Parenting Stories, Struggles and Strategies for Moms and Dads of School-aged Children, Teenagers, and Impactful Parents

041: My Child Is Too Young To Wear Makeup!

My Child Is Too Young For Makeup!  

It is Question and Answer Thursday and today's question was: My 10-year-old child wants to wear makeup and I think she is too young.  She keeps asking me over and over again, but I just don't feel comfortable letting her put on makeup!  What should I do?  Am I being too strict? 

**This episode was broadcasted live on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.  Submissions for Q&A Thursday can be either emailed to The Impactful Parent directly or direct messaged through any of these social media platforms.  Submissions can be anonymous and are never mentioned in the Live Recording to respect the privacy of The Impactful Parent audience. 

Email:  theimpactfulparent@gmail.com

To make an authentic connection with your child, try one of my FREE 30 Day challenges.   Sign up today and you’ll receive a new question to ask your child every day- for 30 days.  These questions provoke a new conversation with your child and get you away from the boring questions like, “How was your day, and do you have any homework?”  Start connecting with your child one question at a time!  Completely FREE, so NO excuses! Sign up NOW and watch your connection grow with your child in 30 days! https://theimpactfulparent.com/connection

Don’t forget to check out all the FREE resources and tips that The Impactful Parent has to offer!  https://theimpactfulparent.com  Links to the YouTube channel and social media post are there too!  Join The impactful Parent community by signing up for the weekly newsletter. Don’t miss an impactful tip!

Follow The Impactful Parent on social Media! Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, and YouTube.

004: How To Build Resilient Kids

How To Build Resilient Kids:  3 Tips for making kids resilient.  

Videos mentioned in the podcast: https://youtu.be/FhAEYFMzld4 and https://youtu.be/I1EIfRmZ2eY 

Free PDF 20 Ways To Cope:  https://theimpactfulparent.com/20waystocope

FREE 30 Day Challenge To Connect With Your Child:  https://theimpactfulparent.com/connection

 

Transcript: 

Ever think to yourself, “Toughen Up, Kid!” 

Many of us grew up in a different time where parents did not caudle their children and were forced to be independent, entertain ourselves, and figure things out on our own.   Perhaps you were released into the front yard to play with neighborhood kids and were just expected to be home before supper. 

This type of upbringing seemed to make us more resilient than the kids of today. The next generations of kids have car seats, helmets, and even cell phones that track where they are every minute of the day.   Gone are the days of your mom slamming the brakes too hard, and her arm was the only thing catching you from hitting the windshield.  

You are not alone if you think that kids are too “soft” nowadays.  But why?  Surely the helmet they wear when they ride their bikes cannot be to blame for this generation’s lack of resiliency. 

Ok, Ok, Yes, parents are much more protective today than in the past.   Safety is a priority, and shouldn’t that be a good thing?

So then, how do we create a balance between keeping our kids safe and making our kids resilient?  In my opinion, resiliency is built over time by focusing on the 3 Cs:  Coping, Competence, and Connection.

Coping:  Children who learn to cope effectively with stress are better prepared to overcome life’s challenges.  Without coping skills, kids have meltdowns, and everything is a disaster.  When you were a child, you may have learned your coping skills on your own.  If you were thrown into learning how to cope independently, you might have also felt unsupported.

So, what can we do to help our children learn to cope if we do not want to throw them into the world to figure things out independently?  Here are a few of my suggestions.

• Create a family environment where talking, sharing, and listening to each other is the norm. You want to create a safe place for your child to run to when things get tricky for them. When your child is in trouble and facing a difficult situation, you do not want your child to think, “oh no! My parents are going to kill me.”  Instead, you want your child’s first thought to be, “I need help. I need to talk to mom or dad.” 
• You can teach your child coping strategies that are proven to work. I am giving you a free PDF today called 20 Ways to Cope to help you with this. Go to https://theimpactfulparent.com/20waystocope to get this free download.   On this fantastic PDF, I have compiled more than 20 coping skills your child can try.  Remember, coping skills are a personal thing.  What works for one person does not necessarily work for another.   You may calm yourself down by taking deep breathes and listening to music, but that does not mean your coping techniques will work with your child.   Let them experiment with what works for them. 
• You can role model self-care and coping yourself. Those young eyes are always watching and learning from YOU.  If you cannot cope with your anger, frustration, or worry- then your child will not learn how to do it either.   Walking the walk and talking the talk is the best form of teaching your child resiliency.

Competency:  Competence is the ability to handle situations effectively. Competency is developed over time.   Children cannot become competent without first creating a set of skills that allows them to trust their judgments, abilities, and choices.  Competency is developed when they can trust themselves and begin to feel confident.  As parents, we can encourage our kids to develop competence by:

• Help your child focus on their strengths. Guide your child to use their strengthens to their advantage as much as possible.  Show them that they can use strengthens to compensate for weaknesses. 
• Let your child make mistakes. Too often, parents do not let their kids fail or get hurt.   You love your child sooo much.  I get it!  Why would you allow them to fall, fail, mess up, or make a wrong choice?  Yet, protecting your child from the world can be a huge disservice.   How will they learn to deal with adversity if they have none?  Mistakes are an opportunity for learning and growth.   So, I encourage you to allow your child to experience appropriate emotional pain levels, frustration, anger, and sadness.   Validate feelings, and instead of eliminating the source of the pain for them- be there to help your child work through it.  Support your child in problem-solving. Allow them to talk to you about their feelings and how to guide them to come to possible solutions.   This is where learning magic happens.

Connection:  Connection is the glue that holds humans together.  Everyone, especially children, needs a sense of connection with someone else.  Children with healthy relationships with family, friends, and school are more likely to have a definite sense of security that produces strong values.  Connections also prevent children from seeking destructive behaviors.  A bond is powerful.   It provides a sense of belonging and security.   You probably already know the importance of having a strong connection with your child. Still, many parents do not know HOW to make authentic connections with their children- especially their teenagers.   Here are my tips:

• Schedule a time and date in your calendar to do something one-on-one with your child. Yep, write it in your schedule, and do not just say you’ll do it this weekend.   Being intentional with your time and making it a priority in your schedule by actually writing it in and reserving the block of time will increase your chances of follow-through.  Then when the time comes to spend time with your kid one-on-one, turn off your phone, and do something that YOUR CHILD wants to do.  Let your child decide how they want to spend time with you.
• Eliminate expectations. We expect so much from our kids, and expectations are the death of connection.   We expect our kids to be a certain way, like what we like, achieve specific goals, and when they do not live up to those expectations- they feel like failures, and the connection is lost.  I have a whole other video on connection at this link: https://youtu.be/FhAEYFMzld4 and https://youtu.be/I1EIfRmZ2eY .  Both videos are quick and impactful!  Watch today!
• Allow your child to express all types of emotions without consequence. Do not suppress their unpleasant feelings because they make you feel uncomfortable or think that their feelings are exaggerated or silly.  Give your child space to get those feelings out so they can move past them.
• Do not ignore conflict and face it head-on. Ignoring conflict leads to resentment.  It would be best if you talked through the disagreement to get it resolved.   This process may feel uncomfortable, and it may peak at an all-time-high of frustration, but the only way to the other side of a conflict is through it.   You will be role modeling coping skills, listening, and conflict resolution along the way!  By facing conflict and not running away from it, you will be role modeling, teaching, and walking through the resiliency skills, you are trying to develop in your child.
• To start you on your way to make a connection with your child, I encourage you to sign up for one of my FREE 30-Day challenges. These challenges help you start a new conversation with your child and break away from the boring questions you may ask your child every day, like, Do you have any homework or how was your day?  Start creating a connection with your child one question at a time.

Coping, Competency, and Connection are the pillars of developing resiliency in your child.  There is no need to throw your child into the world without the skills they need to navigate diversity.  Remember that resilient children do not grow overnight.  Resiliency is learned. It is practiced. And it happens over time when children are faced with challenges, learn to cope, feel competent in their environment, and have created a connection with you to feel secure- just in case they need you. 

 

013: Ridding Parent Shame and Guilt with Lois Hollis

Ridding Parent Shame and Guilt with Lois Hollis is about giving yourself grace and seeing shame/guilt from a different perspective.  Lois is a Shame/Guilt Educator.  In this episode, she gives tips for releasing the parent-guilt we all feel from time to time.  

To help you in your journey to live authentically and make a conscious effort to do things you love each day, I have included a FREE PDF called Life Beyond Children.  This PDF gives you 12 tips for doing something good for yourself each day and lift your spirits over time.  Get it at https://theimpactfulparent.com/lifebeyondchildren

Don’t forget to check out all the FREE resources and tips that The Impactful Parent has to offer!  https://theimpactfulparent.com  Links to the YouTube channel and social media post are there too!  Join The impactful Parent community by signing up for the weekly newsletter. Don’t miss an impactful tip!

Don’t forget to follow The Impactful Parent on social Media! Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, and YouTube.

 

015: Emotional Suffocation

Q & A LIVE!  What happens to you if you can't express your emotions? Today's question and answer Thursday talks about the long term effects of EMOTIONAL SUFFOCATION and a few tips to get you started with feeling better.

 

Leave your comments below! Do you have tips to share that work for you?

 

#emotionalsuffocation #notabletoexpress #emotionsbottledup

 

Please be sure to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the Impactful Parent YouTube Channel!

 

BE SURE TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION FOR NEXT WEEK! Email me at theimpactfulparent@gmail.com

 

Do you have a child that struggles with ANGER MANAGEMENT or ANXIETY? I CAN HELP! The FREE webinar on my fully online course to help children with big emotions will give you the framework you need to see a change in your child's behaviors! Check it out at https://theimpactfulparent.com/webinar or https://theimpactfulparent.com/behaviorcourse

 

Emotional Suffocation Tips and Main Points:

• 2 types, self-inflicted and external
• gets worse over time
• long term effects can damage future relationships
• May even cause health problems over time if emotional suffocation doesn't get better.
• express emotions through writing if possible
• express emotions through art

Don’t forget to follow The Impactful Parent on social Media! Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, and YouTube.

 

This episode was broadcasted live on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.  Submissions for Q&A Thursday can be either emailed to The Impactful Parent directly or direct messaged through any of these social media platforms.  Submissions can be anonymous and are never mentioned in the Live Recording to respect the privacy of The Impactful Parent audience.  

005: NO FARTING. That’s the rule!

NO FARTING.  That's the rule! is a podcast about making rules that your children will follow. 

Don’t forget to check out all the FREE resources and tips that The Impactful Parent has to offer!  https://theimpactfulparent.com  Links to the YouTube channel and social media post are there too!  Join The impactful Parent community by signing up for the weekly newsletter. Don’t miss an impactful tip!

 

Don’t forget to follow The Impactful Parent on social Media! Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, and YouTube.

 

Transcription:

“No farting.  That is the rule,” yells my youngest child at her older sibling.   Yep, we have rules around farting in my house.   Serious rules, with consequences.  No joke. 

Rules, rules, rules.   Some rules are flexible, and others are not.   The farting rule is non-negotiable.  How can you tell the difference between a serious rule and a more flexible rule in the house? It is about reinforcement!  The Farting Rule is strict in our house because everyone reinforces it, and my four kids are quick to tell on each other with this rule. 

“What?” you might be thinking?  Let me explain…

The FARTING RULES:

1. No farting when someone is eating. You must leave the room.
2. No farting in the car with the windows rolled up.
3. No farting in the car without warning others it is coming- or making the fart loud so that everyone can roll down the windows before the smell hits us.
4. No silent farts EVER if you are not alone.
5. When you fart, you must walk away from the group and count to 15 before you can come back to the group. (Farts take about 10-15 seconds to ooze out of your clothes and hit the air.)
6. When you must walk away for a fart, you must be at least 15 feet away from others.

These are the real rules in my house.  Why?  Because rules are best followed when the kids make the rules.   Many teachers have students come up with classroom rules on DAY 1.  Teachers know that when students have input on what the rules are INSTEAD of having the rules imposed on them, students are more likely to follow the rules!  Also, if the students also come up with the consequences of breaking the rules, then they are more likely to accept the consequences graciously.  Involving your children in rulemaking also gives your child a feeling of control and shows that you care about their opinions. It is a small respectful gesture that ANY parent can do to gain rapport with their child and make the rules in the house more effective.  It will also give you, the parent, an idea of what boundaries are important to your child.  Give it a try! 

And if you come over to my house… you now know that we will not let you fart freely. 

003: Heartbreak: How can I help my child?

5 Simple Tips for helping your child navigate heartbreak. 

For more Impactful Parent FREE resources and content, be sure to check out the impactful parent website at https://theimpactfulparent.com 

YouTube Channel:  https://theimpactfulparent.com/youtube

Don’t forget to follow The Impactful Parent on social Media! Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, and YouTube.

 

Transcription:

When did you experience your first heartbreak?  Middle School? I think heartbreak is one of the worst emotions of anyone’s life because the essence of heartbreak is not just one emotion.  It is 10 thousand emotions all at once.   And if heartbreak wasn’t bad enough to experience- as parents, we have to watch our children go through heartache too.   In a lot of ways, this is worse!   No one can prepare you for watching your child feel sadness, confusion, and emotional pain; and be powerless to stop it.   We all understand that heartbreak makes us question EVERYTHING, your mind races, and you can’t sleep.  You start examining all the what-if scenarios possible, and the pain in your chest takes your breath away. You’re body physically hurts, and either you can’t eat or eat everything in sight.   As parents, we know that our child’s next love is just around the corner- but you need to remember that they can’t see that.   To them, it feels like the end of the world, and they will be love-less for the rest of their life.  They don’t have the life experience yet to understand that with time- life finds a way to recover.

So how do we help our children manage the heartbreak?  I will be honest and tell you that I don’t believe there is much parents can do.   Unfortunately, heartbreak is only cured by TIME and THE ONE that has hurt you.  The main thing we can do as parents is there for our children in case they need a listening ear.  Here is how you do that.

Heartbreak Help 1: Validate your child’s feelings.   Don’t take their emotions away from them by saying statements like, “He wasn’t good enough for you anyway” or “You’ll find someone else soon.”  These statements are empathy busters and belittle their feelings.   Your child needs to feel the pain so they can learn how to deal with it.   With luck, this won’t be their first heartbreak, and the next one might be after they leave home.  Also, feeling the emotions allows your child to process the feelings instead of shoving them to the side and ignoring them.  Most of us are guilty of the “shove feels deep down, so I don’t have to deal with them” coping technique, but we also know that this coping technique just prolongs the hurt and causes unresolved issues for later. 

Heartbreak Help 2: Support your child’s decision for the breakup.   Just because your child initiated the breakup, doesn’t mean they aren’t hurting inside.   I applaud my children for making such a daring and challenging decision.   Coaching your child in “good break up” behavior is excellent, but don’t try to change their mind. 

Heartbreak Help 3: Don’t take sides or bad mouth the love interest.   The main reason for this is to role model healthy habits, but also so you don’t dig yourself a hole.   Children are notorious for thinking that the relationship is over, but getting back together in a week.  If you try to make your child feel better by putting down the love interest or pointing out all their flaws- then your child might be embarrassed to tell you they got back together.   Now, the child thinks you don’t like their love interest, and this is why they will hide their relationships from you.  Plus, they will be embarrassed.   Keeping the lines of communication open with your tween/teen is a high priority!  If you bad mouth their love, then they won’t feel trusted to come to you later. 

Heartbreak Help 4: Provide a little distraction.  Sometimes the feelings are overwhelming, and your child might need a “break” from their own emotions.   I am NOT saying that you distract them so much that they avoid their feelings, but instead, you provide your child the opportunity to take a break from their life.   Watch a movie, go to their favorite restaurant, or take their friends out for an afternoon outing.   Also, consider talking to your child about staying away from technology.   Social media posts can make all the feels worse.  Talk to your child about the dangers of hanging out on social media during this painful time.

Heartbreak Help 5:  Get ready for Jackal and Hide.  Your tween may become so emotional that their personality will go from a sweet puppy one second to an angry wolf the next.   They likely feel out-of-control and overwhelmed with emotion and don’t know which one to express.   They will be irritable, short-tempered, and cry at the drop of a hat.  Give your child space to be a little crazy.  Let them express those emotions and warn others in the house of their sensitivities.   Allowing your child to scream, to kick, and cry- will also enable them to process the hurt.

Heartbreak sucks, but it is also an inevitable lesson of life.  Be there for your child and LISTEN.  Sometimes, that’s all they need. 

010: How To Make Kids Learn From Mistakes

How To Make Kids Learn From Mistakes.  6 Tips and A FREE PDF with this episode! 

Free PDF To Help You Ask The Right Questions and process the mistake with your child here:  https://theimpactfulparent.com/learningquestions

Kids make mistakes.  The last thing you want is your child to be afraid to come to you when they need you the most.  So how do we establish a relationship with our children, strong enough, so that they won’t shy away from calling our phones when they need our help?  It comes down to trust.  Your child has to trust you.

Don’t forget to check out all the FREE resources and tips that The Impactful Parent has to offer!  https://theimpactfulparent.com  Links to the YouTube channel and social media post are there too!  Join The impactful Parent community by signing up for the weekly newsletter. Don’t miss an impactful tip!

Don’t forget to follow The Impactful Parent on social Media! Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Transcription:

“Mom, I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry,” cries my daughter.  In between loud sobs, she rocks her body back and forth, trying to soothe herself.  “What am I going to do?” she asks aloud, but no one answers.   She is alone in her room, trying to get up the nerve to call me and tell me that she messed up again.

Kids make mistakes.  The last thing you want is your child to be afraid to come to you when they need you the most.   Yet, many parents scold their children when they find out that their child screwed up, and over time, this scolding instills fear.  As children get older, their mistakes can have more significant consequences:  Car accidents, drug use, pregnancy… the list goes on.  No matter what the mistake might be (big or small), we want our children to come to us for help, so they don’t have to face adversity alone. 

So how do we establish a relationship with our children, strong enough, so that they won’t shy away from calling our phones when they need our help?  It comes down to trust.  Your child has to trust you.

If your response to mistakes is anger, yelling, and punishment- then it is natural for your child to fear your wrath.  Now, I am not saying there shouldn’t be consequences.   I am also not saying that you shouldn’t be angry or disappointed.   The consequences of behaviors are essential.   Anger is a natural response also.  But we must be careful how we respond to our children’s mistakes because how we respond establishes how our children will handle mistakes for their whole life.   Children afraid to make mistakes, don’t take risks and spend their life hiding. They lose out on valuable experiences.   Children who don’t learn from their mistakes will repeat those mistakes over and over again.  So, it is my belief we need to help our children navigate through mistakes so they can learn from them and better themselves. 

Here are my tips for how to talk to your child when they make a mistake.  These techniques should be used when your child is young and reinforced over and over again as they grow into adulthood.  

1. Don’t freak out. This is tough, but if you freak out when your child confides in you- then you will lose their trust.   Practice controlling your emotions and stay calm.
2. Don’t say, “I told you.” Even if you warned them of the consequences for their choices, and they still didn’t listen-  you can’t say, “I told you so.”  Being right is not the goal.  Instead, the goal should be to support them in learning from their wrong choice.  This is not a competition to prove that you are right and they are wrong. Showing they are wrong doesn’t teach better behavior.
3. Don’t ask questions like, “How could you have done that? You know better! OR Why did you do that?” These questions don’t teach your child anything, either.  In fact, you are likely to get the response, “I don’t know,” or excuses for their behavior.
4. Listen to understand and find meaning for their actions. Don’t listen to their wrongdoing.  Instead, look for understanding!
5. Establish that you are a safe place of support.   The goal is to create trust and security with your child. 
6. Lastly, help them find solutions and learn the lesson the mistake can teach them.

How do parents listen to understand, establish safety, and help their children learn from their mistakes?  You need to ask the right questions!   This is the secret sauce formula; you must ask the right questions!  Questions that search for meaning, understanding, and enables you to explore solutions together. 

“What kind of questions do that, Kristina?” you might be asking.  Don’t worry!  I won’t leave you hanging!  Below are examples of questions to ask your child.  You can change them to be more age-appropriate to fit your household.  I highly suggest printing them out and keeping them handy, so you can use them the next time your child makes a mistake.  

How did it come to this? What events led up to __(this mistake)__ that influenced your decision making?

Did you expect this to happen?  What did you think the outcome would be?

Would you change anything that you did?  Would you change anything that happened?

Did anyone influence you, or did you come to these choices on your own?

How has this changed you? What have you learned from this experience?

What can we do next time to either prevent this from happening again or to handle the situation better?

The right questions allow your child to process their mistakes and learn from them.  Couple this, with a parent who isn’t yelling at them, but instead LISTENING to their side of the story, and now you have created an environment for your child to rise above their errors and be a better person!  Children can’t do this alone.  They need YOU.  They need your support.  They need your guidance to grow. 

002: Am I Screwing Up My Child?

We all make parenting mistakes. If mistakes are inevitable, why do we feel so guilty when we make them?  Instead of guilt, I challenge you to learn from your mistakes. 

Sign up for a FREE 30-Day Challenge to Connect with your Child 1 question at a time!  It is so simple!  I send you a new question to ask your child every day, and all you do is start the conversation and watch the connection grow in 30 days! https://theimpactfulparent.com/connection 

More free resources and awesome stuff on the website at https://theimpactfulparent.com

 

Transcription:

Someone needs to hear this today.  
We all make parenting mistakes. Let's face it.  Our kids don't come with instruction manuals or any how-to guide.   We need a license to fish, but we don't need a license to be a parent.  There are lots of how-to classes for learning to cook, learning to play tennis, even learn to dance, but there is minimal schooling for learning to parent.   It is no wonder we make lots of mistakes!  You can't fault yourself for that!  And WHY is there no How-To-Be-A-Parent School?  Well, because every child is unique and what works for one kid won't work for another. There is no "good-parent-formula." Instead, parenting is trial and error.  Parenting is just doing your best.   
If mistakes are inevitable, why do we feel so guilty when we make them?  Instead of guilt, I challenge you to learn from your mistakes.   Learning from mistakes isn't nearly as easy as it sounds. It takes a lot of reflection, but the reward for learning from your mistakes is growth.  Sometimes we have to make mistakes to learn.  In school, we can't get every math problem right.  It takes practice and learning from our errors to improve our skills.  Parenting is similar.  Instead of wishing you could reverse time and erase the past when you make a mistake, consider changing your perspective to being grateful for the lesson that mistake can teach you and celebrate your growth for learning.
I know this sounds crazy to some people, but imagine… What if we could take our bad choices and better ourselves for them? Parents naturally encourage children to do this but we don’t give ourselves the same grace.  Your child falls off their bike, and you encourage them to get back on again.  Your teen washes their clothes with a red sock, and you encourage them to learn how to separate their colors and whites better.  But then WE make a mistake, and instead of learning, we just let the parent guilt set in.   Ugh- the parent guilt!  It is the worst!  So, END the parent guilt and change your perspective!   
I had a client who yelled at her kids every day.  Each day was a battle of screaming.  No one listened unless her voice could make the house shake.  She felt that nothing was working to change her children’s behaviors so each night she felt defeated.  To make matters worse, her kids started yelling back.  Why?  Because that was all her kids knew.  Kids don’t learn what you tell them.  They learn what you SHOW them.  When she came to me and I pointed this out, and her mom-guilt set in.  Immediately, I told her not to feel guilty.  Instead, learn from this experience.  As a child, she grew up in a household of screaming, so it was no wonder that this is how she parented.   There is no shame in that.  She was doing her best and doing all she knew.  How did she finally make a change?  She confronted her mistake and this gave her an opportunity to better herself, her parenting skills, and her kids.  Soon, she put in the work to learn other disciplinary techniques and coping tools. Now her household is much better. 
Consider that big mistakes open us up to the most growth and the most change.  Change is difficult.  It rarely comes easy.   Usually, the most significant changes in our lives come from big events of pain.   The mistake was needed for growth.  Without it, we wouldn't have changed on our own.  We would have never learned that lesson.  And we would have never improved.   
So the next time you are beating yourself up for making a mistake, turn that energy into finding the lesson to learn.  It shifts the energy from negative to positive and makes you a more impactful parent.  
 For MORE Impactful Parent content, be sure to follow The Impactful Parent on social media @theimpactfulparent.  

 

EP:1 Impactful Parenting 101

Welcome to The Impactful Parenting Podcast! Discover tips, advice, and resources to make you a more impactful parent!  Episode 1 introduces you to Kristina, your host, and gives you the run-down on what the podcast is all about.  Join us today!  Be an Impactful Parent!