Parent Express for 22-Sep-2008

September has gifted us here in the Pacific Northwest with sunny, warm days and cool nights with the smell of autumn in the air. We were able to fully enjoy and absorb the beauty of the full moon on September 15. Many months we are so fogged over, we can't see it!

The energetic air of the season has many families very busy settling into school routines, sports schedules and as Pam, PCI Administrative Assistant and a mom of two points out, "Writing all those checks for photos, book clubs, and extracurricular activities."

In the midst of all this busyness, PCI Certified Parent Coach® Karen Bierdeman reminds us in the article she shares below that it's important to remember to bring out the best—not only in our children—but in ourselves as well—especially when our children may be a bit more spirited and engaged in life. I am sure you will enjoy and use her wise tips. You can find more of Karen's wisdom on her Web site at www.theguiltfreemom.com where you can sign up for her newsletter and receive a free Special Report, Secrets And Lies About Parenting Your Strong-Willed Child: What You Need To Know Now!

Wishing you a highly spirited, creative Autumn!

Gloria DeGaetano, Founder and CEO

Take Advantage of Early Registration for Winter Term Start!

Applications are now being accepted for entrance Winter Term for the Parent Coach Certification® Training Program with phone classes for Course 1 beginning the week of January 5, 2009. Phone classes are in the evening time to accommodate work schedules of our students, usually after 5PM Pacific Time.

Applicants who send in their applications before November 15, 2008, will receive a $500.00 discount of the basic tuition fee.

Please send in the basic application as your first step. Transcripts and letters of reference can follow the basic application by a few weeks. Download the application here. Send to the PCI at: 1400-112th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA 98004. Applications can be faxed to (425) 646-7569 or sent via email to gloria@thepci.org. Questions? Please call: (425) 753-8822.

Application deadline for Winter Term start is December 1, 2008.

Spaces are limited. Early applications receive first consideration.

Learn more about our acclaimed, graduate-level, distance-learning Parent Coach Certification® Program by clicking here for more information.

Check out our Video About the PCI Parent Coach Training Program and see what professionals think about their training with the PCI.

Working with a parent coach who has received Parent Coach Certification® through the PCI is giving yourself a valuable gift as well as a sound investment in your family's future. PCI Certified Parent Coaches® are caring, thoughtful professionals with years of experience working with parents. They have successfully completed the PCI Parent Coach Certification® Training Program—a comprehensive academic one-year, graduate-level program in collaboration with Seattle Pacific University. Through a series of coaching conversations that can be either by telephone or in person, PCI Parent Coaches help you re-discover your dreams and design your life for more joy and satisfaction.

To find a PCI Parent Coach in your area, please click here or call (425) 401-1519 for a referral to a PCI Parent Coach selected especially for you.

Visit www.parentappreciationradio.com to listen to programs featuring PCI Certified Parent Coaches® and other experts from around the country discussing topics of interest to moms and dads.

Programs are available as podcasts. Listeners can download individual episodes directly, listen to them from this site using a Web browser, or via the iTunes podcast directory. iTunes subscribers will automatically pick up new episodes as they become available!

Bringing Out The Best In Moms And Their Kids

by Karen Bierdeman, PCI Certified Parent Coach®

If your child has ADHD or you find setting limits with your intense child difficult, here are some guilt-free parenting tips:

1. Remind yourself often that kids come wired differently, and some have more energy or are more intense than others.

   Accordingly, such kids may, at times, be challenging to parent. If you can remember that you are not the cause of your child's temperament—that it's not your "fault" that your child comes wired to oppose you or to procrastinate, you can then begin to focus on what you can do to help your child. Experiencing toxic guilt about your child's behavior can keep you stuck feeling bad about yourself as a mother. Instead, know that your "spirited", energetic child is both a gift and a challenge, and that your parenting skills didn't cause that.

2. What we pay attention to grows.

   Is your house dirty? Did your daughter leave her backpack strewn across the floor? Did you yell at your son again, even though you promised yourself you'd be more patient? Some days, it's difficult to think of even one thing that went well, especially when it comes to parenting children who are spirited, intense, or just "more." One thing you can do is to keep a notepad by your bed, and before you go to bed, write 5 things you appreciated about yourself and/or your family. Maybe you read your child that bedtime story even though you were bone tired. Or perhaps your child was about to melt down into a major tantrum after you told her to brush her teeth, and then, in miraculous moment, she didn't. She made the choice to take a deep breath, sigh, and start brushing her teeth. By consciously bringing these positive moments into your awareness and appreciating them, you will begin to feel renewed energy and hope. Nurture those seeds and watch them grow!

3. Rely on the power of routines.

   All kids feel safe when they know what to expect on a daily basis. Kids who are spirited or intense especially need routines to help "ground" them in what's expected when. For kids that have ADHD or who are just easily overwhelmed, list the tasks that are part of the routine, and give positive feedback for following each step. For example, one mom I worked with realized that saying, "Go get ready for bed" didn't inspire her son to take action. During a family meeting, she asked her son to help her come up with a list of things that he does to get ready for bed. She asked, "First you do _______. What happens next? And after that?" They posted the list in the hallway, near the bedrooms and bathrooms, and she started to say, "Check your 'Get Ready For Bed' Chart. What's the first thing on it?" Then she praised him for getting started. Pretty soon, he had internalized the routine and would sometimes remind his mom when she would skip a step (like trying to read two stories instead of three!).

Read the Rest of the Article…

24/7 Moms Conference: Oct. 10–11

24/7 Moms invites moms for me time at its first Conference, October 10–11 at the Wesley Inn and Conference Center in Gig Harbor, Washington. Speakers and vendors will amplify the mission of 24/7 Moms: to Inspire, Equip, and Connect. Trisha Novotny, the founder of 24/7 Moms is a mother of five on a mission—to make it easy for moms to find each other for support and encouragement. For more information about the MOMS conference, please visit www.247momsconference.org.

Parenting Well in a Media Age Community Presentations

Gloria DeGaetano will present information and lots of practical tips for parents in her two-hour evening seminars during the month of October at the following locations in Washington state:

Back issues of Parent Express are available on the PCI Web site. There you can read articles by Gloria DeGaetano and PCI Certified Parent Coaches®, and easily send past issues to friends and colleagues via e-mail.

Book Review: Diane Dreher's Your Personal Renaissance: 12 Steps to Finding Your Life's True Calling

by Gloria De Gaetano
Founder, The Parent Coaching Institute

Your Personal Renaissance supports an integral process of finding or refining clarity about what we want to do with our unique talents. Diane Dreher, the author of bestsellers such as The Tao of Personal Leadership and Inner Gardening has a knack for revealing her supportive heart in every word—encouragement and inspiration jump off the pages. Based on a combination of leading-edge research, practical steps for self-growth, and engaging stories about human creative capacity, the book provides guidance for culling out what really matters. It's perfect for recent college graduates and those of any age who wish to re-think their careers or dive more deeply into new creative ventures.

Dreher supports each of the Renaissance practices she discusses with current research from neuroscience, positive psychology, and vocation development. The reader moves through the practices in this order: Faith, Examen, Community, Contemplation, Creativity, Reading and Reflection, Exercise, Discipline and Dedication, always with an eye on what motivates and fulfills.

Dreher's love (and extensive research of over one hundred artists, scientists, scholars, etc. from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment) of interesting, creative people captivates the reader with the engaging narratives sprinkled about in each chapter. Who knew John Locke studied medicine, tried diplomacy, and was urged by friends to become a minister? If Locke had chosen any one of these paths, the Enlightenment may not have been so enlightening. But following "his calling to help people gain greater understanding," Locke became a philosopher—not the expected choice, and probably the most unpopular choice, but the one he wanted—lucky for anyone interested in democracy. Most of Dreher's stories about multi-talented people of the past contain surprising facts—so the book serves as an interesting history lesson, as well as an intelligent self-help guide.

Because it can be a scary revelation to find out just what Spirit calls us to do, it's comforting to have a kind companion such as Diane Dreher with us on this journey. Her personal stories are mini-pep talks of encouragement and affirmation.

Read the Rest of the Article…

"I must say that the PCI course work is so much better than my graduate school program for social work. It is better written, more interesting, and more user friendly on a big scale. I started this program on blind faith and I'm so glad that I did. Every time I sit down to read or write I feel very blessed to have found this program."

"As I participated as a PCI parent coach in the PCI research project, I though of Ralph Waldo Emerson's comment, 'What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.' The PCI brings out the best of what is 'within us.'"

"What a wonderful weekend workshop in Chicago with a lovely group of people! The warmth and caring among the PCI students/ graduates/ instructors was overwhelming. I have been to many conferences/ workshops in my professional lifetime, but I have never experienced anything like our PCI weekend. It's an unexpected gift."