Lisa Fuller, Parenting With Positive Discipline

Lisa creates a safe environment where parents can learn new skills, try them out, and feel confident in themselves. She is incredibly knowledgable and empathic! I would highly recommend Lisa to parents of children of any age — she helps makes Positive Discipline accessible and user-​friendly!

I am the mother of a six-​year old. I read the Positive Discipline book and loved it but thought I’d need the extra help of a class to remember it all! The classes are a terrific way to commit the Positive Discipline techniques to memory and to really understand the reasoning behind them. Lisa is a wonderful teacher: warm and funny and encouraging with a ton of tips and useful advice for all kinds of kids and many different scenarios. Lisa also helped me with a particular problem with my son that proved to work beautifully. I highly recommend Lisa’s class, as well as her one-​on-​one counsel.

My husband and I took Lisa’s Positive Discipline course together and we both found it to be invaluable. I have a four year old son and I had read «Positive Discipline for Preschoolers.» The theories resonated with me, but I was having a hard time putting the theory into practice. When I heard about Lisa’s class, I was apprehensive about the time commitment (seven 2-​hour sessions), but I decided to give it a try. I think that was one of the best decisions I’ve made as a parent yet. The 7 weeks flew by and by the end, I found myself craving even more.
Through role playing and a series of really powerful demonstrations, Lisa taught us about parenting with kindness and firmness (as opposed to being authoritarian or permissive). We covered a wide range of options for non-​punitive solutions to common parenting/​behavior challenges. We also learned about teaching our kids self discipline, problem solving skills, responsibility, self-​reliance and cooperation, among other things. Some of the concepts that most resonated with me: «Asking vs. Telling» («Where do your shoes belong?» instead of «Put away your shoes.»); «Connect before Correct»; and especially the idea that children do better when they feel better. I hate role playing, but it was unbelievably powerful to role play being my child and also to practice different parenting techniques.
The classes have transformed the way that my husband and I interact with our son. We all enjoy each other so much more now and there’s a lot less conflict. This doesn’t mean that we’re letting him get away with more. We’re just involving him more in problem solving and making him feel like he’s a contributing part of the family. Things certainly aren’t perfect and we certainly still experience non-​compliance and temper tantrums, but we feel more much prepared to deal with these challenges now and we’re less likely to get angry. I’m really appreciating the progress we’ve made and I’m enjoying the journey of parenting much more now.

I had seen some introductory lectures by Ms. Fuller at my preschool and a local church. I thought it was compelling but also almost unbelievable. Parenting without punishment? No time outs? And yet I was going to get my kid to behave?
It is a bit more involved than that but indeed PD doesn’t use punishment and instead attempts to appeal to the child as an participating member in the family to be treated equitably and with dignity. Certainly a child cannot be treated as an adult but the motivations of a child are similar to an adult; they would like to be involved and treated well.
Jane Nelson’s books are very good and they describe the process quite well but the classroom setting is where we can roll play and see how somethings «feel» as in how your child might feel if lectured versus more involved in a family discussion. Its hard to do. It takes some planning, foresight, and being level headed but the goal of not yelling at my kids and even better understanding her and treating her with respect are unquestionably things I want.

This was an incredibly helpful class. Not only were the concepts behind positive discipline consistent with my values and intentions as a parent, but Lisa did an excellent job of conveying them. She did a combination of talking, Q&A and roleplaying to bring the points home and to give us a chance to put them into action. I thought the roleplaying would feel silly and not be very helpful… but it was actually really profound. Lisa respected our time and managed the class amazingly well to keep us on track and moving through the material. She is very organized and thoughtful.
I was having a very hard time with my 5 yo son after our new babe was born and we moved into a new house… I so wanted to respect his autonomy and be patient with him for what he was going through, but I needed help. This class was the answer! It really enabled me to get through that period and be the parent I want to be. The overarching theme of firmness and kindness (respect for the child/​respect for yourself and the situation) continues to guide me in my parenting choices and has improved my relationship with my son.

I’d recommend Lisa and her class to just about any parent. My parenting life has changed significantly for the better since taking her class. You know how your kids somehow manage to wriggle their way under your skin and the next thing you know you’re ready to explode and you don’t know what else to do other that get upset… and then you later regret it? Lisa and her class teach you how to deal with the challenges of child-​rearing in a positive way so that you understand the root causes of what kids really need (usually not what they say they need), you neutralize ugly situations with a smile on your face and avoid getting sucked in and becoming part of the problem with the kids. Rather you can be the nice dedicated parent you are and enjoy your time with your kids. Everyone wins. I can’t say enough good things about her and her class. Whenever I see someone struggling with screaming kids and getting all angry and upset I wish I could hand them a brochure for this class!

I am so grateful to Lisa for her wonderful class. She has given me tools for parenting that have made such a difference. I really appreciated her kind and thoughtful approach to teaching, and the way she was never judgmental or shocked about anything shared in the safe environment that she created in the class. She helped all of us participants feel like we were on the same team, and showed us simple yet profound ways to relate to our children. Our home is much more peaceful since my husband and I took Lisa’s class, and my children thank her too — well, they would if they knew she was the reason Mommy yells much less now. I highly recommend it!

I love this teacher and this class. I got a whole new perspective on parenting and specific strategies that have been helpful over and over again. The class is a perfect mix of information and activities, not remotely boring and very connected to my daily experience. Lisa is calm, experienced and honest. She creates a great environment where people feel comfortable to share their ideas and experiences, and to help each other out. I highly recommend it for all parents!

I am a mother of 2, almost-​teenage boys and I struggle with controlling my temper, setting firm, loving consistent boundaries and giving my kids more responsibility and freedom. When I first heard about Lisa’s classes I was relieved and then embarrassed. I was «outing» myself as a bad parent and it was bitter medicine. But Lisa, trained as a Social Worker and with 3 kids of her own, with insight, compassion and lots of practice, has taught me how to be a better parent while empowering my kids. In class I had the chance to hear other parents’ struggles, to role-​play being my own kid, and share experiences under the guidance of Lisa’s gentle, professional facilitation style. Now I can’t say I’m a fabulous parent just yet, but I can say that I’m more aware, have more control over my own emotions, and my kids seem calmer and more loving.

Lisa presented «Parenting with a Positive Discipline» to our preschool for a parent education night. Her talk was very thorough and easy to follow. The presentation definitely did not have a lecture feel to it and she did a great job of getting the audience to participate in the discussion. The evening even ended with some role playing. I took away some great ideas on how to «encourage» my children without over praising them. I would highly recommend this presentation on positive discipline.

I took Lisa’s class at the request and urging of my partner. It was great: clear, concise, pertinent. I saw changes in my parenting style and confidence from the first week. The course is a great balance between book reading and lot’s of helpful hands-​on experiential learning in class through role playing, collaboration, discussion and brain-​storming. The whole atmosphere is more like a team meeting seeking to empower students to grow as parents through solidarity and community as opposed to a class where you take notes in view of obtaining information. Lisa’s encouraging and empowering presence really shapes the class and community that emerges from the group learning.
I think it probably is a good class to take more than once.