Jason McCoy
Difficult Conversations: What To Do If You ...
Difficult Conversations: What To Do If You Don't Know What To Do!
Jason McCoy
Difficult Conversations: Should I Help My ...
Difficult Conversations: Should I Help My Child or Let Them Figure It Out?
Jason McCoy
Difficult Conversations: Going to the Dentist, ...

Today we’ll take a look at some of the real anxiety producing experiences kids face. Sometimes it’s hard for adults to relate to why these would be scary…like getting a haircut, for example. When anyone faces the unknown, their brain doesn’t like it and will quickly attempt to fill in those blanks from their catalog of experiences.

Difficult Conversations: Going to the Dentist, Doctor, New School, etc...
Jason McCoy
How Do You Charge Your Batteries?

Sometimes I wish I had an indicator I could see that would give me a warning when I need to pause and recharge. As a parent, caregiver, teacher or whatever your role is with kids it can be easy to get burned out. I’d like to show you a tool I use for myself and the families I work with to help monitor this and to figure out what needs to happen to get back on track and those batteries fully charged again.

How Do You Charge Your Batteries?
Jason McCoy
Intensity Is The Enemy

Have you ever been called in to your boss’s office? What about the principals office, when you were a kid? Or how about someone you care about saying the dreaded words “we need to talk”?

How does that feel? How much are you able to listen?

This is how your kids feel when you try to parent or discipline using intensity.

Intensity Is The Enemy

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Window of Tolerance - Flipping Your Lid 2

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Once, when one of my sons was upset I tried to comfort him, but nothing was working. It was actually making it worse! No matter what I said or did it just escalated further. What the heck was going on?

At that moment, no degree, certification or letters after my name made any difference.

Most of us mean well, but it’s easy to miss the cues. Our kids may already be at a place where words and relational gestures will just cause a bigger issue. Or maybe you’ve felt like that yourself when others have tried to help you? Either way, let’s take a look at what’s called the “window of tolerance” to get an idea of when to help, how to do that and when to give space.

Although this graphic is aimed at trauma- this applies to stress in general.

Although this graphic is aimed at trauma- this applies to stress in general.

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Family Survival Kit - part 2 - Build a Fort!

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So many of us are stuck at home with kids who feel bored, frustrated and anxious during this pandemic. What do we do?

Your family survival kit may contain toilet paper, hand sanitizer and masks…but are you saving any room for having fun? This version of a family survival kit is focused on strengthening connections and helping families thrive by building resiliency through our activities together. Rather than let the coronavirus squeeze us into an unrecognizable shape, we’re pushing back and deciding to make our families a great place to be, even in the midst of a pandemic. Thanks for going on this journey with me!

Let’s start with a foundational fun activity…let’s build a fort!

You might need a fort for each member of your family to get some space from each other by the end of a day! They can also be a great gathering place for the family to reconnect or band together.

Just in case you need to make an academic argument for it…here’s some other benefits:

  • It fosters maturity, independence, and confidence. 

  • Increases cognitive skills, problem solving, planning, and imagination!

  • If building together it increases social skills, like cooperating and negotiating.

  • Practical skills; it’s like taking a construction 101 class!

  • Lots of exercise, from all that building and play!

  • Stress-release: A fort is, literally and figuratively, a defense against all the forces of the outside world (and one of the best for daydreaming).