“Spare the rod, spoil the child” has been used for generations to justify punishment—but what if we’ve misunderstood the entire point?   In this episode, Bonnie & Thomas Liotta reframe the “rod” as a tool of guidance, protection, and environment—not harm. You’ll learn why control-based discipline fuels anger, power struggles, and defiance, and how to shift into skillful, trust-based guidance that actually builds cooperation from the inside out.   Ready for a proven, principle-based path forward? https://thepathtoparentingparadise.com/  

Bonnie and Thomas Liotta explain why asking “why” keeps parents stuck in correction and conflict — and how shifting to skill-based parenting transforms meltdowns, defiance, and power struggles.

ADHD. ODD. DMDD. PDA. Labels don’t solve behavior — they often reinforce it. In this episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta explain why most modern parenting methods (timeouts, consequences, lecturing, “positive discipline,” and behavior modification) plant toxic seeds that produce resistance, defiance, and escalation. You’ll learn why renewing your mind is the true beginning of transformation, how to shift from controlling behavior to guiding behavior, and why your child’s “defiance” is often a sign of missing life skills—not a broken child. Visit LearnToSpeakKid.com to begin a new parenting journey.  

Are you accidentally creating the very behavior you’re praying would stop?   In this powerful episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta unpack what it really means to “exasperate” your children—and how so many expert-approved methods quietly provoke anger, discouragement, and defiance.   Together, they walk you through: A typical parenting loop: act out → redirect → escalate → punish → more defiance   Why redirection, timeouts, and calm takeaways still plant “black seeds” in your child’s heart   How validating feelings without teaching skills trains kids to use emotions as an excuse   The difference between reaction mode and proactive leadership as a parent   Simple Monkey See, Monkey Do examples (shaving cream, makeup, and more) that build skills instead of resentment     Grounded in scriptures like Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 22:6, Colossians 3:21, and Proverbs 15:1, this conversation shows how modern control-based parenting—even when dressed up as “gentle” or “peaceful”—often contradicts the very principles we say we believe.   If your child has been labeled “defiant,” “explosive,” “strong-willed,” or even diagnosed with ADHD or ODD, this episode will help you see them in a brand new light: as a genius spirit watching you, learning from you, and desperately needing you to become a true life preparer—not just a behavior manager.   Your children are the fruit of your root. When you change the seed, you change the fruit.   To go deeper and learn how to guide behavior instead of punishing it, visit: https://learntospeakkid.com

What if every interaction with your child planted a seed that would grow into tomorrow’s behavior, beliefs, and relationship with you?   In this episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta use one unforgettable image—a child covered in red lipstick with the mirror and white carpet to match—to unpack the idea of “black seeds vs white seeds” in parenting. Black seeds are born from negative thoughts and feelings: anger, frustration, and the urge to control. White seeds grow from validation, leadership, and a commitment to teach life skills instead of just correcting behavior.   You’ll hear: How authoritarian, “positive,” and even many “gentle” parenting approaches still plant black seeds   Why kids copy your lipstick, mannerisms, and habits—and what they’re really asking for when they do   The difference between punishing a mess and using it as a chance to train missing life skills   How to reframe tantrums, spills, and “bad behavior” as communication and opportunity   The story of Pinocchio’s strings, free will, and what it reveals about our role as parents   If you’re exhausted from putting out fires, repeating yourself, and feeling like the “bad guy,” this conversation will help you shift from managing behavior to growing capable, confident, cooperative human beings—one white seed at a time.   Learn more and start your magical parenting journey at LearnToSpeakKid.com.

Does it feel like your child’s meltdowns come out of nowhere — and nothing you’ve tried is really working?   In this episode of the Learn to Speak Kid podcast, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta from Creating Champions For Life explain why your child’s behavior isn’t random, disrespectful, or “just ODD.” It’s a language.   You’ll discover how to: - Hear what your child is really saying during a meltdown - Replace labels like “terrible twos” and “defiant” with practical life skills training - Reframe hitting, lying, and “attitude” as communication you can guide - Stop trying to regulate your child’s emotions for them and start teaching them how - Move from exhausted, reactive parenting to calm, proactive leadership at home   If you’ve ever thought, “I’ve tried everything and I still feel like a broken record,” this conversation will show you what’s been missing — not in your child, but in the tools you were given.   Press play to learn how to: - Name the cry instead of labeling the child - See your child as a genius in training, not a problem to fix - Turn chaos and overwhelm into cooperation and connection   Learn more or start your journey at: learntospeakkid.com

What if every interaction with your child planted a seed that would grow into tomorrow’s behavior, beliefs, and relationship with you?   In this episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta use one unforgettable image—a child covered in red lipstick with the mirror and white carpet to match—to unpack the idea of “black seeds vs white seeds” in parenting. Black seeds are born from negative thoughts and feelings: anger, frustration, and the urge to control. White seeds grow from validation, leadership, and a commitment to teach life skills instead of just correcting behavior.   You’ll hear: How authoritarian, “positive,” and even many “gentle” parenting approaches still plant black seeds   Why kids copy your lipstick, mannerisms, and habits—and what they’re really asking for when they do   The difference between punishing a mess and using it as a chance to train missing life skills   How to reframe tantrums, spills, and “bad behavior” as communication and opportunity   The story of Pinocchio’s strings, free will, and what it reveals about our role as parents   If you’re exhausted from putting out fires, repeating yourself, and feeling like the “bad guy,” this conversation will help you shift from managing behavior to growing capable, confident, cooperative human beings—one white seed at a time.   Learn more and start your magical parenting journey at LearnToSpeakKid.com.

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” In this episode of the Learn to Speak Kid podcast, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta explore what your child’s meltdowns, hitting, and “lying” are really trying to say. They explain why kids can’t think abstractly until around age 13, how constantly hearing “no” leads to power struggles and “terrible twos,” and why today’s culture is quick to label behavior instead of learning to “name that cry.” You’ll hear practical stories about newborns, toddlers at the counter, classroom chaos, and lying teens—each showing how behavior is a language of unmet needs and missing life skills. Instead of punishing meltdowns, hitting, or lying, Bonnie and Thomas show you how to model what you do want, teach touch-soft and truth-telling, and begin seeing your child as a brilliant, unfinished human who needs training, not shame. To begin a new, empowering, and joyful parenting journey, visit LearnToSpeakKid.com and discover how to transform defiant behavior into healthy, happy, cooperative kids.

Discover why forbidding becomes forbidden fruit and how to transform your parenting approach from restriction to empowerment. In this episode, Bonnie and Thomas share practical examples of applying the "let them" principle—from a 2-year-old's lip gloss fascination to a 14-year-old's first bush party request. Learn how teaching life skills proactively (instead of baby-proofing and redirecting) builds neural pathways for focus, self-control, and responsibility. Find out why becoming your child's "big kid trusted advisor" creates cooperation, connection, and lasting relationships—even into adulthood. Want more? Click here.

What if everything you're doing to fix your child's behavior is actually making it worse? In this eye-opening episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta introduce the Karma Principle - the revolutionary idea that you reap what you sow in parenting. Discover why timeouts, takeaways, and traditional punishment strategies plant "anger seeds" that grow into the exact behaviors you're desperately trying to stop: lying, sneaking, defiance, and aggression. Learn the shocking truth about why therapy and medication often fail to create lasting change, and why more seclusion rooms in schools signals we're addressing symptoms instead of root causes. Through biblical wisdom, personal stories, and 40 years of experience working with thousands of families, Bonnie and Thomas reveal the missing ingredient in modern parenting: planting love seeds instead of anger seeds. They explain how shifting from control and punishment to guidance and empowerment transforms even the most defiant children with ODD, ADHD, and behavioral diagnoses. If you're exhausted from feeling like a broken record, ready to stop the power struggles, and want to actually enjoy your kids again begin your new empowering journey here.

  Are you working overtime to give your kids everything you never had? This episode will make you rethink everything. Bonnie and Thomas Liotta dive into a shocking truth from Napoleon Hill's 1928 Law of Success: "An easy life can often become a greater handicap than the human being can even survive." Discover why parents who do everything for their children—buying them everything, removing every struggle, solving every problem—are actually crippling them. Learn the science behind why struggle develops strength, resilience, and confidence, and why removing it creates dependent, unmotivated children who lack the life skills to thrive independently. In this episode, you'll learn: Why helping a butterfly out of its cocoon kills it (and what this teaches us about parenting) The hidden danger of emotional regulation parenting trends How "overcompensating" parents rob children of their zest for life The simple win-win formula that creates cooperation instead of defiance Real-life examples of transforming toddler meltdowns into joyful moments If your child struggles with defiance, lack of motivation, or behavioral challenges, this episode reveals the root cause you've never considered—and the solution that doesn't require medication, therapy, or harsh punishment. Featured Quote: "Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance, self-control, strength of will, content, and a hundred other virtues that the idle will never know." —Napoleon Hill

Are you struggling with a child diagnosed with ODD, DMDD, or other behavioral or mood disorder? In this episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta reveal why doing too much for your kids might be stealing their zest for life. Drawing from Napoleon Hill's "Law of Success" (1928), they explain how struggle develops essential qualities in children and why an "easy life" can become a greater handicap than most kids can survive. Learn the science behind creating win-win environments where both parent and child thrive, and discover why the formula of positive child goals plus proactive parent plans equals cooperation, happiness, and family harmony. Plus, hear a real-life example of how this works with their two-year-old granddaughter, Harlie-Faith. If you're ready for a new, empowering parenting journey with cooperative kids. Click Here 

Is your child labelled with ODD, DMDD, or simply "impossible to manage"? What if every meltdown, every hit, every lie is actually a desperate attempt to communicate something you're not hearing yet? In this powerful episode of Learn to Speak Kid, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta reveal the life-changing truth that most parenting experts won't tell you: children cannot think abstractly until at least age 13, which means traditional discipline methods are fundamentally misguided. Discover why your child hears "wah wah wah" when you explain consequences, how the "terrible twos" are actually your fault (not theirs), and the simple reframe that transforms defiant behavior into cooperation without medication, years of therapy, or harsh punishment. You'll learn: Why telling your child "no" 400 times more than "yes" creates oppositional behavior What your child is REALLY saying when they hit, lie, or melt down The genius code of "monkey see, monkey do" that unlocks cooperation How to teach life skills instead of trying to control behavior If you've tried every parenting book except Learn to Speak Kid, this episode will change everything. Stop seeing behavior problems—start seeing brilliant genius kids with limited life skills. 🎯 Ready to transform your home from chaos to cooperation? Visit learntospeakkid.com

Are you exhausted from the endless cycle of timeouts, takeaways, and tantrums? Feel like a broken record constantly repeating yourself? In this eye-opening episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta challenge everything you've been taught about parenting. Discover why traditional discipline methods—punishment, lectures, and behavior correction—actually work perfectly in the wrong direction. Learn the revolutionary paradigm shift from controlling children to teaching them life skills through the "monkey see, monkey do" method. The Liottas reveal why your child's "bad behavior" is actually a genius asking to be shown how to do things themselves. With a 90% success rate and zero restraints required, their approach transforms crisis management into proactive life skills training—turning your home from chaos to harmony. If you've tried everything and nothing works, this episode will change how you see parenting forever. Stop being a firefighter putting out flames and become the architect building your child's independence, one life skill at a time. If you love this and need help now, click here and begin a new empowering parenting journey.

Stop controlling, start teaching! Discover why children misbehave due to missing life skills—not defiance—and learn the four-step approach that achieves 90%+ behavioral transformation. Hear how a 17-year-old with severe ODD turned his life around in five months without restraints, timeouts, or medication. This finale of our three-part series reveals the revolutionary parenting method that's helping families worldwide raise cooperative, confident children from the inside out. Click here and begin your journey to empowering parenting. 

Bonnie and Thomas Liotta challenge every popular parenting method and reveal the hidden control mechanisms behind gentle, conscious, and attachment parenting approaches. Discover why even the kindest parenting techniques are creating the aggressive behavior you're trying to prevent. Click Here for more. 

Hosts Bonnie and Thomas Liotta tackle the tragic reality of restraint-related deaths in schools and therapeutic facilities. Following the October 16, 2025, death of Amy Morrell while restraining a 14-year-old girl, this episode explores why restraint exists, how it escalates from everyday parenting practices, and why over 20 children die from restraint every year in the United States alone. The Liottas argue that restraint is the endpoint of a continuum that begins at home, starting in infancy, when parents control their children through punishment rather than empowering them with life skills. Drawing on Thomas's experience working with thousands of children without ever using restraints, they reveal how authoritative parenting habits stem from previous generations' authoritarian punishment-based parenting, which still influences modern parenting, but under gentler labels. This is part one of a three-part series examining how adults create aggressive children and what alternatives exist to transform defiant behavior without force, punishment, medication, or therapy. Click here and start a new empowering parenting journey today.

Join Bonnie and Thomas Liotta as they reveal why traditional behavior management fails families and how to transform your parenting by teaching life skills instead. Learn the practical "Play-Clean-Sleep" framework that empowers children to develop responsibility naturally, without power struggles, rewards, or punishments. Perfect for parents tired of feeling like broken records who want cooperation from the inside out. If this episode resonates and you'd love to learn my click here. 

Parents searching for help with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and ADHD often feel stuck in years of therapy with little change. In this Learn to Speak Kid episode, Bonnie and Thomas Liotta share why a proactive, life-skills approach—self-control, responsibility, self-discipline, and focus—can create authentic transformation in 90 days without harsh punishment, endless appointments, or mind-altering medication. You’ll learn how “goal power,” guiding behavior (not managing symptoms), and CCFL’s 12 Principles bridge short-term wins into long-term change so defiant child behavior becomes cooperation at home and school. Click here for solutions that work!

Tired of band-aid solutions for your child's aggressive behavior? The Learn to Speak Kid podcast with Bonnie and Thomas Liotta helps parents get to the root cause of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), DMDD, ADHD, and defiant child behavior. Discover why labels fall short and how missing life skills—not broken brains—drive aggressive outbursts, meltdowns, and defiance. Learn proven strategies to transform even the most challenging child behavior without harsh punishment or endless therapy. Move from managing behavior to teaching life skills that empower children to choose cooperation from the inside out. Real solutions for real parents raising difficult kids. Tap Here for life-changing resources.