
Loading summary
A
Hey moms and dads, don't you just.
B
Love when your child reminds you about a school project at bedtime the night before it's due? With Skylight Calendar you can avoid those last minute oops moments. It visually displays your family schedule in one place with different colors for each family member so you can eliminate those last minute surprises that upset your kids. Skylight Calendar is a wi fi connected digital display that syncs seamlessly with with all your calendars and visually showcases your family schedule on an HD touchscreen. You can manage events, chores and grocery lists on the go with the free Skylight app. This is a game changer for families like ours and your happiness is Skylight's happiness. So if in 120 days you are not 100% thrilled, you can return it for a full refund, no questions asked. This is a great Mother's Day gift and right now Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to skylightcow.com calm go to skylightcal.com calm for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That's S-K-Y-L-H-T C A L.com calm.
A
So you have kids who are going to do things in a way that really irritates you. You have kids who are going to do things in a approve of or not the way you want them to. Your little kids, when they clean up a mess, they use good clothes clean clothes to do it. Or two kids are using really your nice pillows off the sofa in order to body slam each other outside ruining the pillows. A daughter cuts her bangs. Your teen or tween stays up all night long to do a project. And I have a challenge for you this week. I want you to be able to turn irritating situations into bonding ones. And I had this fantastic story I've been waiting for weeks to share with you. So that is what we're going to discuss on today's episode of the Calm Parenting Podcast. So welcome. This is Kirk Martin, founder of Celebrate Calm. You can find us in our winter sale@celebratecalm.com so here's such a cool story. Now this is for older kids, but then I will apply this to toddlers, elementary age, whatever ages your kids are. So a mom had written and told me this story. She said, I woke up in the middle of the night and I saw that the light was on in my daughter's bedroom at 2am and I knew it was happening. She was up completing a project that should have been completed many days before and she said, I was so frustrated with her and I wanted to go in and I wanted to lecture her and get all over her, but instead she said, I actually went into my bathroom, I pulled up the app with your programs, and I just started listening because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. I knew I needed to reset. And I found this section where you were kind of talking about this. And she said, I went back to sleep and. And I got up in the morning. Now, here's what the mom said she wanted to say. You know what, honey? If you would have just started on Tuesday, you would have had it done on time. You need to learn to be more organized and proactive, and I can actually show you how to do that. You know what? You're going to be tired all day long and probably crabby. Now, there was no need for you to stay up all night like that. That's what you. That's what your child is expecting to hear. And 999,999 parents will handle it that way. I want you to be the one who is different. So here's what this amazing mom did, because she fought her own anxiety and control issues and all of those feelings of, like, why does my daughter have to do it like this? Why does she make things so difficult on her myself? And why does she cause me so much anxiety? Instead, the mom got up, her daughter came downstairs, she gave her daughter a fist bump and said, you know what? That was clutch. You got your project done. You stayed up till the middle of the night when it was done. You were conscientious. You cared about it enough to battle being tired and staying up. You were focused late at night. You got it done, and I'm proud of you. And she said the look on her daughter's face was priceless. And her daughter said, but, mom, aren't you mad at me? And the mom said, look, some of this you're just going to have to fight through because inside you are frustrated and irritated. But the mom said, why would I be mad at you? You got it done. You just didn't do it the way I would have done it. But you did get it done. You were clutch. You came through under pressure. You were focused and conscientious. It's well done. And mom walked away. Now, here is the really cool thing and why I've been waiting. Because what I told the mom is your daughter will eventually come to you and say, mom, I don't want to be up till the middle of the night every Time doing these. Can you help me? Well, it is now three weeks later, which is not bad because I told the mom it could be three months, it could be sometime, it could be three years from now. But the daughter came to her because she had said along the way, hey, Mom. She can always say, hey, look, if you need some help with that, if you want to learn how to organize and do that, just let me know sometimes. And then you walk out of the room. Well, here's what's really cool. The daughter finally came to her after this happened a couple more times and said, mom, I'm tired of doing it this way. Can you help me with this? And this was really cool. Now the daughter's asking for help. Remember we've talked about that in a lecturing series we did about drawing your kids so that they come asking you. And so the mom gave her the ADHD University program and said, honey, I think this is going to help you. And they've had talks about like, hey, this isn't some, this isn't a disorder. There's nothing wrong with your brain. It just works differently. And time management will probably never be your strong suit. But you have to learn how to manage your energy because you work on momentum. You're a highly sensitive person, so you feel things deeply. And so they had this amazing, amazing talk now about how the daughter's brain works. They had a great talk about the fact that the mom's brain works in a very different way. And she's kind of more of a left brain, very, very project manager person. And so what the mom said is, previously it would have just been her lecturing getting on her daughter. Her daughter would have shut down once again, felt like, I'm a failure, I can never please my parents, I'm not as good as my brother. And instead they're having this conversation. Now the daughter is starting to take ownership over this herself because she's understanding how her brain works. So I know when I go through this there's going to be questions, well, aren't you just excusing her behavior? And answer is no. The daughter in this situation already knows that it's suboptimal to wait until the last night to wait until 2am but what she didn't realize and didn't know was she does this for a couple reasons. One, you're really sensitive kid kids, their sense of all the chaos and commotion in the house. And sometimes they stay up late at night because that's after everybody goes to bed and they can think more clearly, they can Process information more clearly when it's kind of just quiet like that. And there's also a brain stimulation issue. Procrastination is a tool. It's not always my favorite or the best tool, but it is an effective, effective tool because when you procrastinate and wait till the last minute now you have a very definitive time limit and there's pressure and that adrenaline rush brings blood flow to the brain and actually helps you concentrate. So now watch. The mom is getting to teach her daughter, this is why you did it. It's not because you're lazy and careless and you don't follow through. It's like, no, this is how your brain works. But now I can teach you a way to get that brain stimulation in more productive and healthy ways so you don't have to wait until last night, till 2 o'clock in the morning. See? And there's also like, well, aren't you going to give her a consequence? Well, no, she already has a consequence, which is she is tired. There's no need to pile on here, on, on this child. And here's what's really cool. The mom in this case, you just spoke truth. You said, hey, you did come through in the last minute. You were conscientious and focused. At 2am, you got it done. And that allowed her. Because the mom was able to step out of her own anxiety over like, oh, is my daughter always going to do this? What's it going to be like in the future? And the own anxiety of like, I really want the job done more quickly because sometimes as parents it's like, please get that done because then I can kind of mentally check it off of my list. And she had to step out of her own control issues over how she would do it. And that's really powerful. And then guess what happens now a few weeks later. I know we wanted the daughter that day to say, mother, could you please show me a different way to do my projects. It came, but it came a few weeks later when the daughter was ready. I love that. So what if you have younger kids? Let's go through some different situations and I want to give you some insight that's really important for your strong willed kids for you to understand them.
C
When we moved to our home, we were quoted a cost of over $20,000 for some trees and shrubs, but we just saved 90% with fast growing trees and they helped us get the exact privacy and flowering trees and shrubs for our specific climate and it's delivered right.
A
To our door in days.
C
Fast growing trees is the biggest online nursery in the US with thousands of different plants and over 2 million happy customers, including us. They take the hassle out of creating your dream yard. Their alive and thrive guarantees ensures your plants arrive happy and healthy. Plus get support from trained plant experts on call to help you choose and care for the right plants. This spring, Fast Growing Trees has the best deals for your yard, up to half off on select plants. Plus listeners to our show get an additional 15% off their first purchase when using the Code Calm at checkout. That's an additional 15% off at fastgrowingtrees.com using the code CALM fast growingtrees.com Calm offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. So let's geek out together for a.
A
Minute over Gut Health because I'm really into this.
C
I just learned that prebiotics are the.
A
Food that help fuel the growth of healthy bacteria.
C
The probiotics in in your gut. So you have to have both. And that's why AG1 helps my digestion, calms my stomach, and keeps me regular. Look, I've loved my morning AG1 routine for years, long before AG1 became a wonderful partner to the podcast. It's a quick, easy win because I start my day with 75 vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, and whole food sourced ingredients.
A
I just don't have that stomach distress.
C
Anymore where that bloating, you know, that.
A
Kind of interferes with your day and.
C
Puts you on edge. Plus, my weight is down. I've got energy for this hiking season. I'm drinking my Ag one right now while I'm recording this and I think.
A
You should as well.
C
AG1 is offering new subscribers a free $76 gift.
A
When you sign up, you'll get a.
C
Welcome kit, a bottle of D3 and K2, which I love, and five free.
A
Travel packs in your first box.
C
So check out drinkag1.com calm to get this offer. That's drinkag1.com calm to be kind to your gut.
A
So here's another kind of real life example of these two boys who they like to wrestle a lot. And one day when no one was looking, they took the good pillows off the sofa and they got duct tape and they tied the pillows to themselves so they could go outside and wrestle and throw themselves against each other without getting hurt. Well, what happens? Well, they kind of ruined the pillows and they were all dirty. And so the natural response of any parent is what were you guys? What were you thinking? Like, what were you thinking? Now you ruined my pillows and See that? Now we go down that negative route. So does that mean we just say, you know, guys, I love when you ruin my stuff? No, but my first step is to just control myself for a moment and take the get the larger picture, larger perspective.
C
That's partly why I like to be.
A
Calm, is because it slows my world down inside so I can see situations.
C
In a different way.
A
There will be a consequence for this, but the first thing I want to tell my kids is, hey, awesome job being outside playing together. Because how many of us, we complain, they're on their screens all the time. Why won't you go out and play? And then when they do go out and play, they don't do it in a way you want because they get dirty and messy or they throw something at a neighbor's house. So, hey, you guys were outside playing. That was really smart. You knew that you were going to throw yourselves at each other and wrestle, so you did it in a really safe way. That's a really creative solution to that. Well done. And again, just think. Your kids, they don't think, think things through. That's why consequences are very limited, especially for younger kids, because they don't stop in that moment. Think, huh? Let's think this through. Brother or sister, do you think mom or dad will be upset at us if we do that? They don't. They're impulsive because that's what you're supposed to be when you're a kid, impulsive and go do stuff. And so they know after they get done playing, when mom or dad comes out, the pillows are ruined.
C
So when you first come out, you're.
A
Like, hey, nice job playing outside. That was smart. You didn't get hurt. Very creative. It's like, here's another part before we get to the consequence. It gives you some insight. These are kids who have some sensory processing needs. It makes their bodies feel settled in order to get that physical pressure. So that gives you an opportunity now to say, hey, if I don't want my kids using the pillows, throwing themselves at each other, I can sign them up for martial arts class. Getting involved in rock climbing. Just had a parent whose son wanted to do ballet. And just think about that, just thinking ballet, how intense that is. And that physical pressure on your body, man, that's really, really healthy. Swimming, ice hockey, our son did, because he liked to throw himself at other kids. You know, shoveling mulch in the backyard, doing that heavy work is really good for them. Now you don't just have to be some permissive parenting. Oh, I just love it when my boys are creative and destroy my house. It's not what I'm saying. So at the end of this, you can say, hey, guys, love your creativity. Love how that happened. But you just ruined. Destroyed the two pillows. And so you're going to have to do some chores around the house in order to earn some money to pay for replacement pillows. There's nothing mean about that. There's nothing that that's appropriate because you did encourage them. You recognized all the good things. But you're also saying, hey, next time think it through a little bit more or come tell me, hey, mom, we want to throw ourselves at each other. You got a better way to do that without ruining your pillows? You could also go to a thrift store, which I love, and buy stuff there that they can now use or have them buy it because it's really cheap there. So that in the future when they want to do things and destroy something, it's just something you got from a thrift store. What about same thing, like, little girl or little boy? This was me when I was a little kid. I don't know why. When I was a little kid, I got scissors and I just cut my hair, and then I hid in the cabinet underneath the sink. My mom couldn't find me. This is back in the day. Like, parents had, like, she had like four boys within six years, so she lost count of us. But anyway, same thing, right? Like, daughter made a mess trying to cut her bangs. They're not going to look right. So child's going to be embarrassed. You might be embarrassed. And again, you come in, and in this case, I'm a little bit curious. And instead of, honey, what were you thinking?
C
Now we're going to have to blah.
A
Blah, blah, blah, blah. It's not everything is shame. Because sometimes when kids make bad choices, like, hey, you just made a bad decision, there's no shame there. But there's a consequence for that. That's perfectly fine. But in this case, I'd be curious about it. Like, why did you want to cut your bangs? Was it the sensory feel of it? Was it just that it was something new when you were bored? Figure that out. But there's different ways you can handle these situations. There's like little kids who get food out and they just make their own dinner or their own meal. Well, what happens? They're going to make a mess out of everything. They probably not going to do it the right way. It's like the toddler who puts twist ties in his shoes so he doesn't have to learn how to tie his shoes. Your kids just do things different in different ways. And so this coming week, what I want you to do is pause, just.
C
Stop before you react.
A
It doesn't mean you're going to be inside. Like, I just love that my kids make messes and do things wrong. But with a kid who made something, you say, hey, I like your initiative. I like the creativity. I like that you are wanting to be independent. That's what it is. I like that you wanted to be independent and do this yourself. Now there's going to be a mess all over the counter. And instead of, this is my own personal opinion. You have every right to say, hey, you made the mess, you clean it up. But my experience says strong will kids are just not going to do that. So you put on some music and say, you know what? Let's celebrate your independence and your creativity and that you gave that a shot. I'll help you clean up, which means you're going to do most of it. And then I can show you and start teaching you how to cook for yourself in these situations. Now you're starting to teach your kids how to be responsible for themselves. The girl that stayed up till 2am Just think of what we learned from that and how we were able to build her up and say, hey, you are clutch under pressure. And then teaching her how her brain works. I want you to do that with your little kids. Hey, here's why you did that. Because you have a natural need for your brain to be stimulated. So you can either do it this way, hitting your brother, but you're just going to lose your stuff and get in trouble. Or if you got a really big heart, I can show you different ways to get brain stimulation doing something else. So here's the insight. So let's try that this week. Here's the insight I want to give you into these kids. And it's not enough to do like an entire podcast on it, but it relates to this. Your kids will often. Strong will kids will often choose a different area in which to excel in life. And I'll give you an example. So growing up, I was really good athlete playing ball sports.
C
So of course become a dad, got.
A
A son, I want him to play ball sports. Guess what? He's not very good at it. He ends up choosing ice hockey, which is skating, and he skis really well. Guess what are two things I'm not good at doing. Skating and skiing. Now, did he do that on purpose? I don't know. I think it's probably subconscious because I've noticed this in most of the families that I've worked with is the child will choose an area that's their own. Because, you know, what my son knew is no matter what he did, he would never really be able to please me or live up to my expectations with ball sports, because I was really into it. So he chose other areas and now I can't lecture him. It's not me teaching him how to do those things. It's actually the reverse, which is he's teaching me how to ski. And so you'll find I found this in families sometimes where you have like two highly educated parents, right? Both doctors or have master's degrees, doctorates. The child knows, look, I can never exceed your expectations. I can't even live up to them. And so they kind of shut down because they want their own area. So what I encourage you to do is one is be aware of that and let your kids shine in an area that is not yours. And I also want to encourage you this week, let's pick a behavior or a situation that comes up or that irritates you a lot. Flip around the script in your brain from why can't they do it my way? Why do they always have to do it this way? And begin doing a couple things. One is ask, why do they do it the way they do it? Slow your world down.
C
Be a detective.
A
This week you will learn about what motivates your child, about how their brains work so that you can work with their nature. And instead of letting your own anxiety and control issues dump all over them so that they feel like the bad kid or the kid who can never please you, now look at situations and say, ah, that's why they're doing it that way. Because if you can acknowledge that and affirm that and then teach your child and say, oh, I know exactly why you're laying upside down off the sofa. Because when you do that, blood flow rushes to your brain. That's actually really good for your brain and it helps you concentrate. Here are five other ways in order to you can stimulate your brain and do homework more easily. This is why you stay up late at night. That procrastination. Do that this week and then what happens is your kids begin to look to you as a source of weight wisdom, as someone they trust because you're just not commenting all the time on negative what they're doing wrong. You're saying, oh man, I never thought to do it that way. Now I figured out why you do that. Be curious and say, I am curious. Why did you do it that way? Because it seems to work for you. It's just different than I would do it. Now you can problem solve and teach them. Okay, you've got your goal. Find an irritating behavior, flip the script around, and let's begin affirming and teaching our kids. I do encourage you. Let your kids listen to the podcast. If you have our programs on the app, we can. Even if you have older kids who have their own phone, we can send Casey's Straight Talk for Kids program, the ADHD University program, the Strong Will Child program, any of them. We can send them directly to your child or just play them in the car because then your kids begin to hear, oh, that guy's describing me. That's how my brain works. So there's nothing wrong with my brain? No, it just works differently than other kids do. Or the teacher's brain works, or mine works. So how can we do this the.
C
Way it works for you?
A
Have those discussions. It's really cool. Okay. Moms and dads respect you so much for working so hard to change. If we can help you in any way, let us know. Okay? Love you all. Talk to you soon. Bye.
Calm Parenting Podcast: "Are You Excusing Behavior...Or Changing It? A Challenge! #450"
Host: Kirk Martin
Release Date: February 19, 2025
In episode #450 of the Calm Parenting Podcast, celebrated parent educator Kirk Martin delves deep into the nuanced approach of distinguishing between excusing and effectively changing children’s challenging behaviors. This episode, titled "Are You Excusing Behavior...Or Changing It? A Challenge!", offers parents actionable strategies to transform power struggles, defiance, and everyday irritations into opportunities for bonding and growth.
Kirk opens the discussion by acknowledging the everyday frustrations parents face with strong-willed children who resist authority and defy expectations. He emphasizes the importance of shifting perspective from seeing these behaviors as nuisances to viewing them as avenues for deeper connection.
Kirk Martin [01:20]: "I want you to be the one who is different."
Kirk shares a compelling story sent by a mother who handled her daughter's late-night project work with remarkable composure and understanding. Instead of reacting with anger or frustration, the mother chose to affirm her daughter's effort and conscientiousness.
Kirk Martin [03:15]: "You got your project done. You stayed up till the middle of the night when it was done. You were conscientious. You cared about it enough to battle being tired and staying up. You were focused late at night. You got it done, and I'm proud of you."
This affirmation not only validated the daughter's hard work but also strengthened their relationship. The mother resisted the automatic response to lecture her daughter and instead chose to celebrate her daughter's dedication.
Kirk explains that behaviors often deemed problematic are manifestations of how a child’s brain operates, especially in children with conditions like ADHD, OCD, ODD, or ASD. He highlights procrastination not merely as laziness but as a tool for brain stimulation.
Kirk Martin [05:45]: "Procrastination is a tool. It's not always my favorite or the best tool, but it is an effective, effective tool because when you procrastinate and wait till the last minute, now you have a very definitive time limit and there's pressure and that adrenaline rush brings blood flow to the brain and actually helps you concentrate."
By recognizing these underlying motivations, parents can better address the behaviors without judgment or punishment.
Kirk outlines several strategies for parents to implement in various challenging scenarios:
Affirm the Positive Intentions:
Kirk Martin [07:10]: "Hey, you got your project done. You were clutch under pressure. You were focused and conscientious. It's well done."
Understand and Teach Instead of Shaming:
Kirk Martin [08:25]: "Instead of saying, 'Why are you doing it my way?', ask, 'Why do you do it this way?' Slow your world down."
Encourage Responsibility Without Overwhelming Consequences:
Kirk Martin [09:40]: "You're going to have to do some chores around the house in order to earn some money to pay for replacement pillows. There's nothing mean about that."
Promote Autonomy and Ownership:
Kirk Martin [10:15]: "Your kids begin to look to you as a source of wisdom, as someone they trust because you're just not commenting all the time on negative what they're doing wrong."
Kirk emphasizes that this approach not only resolves immediate conflicts but also builds a foundation of trust and mutual respect. Over time, children are more likely to seek guidance and support from their parents rather than react defensively.
Kirk Martin [09:00]: "Now, what we're really achieving here is shifting the dynamic from confrontation to collaboration. Your child doesn't feel like the bad kid or the kid who can never please you."
To encourage the application of these principles, Kirk presents a weekly challenge:
Kirk Martin [10:00]: "Pick a behavior or a situation that comes up or that irritates you a lot. Flip around the script in your brain from 'why can't they do it my way?' to 'why do they always have to do it this way?'"
In wrapping up the episode, Kirk reinforces the importance of patience, empathy, and strategic thinking in parenting. By understanding and addressing the root causes of challenging behaviors, parents can cultivate stronger, more positive relationships with their children.
Kirk Martin [10:30]: "Let’s try that this week. Let’s pick a behavior that irritates us and apply these strategies. You'll be amazed at the transformation."
For additional support and resources, Kirk encourages parents to explore Celebrate Calm's programs, which are designed to assist both parents and children in navigating complex behaviors with grace and effectiveness.
Key Takeaways:
By implementing these strategies, parents can effectively change challenging behaviors without resorting to excuses or punitive measures, fostering a more harmonious and understanding family environment.