Not discipline per se, but how we discipline can impact a child’s emotional wiring. Dive into the science behind harsh parenting, discover breakthrough interventions, and learn practical steps to rebuild your child’s brain for long-term self-regulation.

Is your child pushing every limit and challenging every no? It might not be defiance, it might be developmental. Let’s break down what boundary pushing really means, when its normal, when it’s not, and how to set consistent boundaries without shame, fear, or power struggles. Backed by research and packed with actionable insights, this one is a must read for parents, educators, and anyone raising emotionally resilient kids.

When we think about parenting and early childhood development, research and conversations most often center around moms—and for good reason. But here’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough: Dad’s ability to shape their child’s cognitive and emotional development through their superpower. In this week’s child development article, we explore a parenting flex that only dad’s are truly able to tap into, and when they do - ensure children have strong emotional regulation skills, are less frustrated, and less physically aggressive.

We think we’re shaping each child individually, and that’s not totally wrong. But behind the scenes, siblings are shaping each other. From motivation  to confidence to long-term self-concept, sibling dynamics influence who kids believe they’re allowed to be. And most of are missing the important role they play.

If your child avoids tasks like the plague, melts down over schoolwork, or totally shuts down when things get hard or tricky, its not laziness or even a motivation issue. It’s a signal. Today, The Parenting Collaborative breaks down the psychology of “lazy” behavior and gives you the tools to decode what’s really going on underneath the surface.

Most parents wait for the explosion. But the secret to stopping tantrums isn’t found in the chaos—it’s in the quiet, almost moments before it. This one shift can change everything about how your child learns to regulate.

Puberty today isn’t what it was twenty years ago. It's starting earlier, moving faster, and hitting harder emotionally—and the reasons behind it might surprise you. If you're a parent, teacher, or caregiver, here's the real story you can't afford to miss

Is your child suddenly afraid of the dark or waking up screaming at night? It’s more common—and more developmental—than you might think. The Parenting Collaborative explains the emotional roots of childhood nighttime fear and what you can do to bring comfort, safety, and calm to your home.

Want your teen to have a healthy relationship with tech? It starts with 4 simple conversations about balance, online identity, and critical thinking. Don’t wait until there’s a problem — start now and have that conversation often. The Parenting Collaborative is here to help parents navigate how and what to talk about with their teens to keep them technologically safe.

We spend so much time worrying about grades, homework, and test scores… But what if your child’s friend group is actually the secret ingredient to their long-term success? In our latest article, we’re breaking down what this means for emotional intelligence, behavior, and academic growth—and how you, as a parent, can guide your child through one of the most powerful developmental influences: their peers.

When we think of peer pressure, we often think of risky behavior and negative influence. But what if peer pressure could actually help your teen make better choices? Research shows that adolescents are more influenced by kindness than cruelty—and when supported with the right tools, they're more likely to follow the positive lead. Lets dive into what that means for parenting, and how we can guide teens to thrive in their social world

If you find yourself asking “why is my child so easily distracted?” and wondering how you can help – you’re not alone. All parents at one time or another wonder about their child when you find them doing something totally different when you know that they know they’re supposed to be doing something else. It can be frustrating and a source of conflict when it happens frequently.

More often than not the culprit is sensory overload.

The attachment relationship between parent and child is a significant topic of concern, parents often question if their child exhibits all the characteristics of a securely attached child. While, no child will meet all the characteristics coupled with a scale of how behaviors to determine attachment. The one thing we love the most about the attachment theory is it only takes one intentional person to change an insecure attachment style.

As children get older, especially when they reach adolescent and teen years, there is a need for relinquishing some control over the lives of our children. It’s hard! We are driven by the desire to protect them at all costs. However, that isn’t what children need or want from their parents at this stage in their lives, and decreases the older they get.

Building and maintaining connections with your child does not have to be a daunting task or one that takes hours to do. We are all busy parents, and our kids are busy too! But there is no reason to feel shame for being a busy parent or worry you aren’t doing enough to build or maintain your connection and secure attachment with your child. The answer to how much time to spend with your child may surprise you!

The truth behind meltdowns is that we cannot avoid them. Why? We all have plans, including our children. We all react to when plans don’t go our way. However, the younger the child, the less established their cognitive development, their nervous system is immature, and they either not yet learned coping and regulation strategies or have not had enough practice to put them into play during times of need. It’s important for parents to recognize what psychological events that happen when our children have a meltdown, so that we can show up for them more empathetically, and geared with some tools to help both in the moment and afterwards.

Jealousy gets a bad rap and has negative connotation because it’s associated with and exposes our own shortcomings. But in reality, jealousy and comparison of others is a part of human nature. There are two types of jealousy that act as motivators that are explored and how parents can help their children cope with the feeling of jealousy.

As parents we believe we should have all the answers and solutions to all the questions and problems presented to us throughout our parenting journey. Even the most seasoned parent may need to take a parental pause to figure out what to do. It is okay not to have an immediate solution to all the questions and problems presented by children and in our parenting journey. And when this happens, we have some steps to get you to an answer or solution.

Collaborative parenting is in many ways a 180-degree progression from the authoritative way of raising children that many children of the 80’s and 90’s were raised. In continuing to learn from the generation before us, we too are working to improve the way we parent our children. If the goal of parenting is to raise healthy, happy children that have a strong family connection the secret sauce to ensuring this comes in the form of mutual respect, collaboration, and communication that collaborative parenting offers. The research shows that these three elements can pay dividends toward a common family goal – strong connections.

John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth and their Attachment Theory might not be something you’ve heard of but is a major developmental objective for children to develop with their caregivers, mainly their mothers since they typically act as the primary caregiver in many families. Being able to develop an attachment relationship with caregivers isn’t hard for children to do. However, creating a secure, healthy attachment relationship and reaping the benefits of such relationship is dependent on the parents, their parenting style, and availability of the parents. So, let’s break down attachment and how to provide your child with the care they need to insure a secure attachment.