https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog daily 0.75 2022-07-26 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/we-all-wonder-do-i-know-what-im-talking-about monthly 0.5 2022-07-27 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/rebel-therapist-podcast-transcript monthly 0.5 2022-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/eadfd9b6-bab2-43c5-8d18-b072e6023a4d/181+Sarah+quote.png Parenthood Puzzle Blog - Rebel Therapist Podcast Transcript - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/how-important-is-consistency-really monthly 0.5 2022-02-16 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/those-child-psychiatrists-down-the-hall monthly 0.5 2022-02-07 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/a-special-photo-edition-brought-to-you-by-omicron-quarantines monthly 0.5 2022-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/7f3a0ba3-f681-42b8-894e-74263a619fef/driftwoodfort.jpeg Parenthood Puzzle Blog - A Special Photo Edition: Brought to You By Omicron Quarantines - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/57df3fd3-57d4-4ef6-8e65-9ef2f7b5cd23/crushedcar.jpeg Parenthood Puzzle Blog - A Special Photo Edition: Brought to You By Omicron Quarantines - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/45d0a92b-13c7-4975-85a5-784d109eebd2/zoommustache.jpeg Parenthood Puzzle Blog - A Special Photo Edition: Brought to You By Omicron Quarantines - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/14d6818d-ebfd-43a2-9bd7-3662634a9f91/agenda.jpeg Parenthood Puzzle Blog - A Special Photo Edition: Brought to You By Omicron Quarantines - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/in-the-middle-of-a-dark-dark-tunnel monthly 0.5 2022-01-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/bd09b8aa-2baa-405d-bb8a-ff0c75d8c87d/pasted+image+0.png Parenthood Puzzle Blog - In the middle of a dark, dark tunnel - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/will-winter-break-feel-like-2020-all-over-again monthly 0.5 2022-01-07 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/dont-mind-me-im-locked-in-the-bathroom monthly 0.5 2021-12-13 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/blog-post-title-two-rarsb monthly 0.5 2021-12-13 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/ongratitude-reflectionsonthequestion monthly 0.5 2021-12-13 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/themythofbalance monthly 0.5 2021-12-13 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/blog/isitreallyoktobescared monthly 0.5 2021-12-13 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/home daily 0.75 2023-05-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1622567682692-N6C9ZKJJYCTNF5OCP3CE/IMG_20200718_102708.jpg Home - You want to feel confident you’re doing what’s best for your child. You want your toddler to stop biting. You want your preschooler to let you go to the bathroom with the door closed. You want your child to fall asleep without getting out of bed 30 times for the bandaids, the backrubs, the trips to the potty, the monsters… You want to stop feeling more rage than you knew was possible at the innocent little child who you really didn’t mean to yell at. You want all these things to change now. And at the same time what you want most is to know that you can handle whatever your child throws at you all while setting them up to have the confidence you’d also like to have yourself. And really, why isn’t that Teeth Are Not For Biting book working?? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1622567647461-OUZGMG46JRXKXWKX33YY/IMG_20200321_134328.jpg Home - …and you’ve searched for solutions They say children don’t come with a manual, but sometimes it feels like there’s a new one every day. You’ve read the books and blogs, listened to the podcasts, and maybe even taken a course before, but something still isn’t feeling right. You’re overwhelmed and frustrated by your kid(s) and at the same time you’re worried each decision you make might ruin them for life. And they’re not even in Kindergarten yet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1622568800165-R1ZP87M3FF1WV8EVP8UB/00100trPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20200718105634232_COVER.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1622738694438-LWZ2XHA1Z37DFVJ6J79W/Email+Signup+Image.png Home - Join Me! Join me in my weekly emails to explore some of the challenges that come along with raising young children, the ones that the books told you about, the ones they didn’t, and the ones you’re sure those “expert authors” definitely know about but just conveniently forgot to include. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1622738899946-IQSOB95UT14LN5HGUSZ7/Go+Deeper+Image.png Home - Go Deeper Learn more about the early childhood consultation services I offer. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/parenting-puzzle-program-1 daily 0.75 2021-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623391717608-81LRHSLLZ541KOIKE28T/IMG_20180308_175311.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - You’re ready for a change You want to know what to do to change these stressful behaviors right now. And you also know in a couple months, there will be new ones. Because that’s how children work. Will you be up at 3am again doing more Googling, buying every book you can for that new issue? Or will you be calmly observing your child’s new behaviors and creating your own plan based on what you know has worked for your family? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623385959287-WE3EGGKHKXER9QSO7BIO/IMG_20190512_110322.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - It all starts with a behavior. Or three. Maybe it’s biting. Maybe it’s tantrums. Maybe it’s bedtime delay tactics. It could be a complete disregard for the urgency with which you need to get out the door in the morning. Or it could be sibling rivalry. Perhaps “sibling rivalry” doesn’t even begin to explain the kind of war that is happening in your house. Maybe it’s a constant need to be with one parent and only one parent and a total rejection/refusal to let the other parent do anything, at all, ever. Maybe it’s all of the above. Your child’s behavior is exhausting, irritating, and seemingly unchanging. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623386022526-7BN3T2Z6F33SG3J3HB9H/IMG_20200619_105308.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - You can be more confident about the way you parent With frameworks for making sense of your child’s right now behavior and for understanding your own behaviors, you will see changes in how you parent. You’ll notice your relationship with your child (or children) feels better. Your relationship with your partner will feel better, too, as you each develop a better sense of your own feelings. Your confidence in your own skills as a parent will start to grow as you watch the ways that these small positive changes have huge impacts. And your increased confidence will mean you can handle a little discomfort and a lot of not knowing, all because you’ll be sure that discomfort or that not knowing doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623214978906-3EH0MAA5XR06ILZ05ICN/Web+Site+Headshot.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - Hi, I’m Sarah I have over a decade of experience working as a therapist and consultant with children aged 0-5 and their parents and caregivers. And I have children of my own -twins! Before I became a parent I had participated in many courses on parenting topics and had led or facilitated dozens of parent workshops. I had done a lot of child development training, a lot of therapy training, and SO MUCH reflection. And then my kids came along and they tested every bit of knowledge I thought I had. I know that a “parenting strategy” is only valuable when it works for parent and child, and no book or parenting expert is going to be able to tell you what’s right for you and your family. Instead, what you need is a way to understand your child and yourself better so you can stop searching and trust that you will be able to figure out today’s behavior crisis. And tomorrow’s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623387355069-4Y9B6HQ0OO8RBOF9Y3S9/MVIMG_20190413_174643_1_2.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - Module 2: Understanding Yourself AKA Did I Even Care About The Stupid Shirts?! In this module, we’ll explore what having our children brings up for us, whether that’s something about what it feels like to be an adult or something we’re reminded of from our own childhood. You won’t be “on the couch” exploring your relationship with your mother, but you will be noticing what feelings come up for you and when as you connect with your child. This module is critical because the relationship you have with your child is transactional - in other words, your child does something, you react, your child reacts to that, and the cycle continues. Your child’s behavior doesn’t exist separately from you. For those parenting pairs in the group, we’ll also think about how you each influence each other and how that impacts your relationships with your child. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623386745236-PR26DVM3JDBT4M7AFADA/IMG_20200201_121028.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - Module 3: But What Do I Do? Module 3 is all about what you can try! You’ll take some standard parenting strategies and personalize them based on the information you’ve learned about yourself and your child in the first half of the program. This module is also about coming to terms with being imperfect parents, the ways we can give ourselves some leeway around the mistakes we make, the frustrations we have, and the moments when we completely lose our cool. We’ll talk about why that’s happening (again, based on what the understandings we’ve gained from modules 1 and 2) and what kinds of opportunities there may be to make amends. Our goal is not to completely eliminate mistakes, or rid your house of yelling, or do away with child (or adult) tantrums. As amazing as that all sounds, I don’t believe it’s real. Instead, we’ll practice prevention (as much as possible), fixes for these things when they do happen, and patience with ourselves throughout. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623387186047-VJGHM2VYDQJC5FMSAAI0/MVIMG_20180423_132008.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - Module 4: Behind the Parenting Expert Scenes This module comes not from all my formal training, but instead from the much more rigorous training called firsthand experience. One of the lessons I’ve learned through becoming a parent myself is that understanding the why of behavior helps to understand the why of strategies, but “experts” often explain their why as if it’s the same for everyone, and that makes it hard to know how to best adjust them to fit your family, and leaves parents feeling like they’ve tried and failed. Sure, consistency helps children feel safe, and for many kids that can look like a routine, but if you’re a parent who is stressed out by routines, guess what? When you impose a routine, you’re going to be less consistent. So we’ll pick apart the suggestions you want to understand better, whether they’re ones that have worked for you, or not. After all, the strategies you invent will be more meaningful than the ones you’ve read in a book, because they make sense to you and you will actually use them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623387245833-MVKZMR13EO2IL0A1EDLG/IMG_20190330_110935_2.jpg Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - Module 1: Understanding Your Child Don’t worry: you won’t be listening to long lectures on child development. I will give you some information on brains in young children and some basics behind a couple different theories of how children grow and change in the first five years, but I have found those details aren’t as important as having an idea of how to observe children, what to notice, and what kinds of questions to ask yourself as you see certain behaviors. For young children without as refined a language-cognition connection, there is great value in being able to observe your child and think through some possibilities for what might be happening, and this practice will continue to serve you even as your child graduates to elementary school and on. An example of the type of question we’ll use is: is this a behavior that you see in other children the same age? If it is, that gives us a clue that this is something developmental your child is learning. If it isn’t, it gives us a clue we need to look elsewhere to understand the behavior. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623389033423-HSG19FKHX8INQ3S3AHQK/Cost+for+Sales+Page.png Parenting Puzzle Program (Copy) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/emailconfirm daily 0.75 2021-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1627592024403-LWC7CMZUQ8ONCGB6N2R3/IMG_20181108_144649.jpg Thank you for signing up! https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/mail daily 0.75 2021-07-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1627592024403-LWC7CMZUQ8ONCGB6N2R3/IMG_20181108_144649.jpg Email Signup https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/did-i-do-enough-today daily 0.75 2021-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623214978906-3EH0MAA5XR06ILZ05ICN/Web+Site+Headshot.jpg Did I Do Enough Today? - Sarah Dobkin: The Parenthood Puzzle Sarah Dobkin has been working with young children and their families as a psychotherapist and parenting consultant for over 10 years. Her most recent work is developing a parenting program to support high achieving parents of young children to better understand their children's behavior and their own in order to feel more confident and build stronger relationships. Prior to starting her own business, Sarah was the director of a non-profit early childhood mental health program. She is a certified Perinatal Mental Health provider through Postpartum Support International and is endorsed by the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and as a Reflective Practice Facilitator. Sarah is also a mom to twins, who serve as a daily reminder of both the challenge and the importance of feeling we’ve done enough. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/d3f7f598-5428-4272-b0bf-c0fe2f41303c/JenniferCarlin57+%281%29.jpg Did I Do Enough Today? - Jennifer “J” Carlin: Leading With Insight Jennifer “J” Carlin has over 30 years of experience providing training and workshops for middle managers and emerging leaders in diverse, creative and dynamic organizations—from non-profits to public entities to Fortune 500’s. Jennifer has recently launched “Leading with Insight” a 5-week group training program for leaders seeking to better manage human politics, conflicts and tough conversations. Additionally, Jennifer has been a licensed psychotherapist (working with adolescents and adults) for over 25 years and a tenured psychology professor for 20 years—integrating applied and research-based psychology in all of their work. Perhaps most important, Jennifer currently manages a team of over 30 people while sort of balancing being a spouse, parent, and grandparent. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/meet-us-in-the-bathroom daily 0.75 2022-02-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/c1cf6388-f899-4eb6-bf63-19f76e1b11b6/MeetUs-Judy.jpg Meet Us In The Bathroom - Judy Hu Judy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Parent Coach in MA. She has over two decades of clinical experience children of all ages, and will be the first to acknowledge she is an imperfect parent of two kids (8 and 10 years old). Her current focus is working with adults and couples to unlearn toxic belief systems in order to thrive in our dysfunctional world. She also runs trainings and groups about creating healthy psychological boundaries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/6ce36778-0daf-4902-9994-eb2d404c8f79/PXL_20211210_153423986.jpg Meet Us In The Bathroom - Sarah Dobkin Sarah is a parenting coach/consultant and Licensed Clinical Social Worker in CA. She is a parent of twins who are almost 5 and keep her a humble parent. Sarah has been working with young children and their families as a psychotherapist and parenting consultant for over 10 years. Her most recent work is developing a parenting program to support high achieving parents of young children to better understand their children's behavior and their own in order to feel more confident and build stronger relationships. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/why-cant-you-just-do-it-my-way daily 0.75 2022-02-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1623214978906-3EH0MAA5XR06ILZ05ICN/Web+Site+Headshot.jpg Why Can't You Just Do It My Way? - Sarah Dobkin: The Parenthood Puzzle I'm Sarah Dobkin and I'm an LCSW and parenting consultant and have been working with young children and their families for over 10 years. Prior to starting my own psychotherapy business, I was the director of a non-profit early childhood mental health program. My most recent work is developing a parenting program to support high achieving parents of young children to better understand their children's behavior and their own in order to feel more confident and build stronger relationships with their children. The bonus is often building stronger relationships with their partners as well. This program is very much informed by my own experience as a mom to twins. And this webinar was very much informed by my experience parenting them with my partner who (rather unbelievably) doesn't always see things my way. See more about my current parent offerings by clicking the button below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/9f7a788c-049d-4bdd-a4cd-0fe457f9ccbc/Kelly%2BGuthrie%2BIn%2Bfront%2Bof%2Btree.jpg Why Can't You Just Do It My Way? - Kelly Guthrie: Childproof Your Relationship Hi, I’m Kelly Guthrie. I'm a Licensed Psychologist and coach who has been helping people strengthen their partner relationships for the past 20 years. Many of the clients I have worked with in my private practice are couples who became more like roommates than soulmates after children came into their lives. I am especially fond of working with these couples because I’ve been there myself. I have been married for 25 years and our two children are mostly grown now but I vividly remember just how tough those early years of parenting were on our marriage. All of this professional and personal experience led me to develop Childproof Your Relationship, a five week online coaching program to help couples thrive while raising young children. You can read more about the program and sign up for my weekly newsletter by clicking the button below. https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/single-session-agreement-terms daily 0.75 2022-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/7ea8528a-2929-4190-8fd7-fafad8fc4f47/Parenthood_Puzzle_Transparent.png https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/program-agreement-terms daily 0.75 2024-06-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/7ea8528a-2929-4190-8fd7-fafad8fc4f47/Parenthood_Puzzle_Transparent.png https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/home1 daily 1.0 2024-06-26 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/new-page daily 0.75 2025-08-14 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/get-started daily 0.75 2022-01-20 https://www.parenthoodpuzzle.com/get-started/p/the-puzzle-of-parenting monthly 0.5 2022-01-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60ac406d5b971504295c82dd/1642654126038-KV3H6H9OL3QK8E2E7LEK/Parenthood_Puzzle_Logo_JPEG.jpg Get Started - The Puzzle of Parenting