by Cecilia Hilkey | conflict, parenting, teens
Our kids turned into “typical teens” sooner than I had expected. I first started noticing a shift when they were 10 or 11 years old. All of a sudden, there were eye rolls and “duh” and “You don’t get it, Mom”. Even though we had a great relationship with our kids and...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | communication, parenting
If you’ve been following Happily Family because you thought Jason and I have it “all” figured out, let me be the first person to tell you—we don’t. Even though we’ve read many books, interviewed over 250 parenting experts, and worked professionally with kids and...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | communication, parenting, tools
Over the years, Jason and I have done over 250 interviews with top parenting authors, experts, and speakers. When people hear this, their first question tends to be: “What is your BEST piece of parenting advice?” I’m happy to share with you exactly what I tell them,...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | collaboration, communication, parenting
We can’t prevent our kids from going through tough times, but we can do our best to be the kind of parents that our kids will come to for help when tough things happen. While our relationship with our children is certainly important, there are two other essential...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | communication, parenting
Do you use ‘time-outs’ with your kids when they misbehave? Most of us intend for time-outs to be a gentle strategy that gives our children a break and helps them learn. Or maybe we only use a time-out when we’re at the “end of our rope”–we’ve already tried everything...read more
by Cecilia Hilkey | collaboration, communication, parenting
As a parenting coach, I spend all day talking to parents of struggling kids. These parents frequently tell me how alone they feel. In the depths of my own parenting struggles, I too have often said, “I feel so alone.” When we parents feel alone, it’s not good for us...read more
