Meltdowns and intense tantrums used to be a daily happening in our home with our two-year-old. Screaming, bawling and huge outbursts of emotion that often left me feeling helpless, useless and inadequate as a parent. Sound familiar?

I will never forget that cold winter night when I had a profound epiphany that compelled me to pull over my car in the middle of downtown Calgary. Tears were coming down my face. I was covered in goosebumps. I thought to myself, was I ready for this?

We’ve all heard that timeless saying: ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. You could also say this applies to whining, tantrums, attention-seeking behaviour and the like. Here’s a snapshot from my life. Can you relate?

Have you ever wondered what your style of parenting is and where it comes from? Most of us parent the way that we were parented ourselves. We do so unconsciously. Unless we awaken and consciously decide to parent differently, we tend to follow the same patterns of our own upbringing.