Rebecca Thompson Hitt, Author at The Consciously Parenting Project

Needs vs Strategies- NVC

I signed up for one of the courses I offer through my website this week: Parenting From Your Heart (NVC) with Stephanie Bachmann-Mattei. I knew the class would be good and that I would learn some helpful things. However, I was unprepared for the depth at which the material would touch me. I’m not new to the world of parenting

The Case Against Breastfeeding

I just read Hanna Rosin’s article called The Case Against Breastfeeding published in The Atlantic and I’m feeling really sad. This is the reality of many mother’s experiences and it should not be taken lightly. Ms. Rosin expresses her discontentment with being a mother and her perceived requirement that she breastfeed her baby. She goes on to talk about how science really

When Families are Estranged: What to Tell Your Kids

Question: We had a huge issue with repeated disrespect and abuse from my father and we have stopped having contact completely as a result. My kids don’t understand why they can’t see their grandfather anymore and I’m not really sure how to talk to them about it. They’re still really young and telling the whole story is inappropriate at their age.

The Brain Stoplight

This post is an excerpt from Book I Consciously Parenting: What it Really Takes to Raise Emotionally Healthy Families by Rebecca Thompson Hitt, Copyright © 2012, and may not be printed or distributed without permission. For sharing this information, please share the link: http://consciouslyparenting.com/brain-stoplight/ This post is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Consciously Parenting: What it Really Takes to Raise Emotionally

Boundaries at LaGuardia

I want to share an experience I had at the LaGuardia airport in New York City when flying with my 19 year-old-son last week. It’s an interesting look at boundaries, letting our kids handle things, and stepping in when necessary. We had arrived at the airport just before 7am on a Tuesday morning, and were in the line for the

4 things you can do today when you feel disconnected from your child

“I’m so upset! She’s working completely against me. No matter what I do, she continues to speak to me disrespectfully. I’ve tried punishing her, but she doesn’t seem to care. What am I supposed to do? I want a good relationship with my daughter, but she’s making it impossible!” Maybe you can relate to this mom’s struggle. She had tried

5 Things You Need to Know about Parenting Teens

The thought of parenting a teen has always been a little scary. After all, there are so many horror stories about parenting our older kids and adolescents that it’s hard to make it out of the first few years of parenting without thinking about it. Or without having many stories shared with you, whether you want to hear them or

Phoenix Rising from the Ashes

The first time I ever heard about the Phoenix rising from the ashes was in reading the Harry Potter series. I was captivated by the idea that out of something that seemed horrible and final was the potential for a rebirth and renewal. I realized that some of the experiences in my life that have seemed the darkest have given

What are Boundaries?

Boundaries can feel so confusing for parents who are working to parent consciously. Like many parents here, maybe you want to give your child some freedom to discover her own needs and preferences. Perhaps you want your child to grow into an adult who knows what he wants in the world. You’re trying not to slather punishments and consequences all

When Your Teen (and you) Have a Hard Day

He woke up on the wrong side of the bed. That quickly became obvious as he breezed past me in a huff while I was working, followed by a slammed door. When I went to check on him and see what was going on, he was angry about everything. He said cruel things about someone who was helping us and