Parent Sidekick

03/25/2026

I am grateful to be working alongside my good friend and total visionary, , with his project, . It is so refreshing to be able to bring my experience as a career educator and parent and family coach to the fold. I am here to help champion and guide content, as well as support parents, families and active members.

Coplay and playing together is a parenting opportunity, not just as an approach or strategy, but as a way of being. Play is a realm of being that offers an intersection for connection, creativity, joy and growth.

If you are a parent, caregiver or child (gamer or not), I sincerely believe that this platform is for all. Parenting is an “experimental framework”, so diversifying the ways you pursue this experiment and the environments where you choose to play and experiment are of paramount importance.

Game on! See you there.

Travis

01/22/2026

“The Forest for the Trees”

A story from my early teaching years about focusing almost all my energy on one struggling student, while missing how consistently the rest of the class was showing up and thriving. It took me too long to recognize the “magic” happening around me and to see that those students—and I—were doing many things right.

I use this story to remind myself, as well as parents and caregivers ofhow easy it is to get stuck in imposter mode and fixate on what isn’t working.

When we focus only on problems, they begin to feel bigger and heavier than they actually are. In reality, support, joy, and solutions are often present all around us.

The challenges tend to grab our attention, but when we become aware of this pattern, they lose their grip. By stepping back and seeing the bigger picture—the forest instead of just the trees—we can feel more confident, grounded, and reassured that we’re doing meaningful, effective work as parents and caregivers.

Don’t forget to zoom out and see what’s really around you.

01/14/2026

Happy birthday to my little guy, Quinlan Wilder Greenlee. He is now officially a three-year-old! He comes well-equipped with each and every wonderful and challenging aspect of that beautiful stage in development. And I love him.

Here is a song that I wrote just for him sometime during his first year of existence. I love playing it for him. It’s called, “Q is for Quinlan.“ the song was a wonderful challenge to write because there are only so many words that start with the letter “Q.“ As he was learning his name and other words that might start with the same letter, I thought I would give him a song for reference and for a good chuckle every now and then. I hope you enjoy it as much as he does.

There is simply no end to the value that a connection to and relationship with music can have for a child. Regardless of your musical understanding or prowess, it is essential to put your child in the way of music and musical expression in any way you can. You won’t regret it.

01/02/2026

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here are eight engaging prompts to help jumpstart your deep reflection as you enter a new year of parenting, partnering and being you.

Take a minute to look over them and feel free to doodle or write whatever comes to mind in a journal or a voicenote on your phone, let it be an intentional dinner table conversation with your family, a moment of connection with your partner or simply a mediation on a walk or a hike.

Ask yourself the questions that equip you and help you to grow from where you have come. Because you’ve come so far. Forward together >>

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10/20/2025

“Seeds of Change”

This is a song that I wrote many years ago at a time when I was reflecting very deeply about the meaningful nature of my role in educating children. The role was not mine alone, but belonged to all in the village that surround a child, beginning with parents and caregivers, and extending to educators, community members, librarians, camp counselors, and beyond. The strength and possibility that is possessed by one child alone, is truly beyond our comprehension. I believe it is our duty to work together to provide a space comprised of intention, love, acceptance (for who they are), and opportunity for a child to grow in.

PS Thanks to all of you who have privately encouraged me to start sharing more of my music about and for children. These songs are a blessing and deeply valuable modality for me and I hope that you find them useful, both as tools for parenting as well as light on difficult days.🌅

10/16/2025

Using an “Experimental Framework” in your parenting practice.

Parenting is the “great experiment” because, second only to your own existence, it is the opportunity to be a part of a child’s growth and learning.

Using an “experimental framework” to approach our parenting can be both freeing and empowering. As a “lab” our parenting becomes a place where we can feel welcome and encouraged to try new ideas and fail in order to learn what works and what doesn’t for a child’s growth.

Sure, there are elements that every child (and every human deserves to experience) - compassion, empathy, safety, resilience, belonging, creativity and love - but every child is different and there has never been a child quite like them or a caregiver like you since the beginning of time. That’s why using a “lab” or “experiment” framework is so essential.

Understanding that it is an experiment allows us the chance to let the process be messy and to make mistakes.

This approach requires a “growth mindset” so that we can embrace the process of mistake-making in order to find new solutions and become better caregivers.

Experiment away.

10/06/2025

This summer I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Alice Shikina, an exceptionally adept negotiator and mediator, on her podcast.

This was the first of a two-part episode where we delved into interactions between parents and kids and where we tend to go wrong and what negotiation-based strategies we could bring to our parenting practices for clearer and more effective communication.

I felt so honored to have been a part of it.

Listen to both episodes by finding the link above in the bio or visit negotiationwithalice.com

08/16/2025

I recently had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Alice Shikina, an exceptionally adept negotiator and mediator, on her podcast. The episode just released and I felt honored to have been a part of it.

Listen to the whole episode here: https://www.negotiationwithalice.com/2242358/episodes/17658582-season-2-ep-25-negotiations-between-parents-and-kids

Travis Greenlee is the founder of Parent Sidekick, a parent and family coaching company. He offers one-to-one coaching support, group facilitation, workshops and customized educational tools. A career educator for 22+ years in traditional, Mo...

06/25/2025

Take the “NO Challenge”

Telling a child that they cannot do something or have something comes very easily to us as a form of control (usually because we fear or don’t understand something and thus are not confident of our child’s own choices). So try to choose your battles with using this approach.

Too many contraints can make someone feel incompetent and isolated and thus becomes rebellious or challenging. And then they are not as likely to make constructive decisions.

How many times can you refrain from saying no? When is it absolutely crucial? Otherwise refrain from saying it and see what happens.

Saying “no” only when necessary gives your child space to make decisions and learn from consequences without you constraining them before they even have a chance to make the decision.

04/22/2025

Here’s a song I wrote for my little one just after he was born. We sing it a lot and like dance around to the rhythm. Nature often inspires song and creativity for us. This is my little offering to the Earth today. Enjoy!

I AM NATURE
I am nature and nature is me
I am connected to the honeybee
To the grass, to the soil, to the woods and the breeze
I am nature, and nature is me

I am nature and nature is me
I am connected to the evergreen tree
To the hills, to the clouds, to the sky, and the peaks
I am nature, and natures me

I am nature, and natures me
I am connected to the air I breathe
To the rocks, to the bugs, to the birds, and the leaves
I am nature, and nature is me

I am nature, and nature is me
I am connected to the flowers so sweet
To the squirrels, and the frogs, and the sun, and the seeds
I am nature, and nature is me

I am nature, and nature is me
I have everything I need
From the highest mountains
To the sand and the seas
I am nature, and nature is me!

04/22/2025

Happy Earth Day, amazing parents, caregivers and kiddos!

Here I am celebrating the Earth with my little sidekick today - reading lovely nature-hearted books, getting our bodies moving together outside, messing about in the soil, and helping little green ones stand strong and tall.

Get outside when you can and remember that nature is not just something to enjoy and care for; it is also you. You/we ARE nature! The way we care for our bodies, our minds, our future and dreams, and one another is the very same love, compassion and wonder we can gift to the world around us…everyday.

We would love to know how you are celebrating the Earth and nature this week. Leave a comment.❤️