I’m gonna be real with y’all. Like, really, really real. I’ve been solo parenting for two solid weeks now, and Thanksgiving is stressing me out. I just lost my mind on my kids as I put them to bed, with like, an adult style tantrum. I threw toys down the hall, for crying out loud.

I could never give parenting advice, and I really try not to, because I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time. I have been trying to teach my kids to do things on their own more lately, because I know I do too much for them. But I also don’t have patience for their whining and the loss of control that comes with it.

We have a short school week (only two days), and my big three made their own lunches for those two days. For the first time, ever. The only reason I even thought that was something that they could do, because honestly, it never even occurred to me, is that my friend Debi told me so.

You may know Dr. G…she’s a legit family doctor with her own youtube channel with parenting tips, but she also has a book out called Get The Behavior You Want…Without Being the Parent You Hate! She is all about giving parents the tools to teach their kids resiliency, responsibility, independence.

What I love about Dr. G, and the book specifically, is that she’s never ever judgy, and has a way of easing your mind. In the age of Dr. Google, that’s a really big deal. She will take a common parenting problem and break it down, quickly and easily, and tell you exactly what you need to do…all without making you feel like a terrible parent.

The book is broken down by category, and each category is broken down by age, so you know what you can expect from your kids, no matter what stage they’re in. Everything is covered…from self-respect, to talking about bad news, to chores and allowance and so much more. You can look up an issue and a couple of minutes later, you have a real, bite-size nugget of an answer to use right.this.minute……BEFORE you throw a toy gun down the hall at bedtime.