Conquer Parenting Blog

How to Flush Negative Future Thinking

By Americ McCullagh 

When our kids face complex problems—whether a diagnosis, mental health challenges, or behavioral issues—worrying about their future and our family's future is natural. Parents everywhere share this concern. It's normal.

But if all you ...

As a parent you have got to know your limits. It’s a must or you will become a crazed lunatic parent banging on the car’s dashboard as your teenager has an anxiety attack in the driver’s seat. Ask me how I know ☹.

Every single parent has limits to what they can handle. I was reminded of this lesson...

There is something about a dad that is unique and special. Many years ago, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about a research study on the child’s psychological/mindset after the loss of one parent (in a two parent household). Basically, the study compared the differences between the psyc...

When my son started to learn how to talk in sentences (about 4 years old) he was constantly entertaining us with his adorable mistakes.

One day we were visiting family and all sitting in the living room. My son was looking intensely at a picture hanging on the wall.

He turned to me and said,...

How to Flush Negative Future Thinking

When our kids face complex problems—whether a diagnosis, mental health challenges, or behavioral issues—worrying about their future and our family's future is natural. Parents everywhere share this concern. It's normal. But if all you do is dwell on a doomed fu...

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is “What kind of parent do I want to be?” This question is especially important if your child is developing differently than their peers or has a diagnosis.

Why is this question important?

First, the question forces you to self-reflect. This...

There’s a lot of parenting information out in the world on trying to be present, staying calm, and living in the moment.

As parents living in the moment is a skill that sometimes goes out the window… especially when your kid spills their milk.

Why do we get so mad when simple things like this happ...

My son and I were talking the other day about his Senior retreat that’s coming up in a few weeks. As we discussed the details, he mentioned he already knows what the purpose of the retreat is.

He explained that many of his friends attended already, and he took the opportunity to ask them about t...

There is a myth in parenting that it’s the parent’s job to make our kids always happy.

When I was in Ireland last year I saw many rainbows. When I think of the myth of making my kids happy, I am reminded that chasing rainbows never ends in a pot of gold.

When a child has a medical or developmental...

When my kids were little, life was busy, stressful and anxiety filled. I had trouble processing my feelings and most of my daily decisions were made from an anxious, fearful place in my mind.

My inability to process feelings in a healthy way resulted in a rollercoaster of emotions. My parenting ...

The last year of my life has been a little rough. Just for some perspective, my aunt passed away who was one of my best friends. Then a few months later, one of my sons had a cardiac arrest. Then we found out all three of our kids have a rare gene that can cause sudden cardiac arrest. So, it’s been ...