Susan P.Epstein

Just one more glass of water...Getting kids to bed.

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:43:12 GMT

Do you dread bedtime? Does your child call
to you after you have already read 3 stories
plus 2 and checked for monsters and lined
up the stuffed animals and made sure that
the door was ajar in exactly the correct
position to your child's specifications?

Does your child get out of bed over and
over until you are both exhausted and
your child is crying?

Does your child demand that you lie
down with her/him? And stay there until
your child falls asleep? Do you find
yourself drifting off and waking up
two hours later in your child's bed?
Or worse, when you try to sneak out,
does your child wake up and demand that
you return?

Or do you wake up in your own bed
and notice the extra little body
sleeping peaceful beside you?

If any of this sounds familiar then
you are probably waking up exhausted
in the morning, dragging yourself
through your day and dreading this
evening when it all starts again.

How would you like to be able to
tuck your child into bed with a
night time kiss and have the rest
of the night for you?

And, how would you like to wake
up feeling rested and refreshed
the next morning?

And how would you like to have
enough energy to make it through
your day without needing a nap?

And look forward to bedtime with your
child?

Follow these instructions:

Today:

Remove the TV's from your child's bedroom.
Buy a portable timer.
Buy or make a special pillow or stuffed toy-

Tonight:

Before dinner, tell your chid that there will
be a new bedtime plan. Give them the pillow or
stuffed animal and tell them that this is their
very own Magical Protection. It keeps monsters
out of kids rooms and helps kids get comfy and
fall alseep very fast.

10 minutes before bedtime:
Tell you child they get to choose 2 to 3 stories.
Their choice. But no more. After you read each
story repeat
"ok that was number_ story
we have _ left."

Tuck your child in. Tell
your child that you have
a timer and are going to
set the timer to go off in 5 minutes.
At that time you are going to return
and make sure that the Magical Protector
is doing his/her job.

When you go back, reasure your child
that s/he is safe and tell them you
will be back again in 6 minutes.

Keep going back and start spacing out
the checking.

If your child gets out of bed, calmly
walk him/her back to bed and repeat
from the beginning.

If your child ends up in your bed
same drill ( I know your are tired! )
Do it anyway.

Let me know how fast you have changed
your child's bedtime routine.

Average is 3 days....

If you found this article helpful check out
my book: Taking Back Your Parenting Powers.

click on this link to read about it:

www.parentingpowers.com/takebacksystemnew.htm

Also, feel free to forward this article to
friends and family who are struggling with
bedtime issues.

Best Wishes for a Peaceful Home...

Your Parent Coach,
Susan

Your Teen & Underage Drinking and Drug Use

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:39:00 GMT

Parents: What You Need To Know About Your Teen and Drugs & Alcohol

Do you suspect that your teen is using or abusing alcohol or drugs? Is there nagging feeling in the back of your brain that you really need to check this out? Are you afraid of what you might find? Do you worry when your son or daughter is out with friends for hours on end and you really don’t know where they are?

Then join the ranks of parenting teens today in America. In almost every interaction I have with parents of teenagers this topic comes up. Parents don’t know what to do.

Should I search his room? Should I confront her? Should I demand a drug test? Will I drive an even bigger wedge into our already distant relationship? Maybe it’s just normal that she is experimenting…but her moods have changed. Are you frightened for your teen’s safety?

Then read on:

The warning signs of teen alcohol or drug abuse:

Missing school or work.
Not saying where he or she is going; or being vague about where he or she has been.
Lying about where he or she has been.
Stopping activities that he or she used to enjoy and not replacing them with other fun activities.
Borrowing money from parents or friends and unable to explain loss of money or valuables.
Sniffling, runny nose, dilated pupils or red eyes.
Losing appetite or eating too much
Associating with a new group of friends, often those who use drugs.
Hiding things that would show alcohol or drug use, liquor bottles, rolling papers or pipes.
Moodiness, change in personality, avoiding you.

(Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse.)

What you can do:

Parental Monitoring: Supervise your teen or know where your teen is and what they are doing.

Make a Plan: Decide what you will say before you talk to your teen if you suspect alcohol or drug abuse. (Avoid negativity, express your concerns, caring and love.

State the Facts: State what you know from the above warning signs.

Be Open: Listen to what your teen has to say.

Set and Enforce Rules: With care and concern, let your teen know that you will not put up with drug or alcohol use/abuse. “I know you can’t stand it when I make rules, but I am your parent and it my job to keep you safe.” Hold your teen accountable for his or her actions and set clear consequences for not obeying your rules.

Be Prepared for Obstacles: Many teens will become very angry and defensive and walk away from you. Take a deep breath and go back for round #2.

Keep Talking: Any chance you get, make an attempt to talk with your teen. Don’t give up or lose your temper no matter how uncomfortable the situation might seem.

Design a Contract: About rules and their consequences. Both you and your teen sign it. Be clear, firm and concise.

Follow Through: Be consistent. The minute you back off or avoid your teen will run with the freedom.

Know this: Your teen wants you to rein him or her in. It is scary having so much power and no one noticing that you are getting away with breaking rules. Being out of control is not that much fun for your teen either.

Wishing you a peaceful home-Your Parent Coach,Susan

The Shocking Story of Why Eileen Cried Herself to Sleep Every Night

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:37:12 GMT

Eileen used to cry herself to sleep
almost every night.When she was pregnant
11 years ago she was so happy because her
life-long dream was coming true. She was
finally going to be a mom. It had been 5
long years of infertility treatments with
disappointment after disappointment.

   She was married to Marty, a great guy.
Sure they had challenges, (his mother,
her spending) but they were in
love and when she found out she was pregnant
she was so excited and couldn't have ever
imagined that things would turn out like this.

   At her first ultrasound it was confirmed
that she would be having a girl. Eileen was
so excited and imagined what her daughter
would look like and how she would raise her
with lots of love and never do the things
that her parents used to do with her.

   She imagined her being the little
buddy/best friend/mini-me version of herself
and imagined all the fun they would have
together. Everything went great in the
delivery room and all of her fears about
having a baby with two heads went away.
Everything was great!

   When her daughter turned two she
started acting out.You know the usual
"terrible twos" types of stuff like
saying "no" to everything and throwing
temper tantrumswhen she didn't get her way.

The problem is the "terrible twos"
never stopped.When she turned 4 she was
kicked out of preschool for aggressive
behavior toward other kids. When she was 6
she started back talking her mom and dad
every chance she got and now that she's
10 she acts out with everyone-
teachers, dance instructor, and even her
grandmother.

And lately Eileen's been crying herself to
sleep wondering what happened to her dream
of having a fun loving child
that she would want to spend time with.

   Where did this "demon-child" come from?
And how can she turn it around, she wondered.
She read all sorts of books and even tried
psychotherapy. Finally, she found my website
and read my book. She tried the "immediate
respect robot approach" and found that it
actually worked!

   So she gave me a call to see if she could
actually hire me to help turn things around
once and for all. There are 7 things we worked
on to create peace and harmony,
and bring love back into the house.

   I'll share these with you in a second,
but first I want to let you know that I'll
be working with a small group of parents
that want to create an amazing relationship
with their children to help them do these
same 7 things. This program starts on Tuesday,
June 3, 2008.

*** The 7 Secrets To Powerful Parenting***
'Turn around any child's behavior and have the
relationship that you have dreamed about.'

You can read more about it here:
http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

Secret #1: The Power of Respect

Not having your child respect you is one
of the worst experiences a parent can have.
It's bad enough when it happens at home
but even more embarrassing when you are out
in public. Maybe you even looked away and
pretended that it wasn't your child! Later when
you got to the car you might have lectured your
child about their behavior.

I am going to share a secret with you right
now. No more lecturing...all you have
to do is say, "Please do not speak to me
that way." That's it, end of story. I'll
share the rest of the secret on Tuesday
night at the first tel-seminar along with
how to stop back-talk when the first warning
doesn't work and more.

Secret #2: The Power of Calm

Do you realize that your child is actually
VERY smart? He/She learned exactly how to
push your buttons. He/She knows exactly which
buttons to push and how far they can go. But,
if you can actually stay calm when they're trying
to push your buttons you take back more of
your power. How do you stay calm?

In my upcoming program, I'll be sharing 3
powerful techniques to help you get calm even
when you're in the middle of some serious "stuff"
and how to start getting rid of some of those
buttons in the first place. The first one is that
you have to take out your emotion. I'll show
you how in session #2.

Click here to learn more:
http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

Secret #3: The Power of Motivators

Would you go to work if you didn't
get paid? Well maybe you would and
maybe you woudn't. You might go if
you got something out of it...like a
sense of accomplishment, a pat on
the back, a high 5, or "Hey, great
job!". My point is that we don't do
things usually unless there is some kind of
reward.

Parents sometimes punish children for
not cooperating...not doing their chores.
And you know where that gets you....
Yup, right in the middle of WWIII! In week #3
I'll uncover the secret to "Whistle While You
Work" how to get your kid to help with a smile
on his face.

Secret #4 The Power of Allowance

Most parents tell me that they sometimes
Give their kids allowance but they really don't
Think that they should because the kids don't do
their chores and the kids should earn it.

What if I told you that the purpose of allowance
was to teach your child financial management and
that starting at age 5 was appropriate?

During this tel-seminar I'll show you how to turn
your children into responsible money managers and
I'll also show you how this method will save you thousands
of dollars. (Dollars that you can put towards saving for
your own future retirement.)

#5 The Power of Streamlining
You have so much on your plate; work, housework,
cooking, cleaning, driving kids here and there, helping
kids with homework, and on and on and on. I bet that
your day off is spent grocery shopping and running
errands, catching up on laundry, paying bills, etc..

Have you heard of grocery delivery? You go on the
internet and shop the virtual aisles while clicking on
your purchases... pick a delivery time and wait for
the nice young person to ring your doorbell and
carry all 15 bags into your home. Guess what?
You will spend a lot less! Those extra things that
usually make it into your cart, won't.

I Have dozens more tips to save you time, money
sanity. Yes, I said sanity. You will also gain lots of free
time for yourself and to spend with your children.

#6 The Power of Harmony

Does each member of your family have a different
schedule? Are you hard pressed to get your family
together for a meal? Do you eat dinner in the car
some nights between driving your kids to and from
their sports?

How many TV's do you have in your home? If
You want more harmony get rid of all but one.
Your family will learn to share and make decisions
together. Family members won't be holed up in
different corners of the house.

During this session, we'll learn about creating
family memories, rituals and I'll tell you the # 1 secret
to having the best family meeting on the block.

Want a peaceful home? Click here:
http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

#7 The Power of Sustainability

In this last session, we'll tie it all
ogether so you are utilizing all your parenting
powers. I'll uncover the secrets to why you will
never have to learn another parenting system again,
how this system can carry you and your family
all the way until you launch your child. You'll
discover the secrets that most coaches will
never tell you...how to get back on your
horse when you fall off...

I am limiting this class to 20 parents...and
this seminar will sell out.

So...don't wait.. act now
click here to reserve your space and join the
parents who will be getting more respectful
children starting on Tuesday!

http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

Hey, I believe in what I am teaching
so much that I will give you my unconditional
happiness guarantee. If you sign up, apply my
system and this does not get you results...I
will refund you the cost of the seminar!
What do you have to lose?

Don't miss out...this seminar is guaranteed
to improve your relationship with your child.

Hope to see you on the call, Tuesday night 8pm EST

Best wishes for a peaceful home,
Your Parent Coach,
Susan
860-437-0233

Parenting Summer Survival Tool Box

Anonymous — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:10:47 GMT

Are you finished planning for the summer?
Do you work outside
of the home? Are you scrambling to
get child care/camp set
up for your children? Are you worried
that your kids will
get bored? Watch too much TV,play too
much computer or not
get along with each other?

What have you learned from summer's
past? Many parents
dream of the summer months as lazy
days of summer, but find themselves
starting to wish for the start of
school by the
July 4th holiday! Are you one of them?

I am going to share with you a few
ideas that could make this summer
go down in history as the best
summer you ever had!

But first I wanted to tell you something
that happened the other night...

Tuesday night, I launched my summer
tel-seminar series:

The 7 Powers to Postive Parenting'

which will begin on

Tuesday, June 3, 2008,8pm EST.

The response I received blew me
away!

Within one hour of launching this event 5 seats
were grabbed up. ....Then I
spoke at a local school on Thursday night

and 3 more seats went....

Since I am limiting this class to
20 parents...that means only 12 seats
are left!

click here to read about the seminar:

http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

So...

If you've been wanting to work with me...to
finally get well behaved kids...

but you've been sitting on the fence because..

=> You are so overwhelmed that you haven't had
time to even read my tips...

=> Money is tight and you don't think you can
afford it.

=> You have bought my book, but would like
support implementing the techniques and
strategies.

=> You want to find out if other parents
feel like you do.

=> You are worried how you are going to deal
with your kids this summer. Maybe last summer
was a nightmare?

=> You have never participated in a tel-seminar
before and it sounds way to techquie or
impersonal for you...

then you really cannot afford to put this off.

click here to register:

http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

When I spoke to the parents
at the local school out of ab entire room
of parents only
3 people knew what a tel-seminar was...
that made me think...maybe I need to explain
this more....

%$firstname$%,first time on a "tele-seminar"?
If so, let me tell you

what they are like.
If you like talking on the phone

to your friends and enjoy a great
"gab session" and

sometimes afterwards you feel like
the weight of the

world has been lifted off your
shoulders; That's

what this is like. Only...

Instead of one friend on
the line there will

be a small handful of us
all talking about one of

the major parts of our lives...
our kids!

In addition, I will be teaching
and providing you with techniques
and strategies that you can put
into use the next morning with
your kids.

We will all get a chance to
listen and to talk

(if you want to, you can also
just listen if that

feels safer) and at the end
you'll feel a whole lot

better! All you have to do
is call in at the right time

and then enter a 5 digit code.
What could be simpler,

right?

And...this time I am using new
technology.

If you aren't near a phone, can't
call because it is too costly, I
will send you to a special website
where you can still participate.

Instead of talking into the phone,
you'll be able to listen through
your computer and participate
in our class conversation in
'real time'
by typing in your comments and
questions into a Q and A box!

Last week on the free tel-seminar
we had a parent participating via
the web from Dubai!

So, not only do you get to learn
all these parenting techniques
and strategies, but you get to
meet other parents from all over
the world...experiencing the same
issues and problems with their kids
as you are. How cool is that?

And there is more...if you can't make
the call, it gets recorded immediately
and you can listen or download it within
1 hour of the call's completion!

That also means that whoever is caring
for your kids can also listen live
or to the recording so that you are
all on the same parenting page.

Oh yeah...I've been blabbing...(but I
am so psyched about my new event-
I love teaching and helping parents!)

Here are some tips on how to stay sane this
summer:

=> Plan early. If you haven't already,
sign your kids up for
some type of camp activity- even if it
is a half day, they need to burn off
their energy!

=> Make meals easy, give yourself a break.
Try to picnic at least once a week, if not
more. Again, the kids can run around and
they will sleep better.

=> Create a reading contest for your
children. Challenge them to read as
many books as they can, record the
titles on a sheet of paper and reward
at certain levels.( 50 books earns a
trip to the amusement park- maybe
something you planned on doing anyways-
but make them earn it and keeps them
away from the TV!)

=> Have silly dinners, for example,
Hat Night, Backwards Dinner Night
(starts with dessert!), Breakfast
Night, Halloween in the Summer Night.
Be Creative!

=> Get out with the kids and ride bikes,
walk, after dinner. Remember you need
to detress too!

=> In planning your summer with your chldren,
make sure that you plan some fun and
relaxation for yourself as well.

=> Get enrolled in my 7 week tel-seminar
to get the information and the support
you need to make this summer one to remember
as the one where you created:

Peace and Harmony in your home...

Don't put this off- early bird pricing still
in place...
click here:

http://www.parentingpowers.com/parentingpowerstelsem7steps.htm

Have a great Holiday Weekend...

Your parent coach,
Susan
860-437-0233

Teenagers/Divorce/TMI

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:35:40 GMT

Divorce can be messy and certainly traumatic. Parents sometimes lean on their teens for support. Parents often ask me, "Susan, how much information should I share? When and what should my teen know? How much say sho\uld my teen have?

Well, on April 28, 2008, I had the exciting opportunity told be interviewed by Debbie Nigro, of www.firstwivesworld.com. This interview took place at the Empire State Building in NYC!

Watch here on youtube , where Debbie interviews me about these very tough questions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btOyhZY_ayI

Let me know what you think!

Your Parent Coach,

Susan

Secrets and Lies of Raising Kids...What You Need to Know.

Anonymous — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:55:41 GMT

The Secrets & Lies of Raising Kids:
What You Need to Know...

When: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Time: 8:00 EST
Cost: FREE

To Register - go to -
http://parentingpowers.com/freetel5_20.htm

I will uncover 7 commonly held beliefs
that are holding parents back from having
respectful, well behaved kids.

=> Most well behaved kids are born that way.

=> Parents of well behaved kids don't have to
work at it.

=> If you are really nice to your kids they will
like you a lot.

=> Children know what they want; therefore
it is essential that we provide them with lots
of choices.

=> Parents should give kids time out in their
rooms to let them cool off.

=> It is important to children's development
that we explain why we are saying no.

=> Most kids want freedom and to be left alone.

In this free tele-seminar you will discover
the truth about raising kids today.

To Register - go to -
http://parentingpowers.com/freetel5_20.htm

First time on a "tele-seminar"?
If so, let me tell you
what they are like.

If you like talking on the phone
to your friends and enjoy a great
"gab session" and
sometimes afterwards you feel like
the weight of the
world has been lifted off your
shoulders; that's
what this is like. Only...

Instead of one friend on
the line there will
be a small handful of us
all talking about one of
the major parts of our lives...
our kids!

We will all get a chance to
listen and to talk
(if you want to, you can also
just listen if that
feels safer) and at the end
you'll feel a whole lot
better! All you have to do
is call in at the right time
and then enter a code.

But in addition to this you
can also choose to
follow along on your
computer.

You can even type
your questions and comments
right into the website and I'll
answer them for you.

What could be simpler,
right?

I hope you can make it!"
And please feel free to invite
Other Moms and Dads...

To Register - go to -
http://parentingpowers.com/freetel5_20.htm

Your Parent Coach,
Susan
860-437-0233

Gimme, Gimme

Anonymous — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:23:10 GMT

Dear Parent,

Are you the parent of a "gimme gimme" kid?
Are your kids always at you to buy,buy,buy?
Do you tell your kids, "Money doesn't grow
on trees?" At the same time do you feel
like you can't say no? And to top it off
do you feel that your kids are ungrateful
for what you get them?

If you are like most parents, you can say
no some of the time. But sometimes, your
kids just wear you down and you give in.
Then you just want to kick yourself and
find yourself wishing you hadn't said yes.

I am going to help you with staying on
track for saying no, when you really want
to.

But first, I want to tell you that it is
not your fault. You are not weak, a bad
parent or disorganized! Our society has
drastically changed in the past 30 years.
Buy, Buy, Buy is everywhere!

We have been conditioned to believe that
buying makes us feel good. But we know
that that "feel good " thing is temporary
and only lasts until we buy the next thing.

Our kids are being conditioned at a pace
that makes our childhoods look like we
had no toys! You order a happy meal and
get a toy-more stuff keeps coming into
your house.

Now not only do you have a
toy explosion, you have so much clutter
you can't even think straight.

So here are a few suggestions to help
you stick to your values about stuff.

1. Don't take your kids shopping with
you. I know this sounds a bit crazy and
at times will be impractical. But it
does solve the problem. If you don't
take them to the grocery store, they
can't ask for a candy or a toy.

2. Give your kids a weekly allowance.
In the event you do have to bring them,
make sure they bring it and spend their
own money-They will learn quickly if
they want to save for something that
they really want.

3. Limit TV, Internet. The media wants
your children to buy. They convice your
kid that they won't be cool unless they
have the latest game or gadget.
Public TV does not have commercials.

4. Get your kids outside in nature.
Let them get creative with the outdoors
and the elements. Remember what is was
like to lose an entire afternoon in
pretend?

5. Save toys for special occasiions such
as birthdays and holiday giving. You
don't have to gift your children in between.
Having them wait,teaches them not to
crave immediate gratification..

If you enjoyed this, hope to have you

join me for Secrets and Lies of Raising Kids:

Free tele-seminar: Tues. May 20, 2008

8PM EST

Click here to register for:

Secrets and Lies of Raising Kids

http://parentingpowers.com/freetel5_20.htm

susan@parentingpowers.com
860-437-0233