• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • family
    • kids
    • motherhood
    • recipes
  • homeschool
  • DIY
  • lifestyle
    • Style
    • Travel
    • Gift Guides
    • Parties
  • Subscribe
  • About Me
    • Collaborate
    • Disclaimer & Privacy Policy
  • Nav Widget Area (Left)

My Simple Wild

a motherhood & simple living blog

January 27, 2018 / Motherhood

Your Parenting Questions Answered! Interview With Susan G. Groner- The Parenting Mentor

A couple weeks ago I was gifted the book Parenting: 101 Ways to Rock Your World by Susan G. Groner. I loved how easy it was to read- the book is broken up into categories : Parenting Golden Rules, Family Time, Rules and Respect, Perspective and Judgment, Gratitude and Attitude, Food and Dining, Forbidden Phrases, Life Skills, and Family Management. Then within each category, each page is numbered with a different tip or idea. I love this because sometimes I just don’t have time to read! I wish I did, but between being a childcare provider, blogger, and taking care of my family, reading is often put on the back burner. It is so easy to just read a few pages at a time and really get something out of it. You don’t have to read a chapter at a time for it to make sense. This book is definitely designed for the busy parent! The book is packed full of suggestions tips and strategies to help make life easier for parents. I highly recommend this one! You can purchase your own copy [amazon_textlink asin=’0999476300′ text=’here.’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’Newmommasurvival’ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4f0d3403-fef4-11e7-a26d-61542844fd2a’] (affiliate link. You can read my full disclaimer here.) There is also a few pages that are blank for notes at the end of the book and I have started writing down simple ways to make better changes for me and my family. I used little sticky notes to mark the pages that really resonated with me and I am keeping this book right on my nightstand so that I can flip through and read it whenever I have the chance!

I learned a LOT from this book and I have been already making small changes and implementing Susan’s words of wisdom in my own home. Two pages that really stuck in my head and my thoughts on them….

Page 131: “What were you thinking? ‘Why would you do that?’ or ‘What is the matter with you?’ serve only to belittle your child and make her feel terrible about herself. Chances are she is not really thinking at all. When your children make mistakes or do things they should not have done, instead of accusing or yelling, ask them what they might have done differently. Give them time to reflect; they may not figure things our right away. Asking this question gives them an opportunity to problem solve and to revisit a poor choice without making them feel any worse than they already do.”

Thoughts: Ouch. This one hurt my heart a little. Why? Because I am oh-so guilty with saying these exact phrases to my child. My son is a wild-child. He has always been full of energy, likes to play rough and walks to the beat of his own drum. This makes parenting sometimes so difficult for me! I have definitely yelled “What is wrong with you?!” to him before when he decided it would be fun to put a blanket over our Yorkie and then sit on his head. I thought he was trying to kill our dog and I panicked. He was just being Liam, of course. Playing some game he thought up in his head and saw nothing wrong with the situation. What I yelled to him probably made him feel just terrible. I am promising myself and my family right now those words will not come out of my mouth again!

Page 146: “Teach your kids to hydrate Got a headache? Drink water. Feeling tired? Drink water. Hungry even though you just ate? Drink some more water. A glass of water first thing in the morning is a great habit to instill in kids. Don’t wait until the thirst sets in. Few of us drink enough water, and when we are not sufficiently hydrated, nothing in our body works as well as it could or should.”

Thoughts: OK, this may seem like common sense but I am terrible at drinking enough water! Some days I am great at it, other days I realized its dinner time and I have not had a single glass. This is not something I want my child to do. I know we both are not drinking nearly enough water! I am going to set alarms on my phone throughout the day to remind me to give him water. I’ll do this until it just becomes a habit to drink water.

Last weekend I asked my followers on Facebook to submit their parenting questions. I had the pleasure to interview Susan Groner, the author of Parenting: 101 Ways to Rock Your World, and she has been gracious enough to have answered some of your questions!

About the author:

Susan G. Groner is the founder of The Parenting Mentor where she provides coaching sessions for parents of toddlers through teens. She offers private and group sessions as well as phone, email and Skype sessions. She helps parents foster and maintain a more fulfilling and stress-free experience in parenthood. She lives in New York and has two children of her own.

 parenting questions answered

How long have you been mentoring parents? And why were you drawn to becoming a parenting coach?

I have been mentoring parents for a about six years but I’ve been doing it professionally for a little over two years now. Friends, cousins, even my physical therapist, would ask me how to handle difficult situations they were experiencing with their children. My thoughts and strategies were well-received and were working! When a number of people told me I should turn this in to a business, I took their advice and did!  I feel strongly that parenting should be more joy than stress, and I’ve been able to refine my overall concepts in to some pretty simple strategies. I wish I had me around when my children were younger! Believe me – I get the stress and anxiety that’s part of parenting and I love helping other parents so they can relax and enjoy this amazing thing we get to do!

 We are expecting our second baby this year and are worried our first born will not cope well with the changes! (He gets jealous when mommy shares any of her attention with anyone or anything else) Can you give me a couple tips on how to help him with these changes?

 Sibling or no sibling, let your child know that you understand how they are feeling. “I see you are frustrated that Mommy is talking to…”. “ ‘ It’s hard to wait for Mommy to finish her work, isn’t it?”  Validation is key! 
I think it’s important to be very clear with your child about how he or she might feel when a new sibling comes home.  Everyone tells the older sibling how great it will be to be a big sister/brohter  and asks if they are going to be mommy’s helper and yet, they may not feel that way. Mommy is taking care of a crying infant who isn’t fun. Tell your child (as often as you want before and after you have your baby), 
“Sweetie, sometimes you are going to get frustrated/annoyed/sad when mommy is taking care of the baby. Mommy may feel that way sometimes too, and that’s totally okay! It doesn’t mean that we don’t love (insert name).” 
“You are always welcome to be with me when I am feeding the baby. I love having you around. But if you’d rather do something else, that is absolutely fine! I don’t ever want you to feel badly about not wanting to be around the baby.” 
“I love spending time with you. It’s one of my favorite things to do! As soon as I finish changing this diaper, let’s read a book together/build a fort/ play dolls, etc”
Try your best to have even 10 minutes of quality alone time with your older child a few times a day.

 My son just cannot sit still for a meal. He jumps all around and won’t eat dinner. He just wants snacks and I am about to lose it! Help!

 Little ones have control what and when they are willing to eat – and they know it! It’s one of the few things they can control. At this stage, the important thing is for your child to get enough nutrients and calories, not whether he can sit properly at the table. If it works for you to give him his food as snacks, do it. If he wants to stand at a kid-height table and eat from there, do it. The stress it causes you to follow some made-up mom rule about how little ones need to eat, just isn’t worth it. I promise you, your son will eventually sit nicely at the table and eat his dinner!
My child goes to sleep with no issues but cannot stay asleep. Do you have any advice on what I can do to try to keep her in bed?
It seems like rather than getting your child to stay in bed, the focus may need to be on helping her learn to fall back asleep on her own. When you say goodnight to her, do you stay in her room until she is asleep? If not, then you are off to a good start. Explain to her that everyone (including Mommy)needs to get a good night of sleep and just because she wakes up, doesn’t mean she needs to get out of bed. Can she sing herself the song you sing to her at bedtime? Believe it or not, counting sheep (or bunnies, or unicorns) is proven to work!
I end up raising my voice and yelling at my children often. I feel terrible afterwards and I am really trying not to yell so much. I feel that this is the only way my children will actually listen to me! Can you give me a tip or two on how I can keep my cool and get my kids to listen without yelling?
 I have the perfect tip for you! It’s #26 in my book:
Speak softly: When you really want your kids to listen, keep your message to a few words and deliver it more quietly than your normal speaking voice. The quieter the voice, the bigger the impact. 
 

If you have your own parenting questions or you just need to talk to someone about your struggles or stresses as a parent, you can email Susan at sue@theparentingmentor.com.

What are some things you struggle with as a parent? Let me know in the comments below! No one is the perfect parent and knowing that we aren’t alone in this can be incredibly relieving. What can you improve? What are you AMAZING at? Parenting is an ever-changing and evolving job that will continue to face new challenges and struggles over the years. Pat yourself on the back, and other mamas, for doing your best and loving your children fiercely.

Want to win a copy of your own ?! Head to my instagram to enter!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a beautiful day

New Momma Survival

Next Post
Previous Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. QueenCityMama says

    January 27, 2018 at 2:03 am

    I definitely need to check this book out. Just from what you have shared, it seems like such practical, but overlooked advice. Thanks for this great read!

    Reply
  2. Rachel Pitzel says

    January 27, 2018 at 4:48 am

    Sounds like an incredible book!!

    Reply
  3. Tosha Ornelas says

    January 27, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    All of these everyday parenting problems can be tough and this book looks great to read for this.

    Reply
  4. Sarah dawdon says

    January 27, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    Really helpful reminders. I especially love the dinner time advise in your interview.

    Reply
    • Natalie Aubele says

      January 27, 2018 at 6:35 pm

      Yes me too ! Thanks !

      Reply
  5. Tifanee says

    January 28, 2018 at 1:48 am

    I love that you did an interview! Such a good idea, I really agree with the quiet voice, whenever I talk that way instead of yelling I have my kids direct attention and they always listen better.

    Reply
    • Natalie Aubele says

      January 28, 2018 at 3:41 am

      I am definitely going to start trying that one ! I raise my voice way too often ! 😬

      Reply
  6. Cassie @ AverageHealthyMom says

    January 28, 2018 at 3:40 am

    I am definitely going to check out this book. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Natalie Aubele says

      January 28, 2018 at 3:40 am

      That’s awesome ! Hope you enjoy it ! ❤️

      Reply
  7. Food Diary of a City Girl says

    January 28, 2018 at 6:00 am

    This sounds his sounds like a great book! Very interesting points that you shared!

    Reply
  8. April j says

    January 28, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    I am guilty of saying the wrong phrases regularly to my 11 year old. I have been trying to be more aware of the way I say things and could definitely use more of this information. I will look into the book, thanks.

    Reply
  9. Ana says

    January 29, 2018 at 3:45 am

    awesome advice from this book! espcially teaching your kids to hydrate! something I need to improve myself!

    Reply
  10. thepeacheepear says

    January 29, 2018 at 4:51 am

    Sounds like a really great book and very helpful parenting tips. I will check it out. thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Natalie Aubele says

      January 29, 2018 at 3:02 pm

      Thank you for reading ! ❤️

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome! I’m Natalie. I am a western mountain mama who just recently relocated to the coast! Here I share all things motherhood, homemaking, homeschooling, and slow living. I hope you follow along as we share this next chapter of our lives. I am so glad you are here! Grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile

Follow My Simple Wild

Categories

Join the Tribe

Popular in Lifestyle

An Interview with an IKEA Interior Designer + Her Favorite IKEA Products

Popular in Travel

travel toiletries checklist

Travel Toiletries Checklist + What’s In My Carry On

Popular in Food & Drinks

hemp smoothie

Banana, kale and berry Hemp Smoothie

Archives

Follow Along @mymountainwild

Happy Memorial Day ! Thank you to those who courag Happy Memorial Day !
Thank you to those who courageously gave their lives for our freedoms. 🇺🇸
Whew what a week ! Thank goodness for church and t Whew what a week ! Thank goodness for church and the good Word to renew and fill me with hope. Last week was a doozy and felt like it wouldn't ever end. Good & bad things happened, but more bad than I'd like. My grandma passed away and then we were in a stressful scramble for 2 days trying to figure out who could take care of our animals and dogs and garden & afford flights, a hotel and rental car to go to Chicago for the services(we ended up just having to book a flight for me & Liam and my husband and Theo will stay behind to hold down the homestead). We had a big playhouse we bought off FB marketplace delivered that Nate and Liam have been repairing and painting. It's turning out great ! I know many memories will be made in there, and I can't wait to share the before & afters. Though my poor husband has way too many projects going on at once again. 😬 
 My dog tried to eat baby bunnies. Twice 🤦‍♀️ Liam got some kind of poison ivy or poison oak rash all over and now today it has gotten pretty bad. His poor little cheek is all red and swollen and he's miserably itchy. Last night while driving home from a restaurant, I hit a coyote that jumped across the highway. Our brand new car's bumper is wrecked. 
The other day I went to the garden to find all the marigolds I planted next to my tomatoe plants died out of nowhere, and something is eating my pole beans. 🙃 
How I've been coping ? 
1. Finally cracking open a prayer journal I got for Christmas from my best friend and pouring my heart out. 
2. Spurts of intense deep cleaning that makes me utterly exhausted 
3. Trying to plan a couple fun things while Liam and I are in Chicago for a few days. Liam was SO excited it would just be us two going on this trip because we don't get much time just the two of us since Theo was born. I want to make the best of it and think it will be nice for the focus to be on Liam for a few days. 

Even though life has been busy and crazy and sad, I still just feel incredibly grateful and blessed for what the Lord has given me and my family. I'm ready to be home and hug my family and celebrate the beautiful life of my Grandma Alice.
Do you have plans to go camping with your kids thi Do you have plans to go camping with your kids this Summer ? I have a blog post from a few years ago that has a free printable kids packing list. This checklist gives kids an easy to follow list to be independent and responsible for their own pack for a weekend camping trip. 
I don't know if we'll get to camping before baby gets here in July, but we plan to camp this Autumn for just short weekend getaways. 
Now that Liam is 3 years older since creating that checklist, I may even add a couple more things. A tick remover to be added to his first aid kit would be helpful, and having his own bug spray. 
Head ro the blog (link in my bio) to see the list and let me know if you'd add anything to it ! 😊 
Tell me about your camping trips this Summer ! I'd love to know ⛺️
Yesterday Bowie brought home a limp baby bunny tha Yesterday Bowie brought home a limp baby bunny that I'm guessing was about 10 or so days old. His eyes were barely open. I had to scoop him up and push my dog out of the way who was super confused as to why I was so mad at him. I kept him warm and he snuggled into my arm and belly and fell asleep 😭 Liam searched and searched the thick brush at the edge of the forest, and deep into a thorn-covered bush, there was the little burrow with a few other little baby bunnies. He snuggled right back in next to them. 
Bowie got into their burrow again today ! 😩 Liam was devastated, but I think they're alright. 
Then we realized a finch made a beautiful nest with 3 little eggs in our shed, so we have to find a new home for the sweet nest as we're having our shed moved soon on our property to use as a chicken coop and to make way for building a garage. Any tips on how to safely move a bird's nest? 😬 
And before anyone comes at me for not wearing gloves to pick this little babe up, there was no time. And it's a myth that a mama rabbit will reject their young just because they smell weird. We've had baby bunnies before and I'm guessing mama just gave them a good bath.
One of the most important people in my life made h One of the most important people in my life made her way up to heaven yesterday. My grandma Alice, my boy's GG, I imagine is slow dancing with Grandpa John and he's smiling with his blue eyes and saying "about time, Alice". My Grandma raised 5 children, was  devoted to her church, gave to charities that were close to her heart, had many friends, traveled all over the world, and loved her husband fiercely. She was an amazing mother and THE best grandmother. I never went to her house without a proper tea time complete with cookies and little snacks. She took care of my family when my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 acute Leukemia when I was just 3 months old. 
She was one of the first people I would call with good news, like when Nate proposed or I found out I was pregnant, or we were buying a house. She gave the best warm sincere hugs. Her laugh was contagious. I like to think my love for singing, roses, history, birds, and hosting comes from her. She made holidays so fancy and special. If I close my eyes I can hear the crackle of the fireplace at an Aubele Christmas party with a house full of Aubele's talking louder and louder with the smell of coffee and sweets in the dining room on the buffet. Laughter & warmth filling every inch of that house. I have always dreamed of a large family because of her. She was an amazing storyteller and often told me stories of our ancestors. And we have some pretty crazy family stories! She was proud to be Ojibwa and often reminded me to be proud as well. She was an amazing seamstress and made her grandchildren dolls & dresses & teddy bears. Family was the most important thing to her, and I knew at a young age that serving my own family someday was also what I wanted to do. 
Even though she passed yesterday, I have been mourning my grandma for over a year. Dementia took hold of my sweet Grandma Alice and I couldn't call her on the phone anymore. When I saw her this April, she had no idea who I was or who my Dad, her own son, was. I couldn't call to tell her I was pregnant with my 3rd son. I couldn't call to tell her I moved from MT to VA and that we bought a homestead. My grandma has been gone for some time👇🏼

Copyright © 2023 · My Simple Wild · Designed by Bella Creative Studio