ProActive Parenting Review & Giveaway

The toddler and preschool years can be some of the most enjoyable you experience as a parent. Every day is a new adventure as they discover the world around them. These can also be some of the most challenging years of parenthood. Temper tantrums and power struggles have often left me mentally and physically exhausted at the end of the day. Using timeouts as discipline for Jake has given mixed results, and I've often wondered if there was a better method.

When Sharon Silver, founder and director of ProActive Parenting, contacted me about doing a review and giveaway for her seminars I was more than happy to oblige. Taking a closer look at the ProActive Parenting website, the questions it asked seemed to speak directly to me:

Do you ever feel like parenting is draining you?
Wouldn't it be great if the kids did what you asked without yelling?

I had to ask Sharon if she had a camera set up in my house, so many of the scenarios sounded like they were based on our family.

From the website:

The philosophy behind ProActive Parenting is based in the use of discipline instead of punishment, and the fact that you’re too busy! You’re too busy to read another book on parenting theory, you’re too busy to go through another seminar where the method is explained but never really applied to your real life. You’re just too busy!

Parenting can feel overwhelming at times. The stress of daily life and early childhood development can catch parents off guard and cause them to react to situations instead of respond. Each seminar we offer shows parents how to escape the reaction trap, how to stop yelling so a child will listen, how to teach instead of punish so a child learns your expectations for better behavior, and shares every detail needed, including sample conversations, so you're prepared and ready to go as soon as you finish listening!

ProActive Parenting offers ten audio seminars in MP3 format, covering topics including Correcting Toddlers, Correcting Preschoolers, Power Struggles, Sibling Rivalry and more. Seminars can be purchased individually, they are also available as a set.

We've been working our way through the series, listening whenever we can find some quiet time. The audio format is a nice change of pace from parenting books, but I quickly found that I still needed to devote my full attention to the seminars to get the most out of them. Correcting Preschoolers was the first seminar we listened to. In this seminar, Sharon explains how timeouts are commonly misused. She presents an an age appropriate alternative, the Remembering Spot. In reflecting on the differences between punishment and discipline, we seem to be gaining more control over the day to day behavior issues that arise.

GIVEAWAY: One reader will receive the Everyday Solutions Series Set of 10, a $149.95 value.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post.

Optional Extra Entries
• 1 Extra Entry if you visit Proactive Parenting and comment here with your suggestion for topics to be covered in future seminars
• 1 Extra Entry if you sign up for the Proactive Parenting newsletter
• 1 Extra Entry if you subscribe via e-mail (see left sidebar)
• 1 Extra Entry if you follow this blog
• 1 Extra Entry if you add my button to your sidebar or add me to your blog roll
• 1 Extra Entry if you are a fan of My Charmed Life on Facebook
• 1 Extra Entry (Per Day) if you follow me on Twitter (@justaddcharm) and tweet about this giveaway - leave a link to your tweet.
• 3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway with a link back here

Please leave an additional comment for each extra entry you complete.

RULES:

You do not need to be a blogger to enter this giveaway, however you must leave an e-mail address (or have it available in your profile) so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end at 11:59pm PST on July 3, 2009. A winner will be selected at random and the entry will be verified and posted here. The winner will be e-mailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good Luck!

Be sure not to miss my other current giveaways - you can find a link list on the left sidebar.