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‘Nanny of Elgin’ Trains for Parenting Success
by Kim Mikus
When parenting, it’s better to make suggestions so the child has a sense of choice and control, according to an Elgin business owner.
An example of a choice may be, “Would you like to pick your toys up, or shall I do it? But if I do it, you may not see some of these toys again.”
Or, instead of ordering a toddler to put their shoes on, you could say, “Would you like to put on your blue or your white shoes?”
This is a basic tactic Christie Clarke teaches through her business, Out-a-Box Parenting Inc.
Clarke, a former schoolteacher, operates the business in Elgin. “No one likes to be told what to do,” she said. She added that if children learn to make good choices at an early age, they will continue to make positive decisions when they’re teenagers.
The bottom line of the philosophy that she teaches is the foundational issue of respecting others.
Clarke is often referred to as the Nanny of Elgin, based on the popular TV show that teaches parents how to discipline the family. The local entrepreneur spends time coaching in clients homes. She also holds workshops through Elgin Community College and trains teachers how to implement the philosophy in their classrooms.
Clarke was a teacher herself, most recently teaching fifth and sixth grade at Elgin Academy. It was during this time that she came up with the idea for her business.
She had a particularly difficult class and enrolled in a Love and Logic seminar in Denver. She was inspired and used the principles and implemented them in her classroom. Things changed immediately and she realized she wanted to take the program a step further.
She became a certified, independent facilitator of Jim Fay’s renowned Love and Logic program and used it to start her business.
Clarke now speaks about the program at a variety of venues including PTO meetings and other parenting functions. She is also starting a program for grandparents and teens.
“It puts the joy back into parenting,” she added.
She said the message is “embarrassingly simple.” Another key is applying logical consequences rather than punishment.
She often works with parenting groups or couples going through divorce. “We remove the stress, resolve the issues and harmonize the family,” she said.
As the mother of four children and four grandchildren, Clarke realizes that parenting is the hardest job in the world to do. “And no one is trained for it,” she added.
Clarke is now training other facilitators and has four people working for her with others waiting to be trained.
For more information, call (847) 888-8892 or check out www.outaboxparenting.com.
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