Welcome! To The Family Coach

Dr. Lynne Kenney and Oralia Gutierrez



School has started and the learning has begun. Don’t let your child’s teacher do all the work. It’s beneficial that you take part in your child’s learning experience. Children not only learn in school but learn at home as well. Make your home a comfortable and supportive environment to promote a positive at home learning experience.


Research shows that kids who hav… Continue

The Green Light Detective Game



We all know kids learn well through play. Here is a game from the upcoming book The Family Coach Method (St. Lynn's Press Nov 2009) to help your kids learn about prosocial behaviors so that they can start making better choices every day.



Green Light Behaviors

Green light behaviors are those pro-social behaviors that enhance relationships, keep children safe and foster development. There are thousands of green lig… Continue

Middle School is right around the corner and with texting, video chat and hormones raging are we moms nervous, you bet! We have some great mom generated tips to help you and your kids navigate middle school.



1. Get informed. There are a lot of rumors flying around about sexting, rainbow parties, drug use and more. Some of these… Continue

Mind Your Manners



As Back to School approaches, you'll be interacting more with teachers, family and friends. Is the sinking realization that your children may not have the manners to successfully and politely navigate back to school behavior on your mind?



After all the kids have been off all summer, likely being silly and having fun! That's all great. But with the transition from summer to back… Continue

Today Saturday May 1, 2010 I am at #bloggybootcamp in Phoenix with the #SITSGIRLS. What an amazing experience. @childhood invited me and I thought, I have so much to learn, I am all in.

There are 100 women and two men (go men!) here, most are writers, brand reps or bloggers. The atmosphere is very friendly thanks to Heather and Tiffany who encourage collaboration (my fav word) and sharing. The speakers offered a wide range of tips on everything fr… Continue

Making your house a home includes creating an environment in which you thrive. Use a bit of The Family Coach Environmental Engineering in order to make your house a home.



Look at your decor, is it drab and in need of a "Lift-Me-Up"?



Change the seating arrangement in your great room, move plants from one room to the next, take a few pictures off the walls and change them out with ones you have in your garage. Throw away your dust colle… Continue

Help: Any tips on keeping a toddler in bed?


Good Afternoon. So many of us have faced this challenge, I am so pleased you asked. If you will bear with me I want to answer the question in two parts: 1) First to lay a bit of background then 2) Answer this question directly. There really is a lot to say on this topic.



What strikes me most is that we need to have clearly established bedtime routines that tell the brain, calm down, it is tim… Continue

Up and down, over and under, so the roller coaster goes. Are you worn out just thinking about it?



Life with an intense child is like a ride on a roller coaster, some moments are thrilling, others calm, still others fear-inducing. Intense kids feel so powerfully, they see more, hear more acutely and feel more deeply. Of course, they have to share all of it with you, ’cause life can be just so overwhelming. It’s almost like in their meltdowns and… Continue

Providing valuable tips in audio and video is a fresh way for your brain to take in and assimilate parenting information. If you have time to run this in the background while you do your work, you'll learn and enjoy. If you… Continue

Nutritionists tell us how important it is to make sure our children eat a good breakfast each and every day. But many American children are used to eating sugary breakfasts such as pancakes, waffles and cereal.

Get this. A bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats contains three teaspoons (12 grams) of sugar; some raisin bran cereals contain 20 grams; a 32-ounce sports drink can contain 19 teaspoons (76 grams) of sugar, and a 20-ounce Fruitopia fruit drink can pack nearly 18 teaspoons (71 grams) of su… Continue