memories down the road.

From our TOG family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful for your love and support through the year.

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Post-election Mindful Parenting

We’ve now had a few days to digest the outcome of the presidential election, but there is still hate and confusion on social media, pitting friends against friends, family against family. The fact that half of our country doesn’t agree with the other half is a cause of concern. However, we are blessed to live in a society where we are allowed to disagree with each other.

This was a difficult election from the start, but it’s up to us adults to set an example going forward. Our children are looking to us for guidance, and we have the perfect opportunity to teach our kids about life and politics. How we shape the conversation will determine how our kids grow up and learn to lead this country.

The day after the election, I spotted a friend’s post on social media. Her son had been watching the election results with his father and asked, “If Trump is such a bad guy, why is everyone voting for him?” Another friend told me that her child was crying and worried that he would have to move to India, a country he had never even been to. Caucasian children are afraid their friends are leaving the country. Our Latino and Muslim kids are afraid they will be deported.

Adults are using bad language to describe our country and its citizens. Our children are not immune to any of this. They hear the curse words and the hate speech. They hear when people call a candidate evil and dangerous. For children, this affects their safe, secure, loving world. They wonder if someone will uproot it.

Take a moment to reflect on that. What kind of example are we setting for our children? Do we want them living in fear, or do we want them to learn and grow from this situation? We talk about the importance of Emotional Intelligence and financial intelligence, it’s time to introduce children to the basics of “political intelligence.”

Here are some examples of how we can help our kids process the events of the election.

Address their fears. Ask children what they are feeling. Help them put words to their emotions. If your children are young, this will help them build their emotional vocabulary, and if they are older, it will invite them to discuss their fears and feelings, which is often hard for children to do. Be sure to validate their feelings instead of shoving them under the rug or undermining them. Dealing with Feelings  is a necessary first step that helps turn down the volume of children’s emotions so that you can engage their intellect to help make sense of things. Next…


Share our country’s voting process in age-appropriate ways. Explain that we have an electoral college and how we all have a responsibility to vote for the candidate we think will do the best job for our entire country.

Teach our kids that we don’t live in a dictatorship. Our government has a system of checks and balances to make sure no one branch of government has too much power.

Partner with your school. If you are a parent or an educator, please step up and set an example of empathy and compassion. Kids might be hearing things at school that are different than what they hear at home. So come together to help relieve your children of the worries that this election has aroused. Reassure them that the classroom is a safe place.


Practice verbal hygiene. Children are great imitators, so give them something positive to mirror. Don’t use foul language and talk about leaving the country. Think deeply about how this affects our children and causes fear and anxiety. Children need to know they have security in their own home; their security is provided by us—parents, educators, and other adults in their life.


Accept and respect. This is perhaps the biggest life lesson we need to model for our children. When difficult events confront us, we can collectively grow and evolve, whether we like them or not. Draw parallels with other challenges that you or they have grown from. Point out that when we accept and respect life’s challenges, we build resilience and self-reliance—inner-core values that we want our children to have.


Let go and march onward. Resistance only causes angst and sends negative issues deeper instead of uprooting them. Only when we let go can we march forward. As Sonia Ricotti, Bounce Back Expert and president of Lead Out Loud , says, “Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.”

In the end, we need to teach our children how to handle the unexpected in life and reassure them that despite the chaos everything is going to be okay. While we should stand up for what we believe, we also keep moving forward. You do your best and stand proud of what you’ve accomplished. Let’s see what good can come out of this election if we all stay committed and involved in our communities.

It’s very easy for us to declare ourselves conscious or mindful parents, but the true test of this rests in how we manage ourselves amid confusion and how we guide our children through it. The magic lies in moving our kids away from fear, disconnection, and division and reconnecting them with love and a sense of oneness. Our children are our future leaders. It is our responsibility to set them an example of excellent leadership.

 

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Parenting During the Holidays

This post was originally published on Masalamommas.com. 

“Mom, I’ve decided I want to be a Christian now,” declared my six-year-old as she got in the car on her last day of school before winter break. She was upset.

“Well, hello, my doll! How was your day at school?” I pretended that I did not hear what she had said. I didn’t really want to deal with her remark. The holidays are busy as it is. I had just gotten done with the gift giving for the school staff and was far from being done with gifts for friends, family, neighbors, and clients. And now my daughter wanted to jump from Hinduism to Christianity!

“My day was fine. Thank you for asking, Mama,” said Nitasha. “But did you hear what I said?”

Knowing my daughter, I knew I could not ignore her declaration. “I did, Tash. You said you want to be a Christian now, right?”

“Then why did you pretend not to hear me, Mama?”

“Because I had to think about what you said and how I should answer it.”

“How about thinking out loud because I really want you to help me,” she said with her voice cracking. “I don’t know how to become a Christian.” Now she was sobbing. “It’s hard when you want something and you don’t know what to do. If I become  Christian, will you stay Hindu? I don’t want to be Christian alone. What about Papa and my brother and grandma? What if I have to be a Christian all alone?” Now she was crying hard and loud.

Trying to keep a straight face, I said, “I know this is hard, my love. I’m going to pull over, and we will talk about this, ok?”

“Ok, Mama. But please help me. I’m so sad.” (Continue reading.)

 

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Conscious Parenting Evolves! – Part Two

Last week I talked about what went on at Evolve 2016, Dr. Shefali’s three-day conference in New York. But I also want to mention the wonderful “conscious sponsors,” who brought their own value to the audience. If you’re looking for some unique holiday gift ideas, get ready to fall in love with their great offerings.

Dignity University . The founder of this transformational program, JD Mitra, was back for a second year, offering four-week challenges that can transform and elevate the quality of life—in health, wealth, business, relationships, or family. The most popular course is Accelerate: Transform the relationship with your teen in 4 weeks. Dr. Shefali calls this program “taking the therapist home.” Last year a friend of mine bought this program as a holiday gift for her family and said that it really opened up communication and connection at home with her teenagers. Now that’s worth every penny! Buy THE ACCELERATE CHALLENGE for $100 off (normal price is $297) using code: SHEFALI.


Conscious Stories by Andrew Newman. This talented writer has changed the face of storytelling by bringing mindfulness practices into children’s sleep-time stories. His clever titles and brilliant art enhance his message. I have given his books to many families over the last year, and he is at the top of the list for holiday gifts. He’s also launching a new Kickstarter effort for his new book, cleverly titled The Hug Who Got Stuck. I am honored to have been asked to endorse this book and support his campaign. Click here to check out his campaign. I’m sure you will be inspired to support him. Use the code SHEFALI to get a discount off 3 books.

GoZen by Renee Jain. This line of well-thought-out products to help young children identify and manage stress and anxiety early on is a by-product of Jain’s personal childhood experiences. Her anxiety-relief programs are designed for children, parents, professionals, and schools and offer support to the child from every direction. Go Zen has been featured on The Huffington Post, Edutopia, Psych Central, and The Scary Mommy Blog – just to name a few. GoZen are offering 10% off any program. CODE: SHEFALI

The Daily Greatness company donated 300 journals for parents at last year’s summit and was back to fill up the Evolve swag bags again this year. I’ve used the journal all year long, and it has inspired me and kept me organized. I highly recommend buying the Daily Greatness Parents’ Journal—my fave—as a great way to record your parenting journey. It will serve as a valuable keepsake for years to come. With its vibrant covers and inspiring quotes, every page is an invitation to write. Order them as gifts with a 20% off coupon using code: SHEFALI.

I had a lot of fun savoring the aromatic scents of the organic body oils and soaps at the Batch Organics . The lavender oil was an absolute favorite and sold out quickly. From body sprays to organic mommy- and baby-care products, this beautiful line was a hit with everyone. Use the discount code of SHEFALI15.

Building Connected Communities . This start-up is turning heads. Co-founders Erin Taylor and Sue De Carro are doing a stellar job of connecting parents with parenting experts. Their well-thought-out organization serves as a valuable hub and resource center for conscious professionals to speak, educate, coach, and counsel, extending their reach not just into families but also to schools, individuals, communities, and sports groups. Join this amazing community for $1.

Inner Rhythm . I absolutely love the contribution that Rekha Magon is making to the school community. Her school mindfulness initiatives have raised the bar in education. In a nutshell, Inner Rhythm’s mindfulness philosophy and products lay the foundation for emotional resilience and enable children to identify and follow their own authentic inner rhythm. These programs empower children by nurturing concentration skills, social-emotional learning, and creativity.

 

Other fantastic items presented at the conference were:

Torch – The best online safety router. Lets parents pause the internet, set bedtimes, block out bad content, and see browsing history. Get $50 off your purchase of a router with code: SHEFALI.

 

Andrea N Dedrick – This hand-drawn portrait of Dr. Shefali says it all! Want to gift your family or friends the most amazing family portraits? Get 25% off when you mention SHEFALI in a message to Andrea on any of her social media channels or email.

 

Mar Oscategui – Having trouble putting your kids to sleep? The best sleep specialist, Mar Oscategui, is offering $50 off her sessions for a limited time if you mention SHEFALI. Email her at maternityinstitute@gmail.com.

Spoon Fed – The tastiest organic baby food ever! Shipped overnight, their clear, attractive and practical packaging put a big smile on my face. Get 20% off when you use the discount code FRESH20. 

And the icing on the cake…

Dr. Shefali invited Kate Curran, founder of School the World, to share the stage with her, and this awe-inspiring video absolutely captivated the audience. Little do we realize how fortunate we are to raise our children here in the US, where children and parents have easy access to the best schools. Kate shared her mission of building schools to fight extreme poverty at its roots by bringing education to the world’s poorest children—at a cost of $10,000 per school. A member in our audience did the math and invited each of us to donate just $35, so that we could collectively contribute to building a school. Within a couple of hours, we did it! In appreciation of our enthusiasm, Kate promised to name this school The Evolve School! Another couple volunteered to match the amount collected, and before we knew it, #EVOLVE 2016 had contributed to building two schools!

 

So besides inspiring and awakening parents to their true selves and benefiting their children at home, Dr. Shefali’s revolution in parenting inspired parents to contribute to the betterment of the children of the world. By the end of the conference, all 350 of us walked away feeling rejuvenated, fulfilled, inspired, and ready to bring our conference takeaways into our own homes. They say that happiness is the by-product of doing what makes us feel fulfilled. It is no accident, then, that we all walked away feeling both fulfilled and happy.

Check out Dr. Shefali’s Facebook page. The pictures and the experiences shared will touch your hearts as they have mine. Here are some of my favorite pictures…

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Conscious Parenting Evolves! – Part One

Unconsciousness, lack of awareness, agendas, behavioral triggers, our own stubborn inner child—do we really carry all of this preexisting baggage into our parenting? What do these terms even mean, and how do they sneak up and affect us, our children, and our relationship?

These were some of the questions that 350 parents sought to answer last weekend with Dr. Shefali Tsabary in New York at Evolve 2016—her annual three-day conscious parenting summit!

On the first day, Dr. Shefali invited us to her “Revolution in Parenting.” She beckoned us to step up to the challenge of addressing our own issues so that we don’t unload them on our children. During this three-hour session, her message clearly aligned with Rumi’s quote, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” Firmly, but poetically, she asked the audience to “turn the spotlight within” as the first step to consciously parenting our children. You could hear a pin drop as she used drama therapy to help us visualize the inner workings of our parent world, opening our hearts and minds and planting the seeds of the teachings that would follow.

Day 2 was a full day of conscious parenting principals delivered seamlessly in Dr. Shefali’s signature style. Each was coupled with examples and parent testimonials that reassured parents that they are not alone in the issues they have with their children and that even moments of chaos can consciously be turned into secure threads of connection.

Aric Bostick, one of my all-time favorite motivational speakers, fired up the audience with his humorous yet deeply touching segment on “How to Be an Awesome Parent.” His honesty, integrity, and commitment to co-parenthood shone through every word he shared.

 

The education panel on this day was über-informative! Teachers shared their perspective with a focus on the issues they face that create a disconnect with parents. The open conversation between teachers and parents really helped bridge this all-too-common gap. One parent said to me, “This really encourages me to understand what issues the teachers are facing and how important it is for me to stay connected with them.”

With all this introspection and examination of our past issues, we needed the meditation and mind-body-spirit balance that renowned yoga expert Elena Bower, brought to the room. She walked us through some relaxing yoga poses, which I was able to do in my business suit. When the day ended, the crowd stayed for more than an hour, reflecting, tearing up, hugging, and sharing their aha moments.

Day 3 began with my talk with Dr. Shefali and an “up close and personal” round of questions. I’ve never had so much fun on stage! I probed her journey on the path of conscious parenting, her trials, her tribulations, her family story, and her own conscious parenting challenges. I mixed in some fun questions about her gorgeous necklaces and her favorite herbal tea. Dr. Shefali was gracious enough to play along—though she passed on answering what parenting advice she’d give Donald Trump. There was a lot of laughter before we got into the conversation about why boundaries are more effective than traditional hierarchal discipline, and the audience seemed to enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

A Q&A session filled the rest of the morning, and as parents shared their experiences, we realized that we all have similar issues with our children. Dr. Shefali led us through conscious parenting teachings that helped the audience take home information and tools to resolve conflict and create connections not only with children but also with spouses. Individual and team exercises helped clarify how to understand our inner child and prevent the unmet needs of our childhood from getting in the way of our parenting.

Later Dr. Edward Hallowell, best-selling author and world-renowned ADHD expert, shared some practical solutions to personal challenges. Weaving in the story of his own struggles, he offered groundbreaking advice on how to survive in an ultra-competitive, ultra-fast, attention-deficit society. He shared how-to’s on raising children consciously while preserving and growing their self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect, and self-love. An engaging and informative speaker, he proved once again why he has been a frequent guest on Oprah, the Dr. Oz Show, NPR, CNN, CNBC, and 60 Minutes, to name a just few.

The day ended with the entire audience yearning for more yet ready to return home and practice what they had learned about being present, conscious, and in the moment with their children. I was reminded of Jack Johnston’s words from his song Monsoon: “All of life is one drop in the ocean waiting to go home.” The feeling of oneness was prevalent and powerful.

Being such a supporter of Dr. Shefali’s work, I can’t help but boast about the growth from last year’s summit to this one, specifically:

This year 68 men attended, as opposed to 10 last year.
We had attendees from 18 countries, versus 3 last year.

Clearly this Revolution in Parenting, as characterized by the subtitle of Dr. Shefali’s new book, The Awakened Family, has taken off and will only continue to soar higher and higher. I can’t wait for #Evolve2017!

Last but not least, infinite love and gratitude to the TOG followers who flew all the way out to New York. I am inspired and touched by your commitment to mindful and conscious parenting. Besides people from California and New York, our TOG team at this summit consisted of mothers who came out from Hong Kong, London, Florida, and Wisconsin.

 

Stay tuned for Part Two of this blog next week. I’m so excited to share with you the amazing sponsors and their fabulous offerings. Get your holiday shopping lists out. You will walk away with much of it checked off, I promise you!

Here I am with Dr. Shefali and two of my dedicated conscious parenting thought leader friends, Suzi Lula from The Motherhood Evolution and Sandra Fazio from The Conscious Parent Blog.

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Are You Ready to Evolve?

There is a very special Parenting Conference coming up this weekend: Evolve: The Conscious Way.  This second annual event will be led by Dr. Shefali Tsabary and takes place October 21–23 in New York City.

I’ve been asked by many parents why they should travel all that way when Dr. Shefali has so much worthy content online for free. For me, that’s like asking why we should eat at a restaurant when we can find a recipe online and make the dish ourselves. Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.”

And EVOLVE is an unmatched experience of knowledge, self-reflection, self-discovery, and personal growth. If I offered you freedom from all parental anguish in exchange for one weekend of your life, wouldn’t you accept? If I promised you that one weekend would change forever the way you not only parent your children but also manage all your relationships, wouldn’t you sign up? Well…what are you waiting for? Register now to join the laughter, the fun, the revelations, the evolution!

Dr. Shefali leads this conference with a perfect balance of her signature humor, perspective, soul searching, and humility. It’s no wonder that Oprah follows Dr. Shefali’s work and calls her “her parenting expert.” Give your kids the gift that only you, their parents, can give. Your children deserve it!

Last year I had the good fortune to moderate this event, and afterward I invited all Tools of Growth followers and fans who attended to describe it in their own words. This is what they said about their experience:

Beautifully empowering
Enlightening
Life-changing for me and my family
Uplifting
I am a changed parent forever
PhD in parenting
Best gift I could give my kids
Even thought it was a reality check for me, now I have so much more confidence as a parent
Life enhancing and transformational

Once again, I’m honored to be sharing the stage with Dr. Shefali this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing all of you there!

REGISTER HERE

 

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L.A. Parent Magazine – A Trusted Resource

It’s always a pleasure to be able to share resources with our TOG Parents who reside in the Los Angeles area. After working directly with L.A. Parent Magazine over the past several months, I wanted to tell you about this valuable publication, which I know will add to your family life through events and activities to enrich your children’s experiences and your own.

L.A. Parent Magazine has been a resource for Los Angeles parents since 1980. With an average of 170,000 readers and distribution at more than 2,000 locations each month, it’s no wonder they are such a trusted source. What began as a guide for local events and information on fun things to do with your kids has blossomed into a full-fledged parenting resource on a wide range of topics—from education and special needs to managing emotions and emotional intelligence.

A staple for parents of preschool and elementary-age children, the magazine is just as valuable for parents of older kids. I’ve been fortunate to be able to get to know owners Elena Epstein, director of content and strategic partnerships, and Ron Epstein, publisher of L.A. Parent, and it’s clear this is more than a business for them, it’s their passion. Through their years of journalism experience, they have created a publication that covers the whole spectrum of parenting, from birth through college. Even as a parent of adult children, I still find value in reading the articles that editor Christina Elston curates so thoughtfully. Their advocacy for the arts and education speaks to my own passions in these fields.

Each year they provide special supplements to the magazine with their Education Guide (covering private and public schools with articles on early education, elementary, middle and high school, and the road to collage) and Your Child with Special Needs (information on new therapies and treatment options, as well as enrichment and educational resources for children with special needs).

L.A. Parent Magazine is completely free and can be found online and in print at local businesses and schools around Los Angeles. For a fee, you can subscribe and have the magazine delivered to your home. There is nothing else like it in Los Angeles County.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow L.A. Parent on Facebook and Twitter for daily news, upcoming events, and fun giveaways.

The post L.A. Parent Magazine – A Trusted Resource appeared first on Tools of Growth.