Parenting For Humanity Blog

We’re kicking off our fall guest speaker schedule with the author of a new book that both Amy and I really resonate with – “When The Labels Don’t Fit:  A New Approach to Raising a Challenging Child.”  We’ll be speaking with the author, Barbara Probst, on Thursday, September 18th at noon EST.  We highly encourage you to tune in!

Many children do things that seem odd or excessive at various points in their development. Though some do need professional help, many are victims of a culture that’s far too quick to attach a label such as ADHD, social anxiety, or bipolar disorder to every child who’s hard to manage or doesn’t fit in.  Barbara Probst asks: Is there really something wrong with all these children, or is there something wrong with the way they’re viewed, categorized, and treated? WHEN THE LABELS DON’T FIT proposes a radical new perspective: instead of viewing unusual or puzzling behavior as a symptom of disorder, we need to view it as exactly what it is: the extreme or out-of-context expression of a trait like perfectionism, intensity, or curiosity.

Please leave any questions you have for Ms. Probst here on the blog, and we’ll see what we can do to incorporate them into the show!

Mommy? Why is that woman so fat? That guy’s hair is really mean-looking.

Grandma!! Mom doesn’t EVER make me eat those vegetables. They look like poop.

DAAAADDDDDDD! I HAVE TO HAVE CANDY NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!!!!

Parenting is hard work. Parenting in public is extra tricky- it’s managing to guide your kids through childhood while balancing on the high wire of peer perception.

We might have strategies for coping with various behaviors when we’re at home- how to respond in an effective, calm manner when junior throws his spinach pie- but it takes on an entirely different color when he throws it in front of Grandma.

It’s all well and good to calmly redirect when darling daughter two is screaming at home, but when she’s flailing and yelling at the check-out line in the grocery it’s a whole new ball game. When you add the challenge of protecting the feelings of those around you- extended family members and total strangers who get caught in the crossfire of childhood curiosity and impulses, and you’ve got a plateful.

How does being in public impact our effectiveness as parents? What are some strategies to help us get through these more difficult moments? Our show on Public Parenting explores these issues and takes some new questions from listeners. Hear other parents’s stories on grocery store grumps and dinner table demons while gaining a fresh perspective on this challenging aspect of parenting.