Great Parents Empower https://www.greatparentsempower.com/ Become the empowered parent who empowers their kid(s). We provide support and guidance for moms and dads of toddlers and school age kids who feel overwhelmed and stressed with the demands of everyday parenting. We have the tools needed to launch their inner power, so they can raise successful and resilient kids who are confident, capable and loving, Tue, 27 May 2025 11:43:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.greatparentsempower.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/GPE-video-150x121.jpg Great Parents Empower https://www.greatparentsempower.com/ 32 32 Parenting, Tilling, and the Power of Prepared Soil https://www.greatparentsempower.com/parenting-tilling-and-the-power-of-prepared-soil/ Tue, 27 May 2025 11:40:44 +0000 https://www.greatparentsempower.com/?p=8152 Do you want to create a space where you and your children can grow — not just survive.

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]]> Overpowered by Stress? https://www.greatparentsempower.com/overpowered-by-stress/ Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:38:01 +0000 https://www.greatparentsempower.com/?p=5778 “How to deal with Mom-stress,” Melinda asked? She was so honest, more honest than I had ever been about feeling stress. “I have been stressed out for many, many years, probably 15 years by now although no one would know. I carry it all on the inside.” She continued that covering up the stressful feelings was wearing her out, depleting her energy. She admitted that she had grown somber. But now, today, she took a stand. “I will not be ruled by stress anymore!” I explained that stress and that sense of being overwhelmed will never completely disappear when you are a mom because of all the opportunities to feel worried, not having control, guilt, sadness or feeling not up to the task.   However, there are real ways to deal with them.  First, I asked her this: What is stress? Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressures.  Any type of challenge or change can cause this physical, emotional, or psychological strain. And then we went to the opposite of stress. I asked if she agreed that peace of mind feels like the opposite of stress; if this feeling in the…

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]]> Homework a power struggle? https://www.greatparentsempower.com/homework-a-power-struggle/ Sat, 09 Nov 2019 02:06:57 +0000 https://greatparentsempower.com/?p=3251 What is more important, the homework or the relationship with the child? 

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]]> How our connection makes our kids independent! https://www.greatparentsempower.com/how-our-connection-makes-our-kids-independent/ Fri, 05 Jul 2019 00:03:33 +0000 https://greatparentsempower.com/?p=3008 “I am the mother of four teenagers, and sometimes, it is terrifying to know about all the dangers they are facing. If it’s not bullying or cyberbullying-, it’s alcohol, vaping, suicide, or sexting, to name just a few others.  My children and I discuss everything: they know that no subject is off limits and that I am always available to listen to their thoughts, hear about their world. So yesterday they were sharing how their friends experiment with certain kinds of drugs and alcohol. Now, it is normal that a teenager will do that. We are curious by nature! However, from experience, I know that when we are young, we feel invincible: we do stupid things. Knowing that and the consequences these explorations might have scares me as their mom.   To be clear, as a teenager, I did some crazy stuff myself, most of which I would not repeat today. I knew others who went through pretty sad experiences at that time. Yet, remembering who I was, helps me to connect with my kids, have empathy for what they are going through. As a parent, I am committed to regularly clean up my fears or get out of fantasy scenarios…

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]]> My mom is a person … https://www.greatparentsempower.com/my-mom-is-a-person/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 22:21:15 +0000 https://greatparentsempower.com/?p=2342 Written by Joos Slot, 21 years old My mom. I look at her while we’re in the car on our way to her studio house, where she lives “on her own,” nowadays. After my sisters and I moved out, the family house was sold because she moved into her art studio. I look at her homemade jewelry that, 10 years ago, I would have undoubtedly ridiculed as being “organic hippie bullshit.” Her cold fingers grip the steering wheel; in wintertime, they appear stubbornly white, yet are surprisingly capable of tough manual labor. Felting to create art isn’t an easy task. Her workshop is filled with bins full of different types of wool, and the smell of green soap mixed with sheep poop meets you at the door. The naturalness of her movement in this new habitat only suggests one thing: she’s where she was always meant to be. I think back on our journey up to this moment. How incredibly annoying it was when she experienced a burnout, after which she would be home to recover–just when I had gotten so used to having my own time and space. Those two hours a day that my sister and I spent…

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]]> As if we always know best? https://www.greatparentsempower.com/we-always-know-best/ Mon, 07 May 2018 00:04:58 +0000 http://greatparentsempower.com/?p=1715 The post As if we always know best? appeared first on Great Parents Empower.

]]> Tips for Mother’s Day! https://www.greatparentsempower.com/mothers-day/ Sun, 06 May 2018 22:19:54 +0000 https://greatparentsempower.com/?p=1948 The post Tips for Mother’s Day! appeared first on Great Parents Empower.

]]> IT’S THE GUNS, some say … https://www.greatparentsempower.com/its-the-guns/ Tue, 27 Feb 2018 18:15:41 +0000 http://greatparentsempower.com/?p=1621 A shooting! Fear, frustration, devastation: Another school shooting! IT’S THE GUNS, some say … We blame. We agonize: How do we solve these school shootings? So we ask: Should we take the guns away? I do not believe that this will solve the problem. WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE LAW. There are many countries that have similar laws, and yet they don’t have as much gun violence as we do in the US. So, I don’t think that will solve the problem either. IT IS THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE GUNS. Yes, it is true, they actually pull the trigger. (How did they get to the point of wanting to shoot people?) IT IS ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS, they say. Are there really that many more mentally ill people with guns in the US than in the rest of the world? Or do we need to research why people are ready to pull the trigger? Do people who use guns feel such a deep discontent that they are willing to kill whoever crosses their path? Or is living in constant insecurity and fear of what tragedy will happen next (another hurricane, another flood, another attack, more terrorists . . . ) taking a…

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]]> …I hate the mother in the movie Lady Bird https://www.greatparentsempower.com/lady-bird/ Sun, 14 Jan 2018 04:55:12 +0000 http://greatparentsempower.com/?p=1508 The other day, I said to my neighbor, Tom, that I hate the mother in the  Lady Bird movie. Surprised, my neighbor answered that he disagreed. He said: “Every mother is like that. Every parent has a contentious relationship with their kids, especially her daughter.” Mmm, I disagree and allow me to explain myself. You may know that the movie Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig, is about a turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. T The mom in “Lady Bird” (Laurie Metcalf) is often called a ‘wildly loving, deeply opinionated, and strong-willed mom. A nurse working overtime to keep her family afloat. Lady Bird is regarded as an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home. Let me explain why the mom rubs me the wrong way. I see the mom in Lady Bird as continuously lashing out at her daughter, justified by her own feelings of being a victim. She doesn’t see how the combination of resentment about working long hours, her own broken dreams, and her own stubbornness and passive aggressive attitude, all push her child away. She also doesn’t…

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]]> …the feast lasts for three days… https://www.greatparentsempower.com/feast-lasts-three-days/ Wed, 22 Nov 2017 23:56:20 +0000 http://greatparentsempower.com/?p=1407 When my daughter was young, I wanted to make Thanksgiving a meaningful day. It couldn’t just be about food, eating turkey, and then, after having eaten too much, going to sleep! To me, that felt like a wasted opportunity. So I went to the library …and came back with an armful of books with stories about Thanksgiving. (And truthfully, having been born in The Netherlands, I also wanted to understand more. More about the background of this celebrated day in the USA.) After some perusing, I came to the conclusion that whatever happened around 1620 seemed not quite clear. But, I found out that there is a romantic version about Thanksgiving (like in children’s books) and a contrasting version. It says that “settlers and the Indians were brought together less by genuine friendship than by the extremity of their mutual need.” (Wikipedia) So which version of this dinner was going to help me raise my kid? Helping me focus on the values I want her to understand? Talking about the generosity, respect, and sharing that all unfold in a story can be wonderful: The tale says it all, and preaching is not necessary. Yes, you guessed it, I went for…

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