Hourglass Perspectives

03/31/2025

Friday is almost here 🥳

Join us for our virtual conference - Connections and Wellbeing through Parenting Education on April 4, 2025!

NPEN is thrilled to have Heather Cline, Ph.D.; Owner, Hourglass Perspectives; Manager of Reflective Dialogue Parent Education Design (RDPED) presenting: Facilitating Change: Using Video Clips to Deepen Parent-Child Interaction.

Discover how parenting educators can leverage video clips—whether from real-life parent-child interactions or popular media—to create transformative learning experiences. This interactive session explores both the power of video to enhance self-reflection and engagement, as well as the facilitation strategies that make discussions impactful. Participants will experience and practice techniques for guiding video-based conversations in ways that deepen insight, promote sensitive and responsive parenting, and help parents integrate new learning into their daily lives. By modeling attuned facilitation, educators can create a parallel process that strengthens both teaching and parenting relationships.

For more information or to save your space, please visit www.npen.org/conference (link in bio).

We look forward to seeing you there!

02/02/2025

What has been meaningful to you recently?

Who is a bright light in your life?

12/20/2024

It’s so normal to not be at your best when fear or frustration takes over. In those moments, even the best intentions can slip through our fingers. We might know a “better way,” but why doesn’t that knowledge show up when we need it most?
In my latest blog, Parenting Under Stress and Fear: Is it even possible to parent well?, I explore:

💡 Why stress triggers our most reactive parenting habits.
💡 Why learning a “better way” often doesn’t help in the heat of the moment.
💡 What it actually takes to change how we show up, even under pressure.

This post offers reflective questions, practical tools, and a compassionate lens for both parents and professionals. Whether you’re navigating this journey yourself or supporting others in theirs, you’ll find insights to inspire lasting, meaningful change.

📖 Read the Blog
https://www.hourglassperspectives.com/blog/parentingunderfear

Change is messy and tough—but it’s also possible. Let’s talk about what’s helped you (or hasn’t) in those tough moments. What’s worked for you? 💬

12/12/2024

Meet Mary! She’s a parent educator who recently joined the Reflective Dialogue Community.

In this conversation you’ll hear:
- How RDPED saves Mary time and energy
- What a dad said that had us in tears, and
- Why this approach has led to the most meaningful learning she’s ever witnessed.

Let me know what you loved most.

Meet Mary! She's a licensed parent educator for two of Minnesota's amazing Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programs. After joining the Reflective Dia...

08/04/2024

Are any of these questions weighing on you?

- My kid is dreading school, what do I do?
- I’m worried about the school year, but I don’t want my kid to feel that from me. What should I do?
- How do I transition my kid(s) out of summer mode so they’re ready for school?
- How do I talk to my kid’s teacher/school about…?
- Homework is torture. How can I make it better?

We can process these together so that you feel less worried, and more clear and confident about how to navigate your specific back-to-school challenge.

Save 50% when you schedule with me this week, August 5-11.

🔗 in bio, or at https://www.hourglassperspectives.com/privatesession

07/30/2024

Dear parent educators and coaches:

I’ve been watching something happening to parents, and the way we work with them for a long time. I can’t dance around it any longer. It’s time to talk more openly about it, and begin to contribute more fully to reshaping the status quo.

Read my letter to family professionals to find out what I'm concerned about, how I'm responding, and what you can do about it, too.

🔗 to blog in bio, or at
https://www.hourglassperspectives.com/blog/lettertofamilyprofessionals

Give me a 💜 if you agree that working with parents as human beings should no longer be unconventional.

07/23/2024

As an adult, I’m working very hard to help myself get more present. To get out of my head and live more in the moment.

Anyone else with me?

More on this in my blog, You Never Listen to Me!

Link in bio or,
at https://www.hourglassperspectives.com/blog/listentome

07/18/2024

Here’s a clip from my free webinar, Connecting through Conflict with Kids, to help us think about why kids don’t listen, from a new perspective. I share one thing we can do to shift that dynamic so we are both hearing each other more easily.

You can get the free webinar, or read more about why kids don’t listen in my new blog post, You Never Listen to Me!

Go to https://www.hourglassperspectives.com

P.s., sorry about the bouncing Instagram logo. Social media is like a foreign language to me but I’m bumbling my way through it :)

07/15/2024

Do you have a parenting question on your mind?

I offer free 15-minute consultations about parenting or child development.

And this week I have some extra daytime space in my schedule!

If you're feeling at all frustrated or stuck with something in your parenting or family life, I hope you'll set up a call.

It's a great way to address a quick question like, "My 3-yr-old just started hitting me, is that normal and what should I do about it?" Or, "Why won't my 7-yr-old listen to me unless I yell?"

We can also use this time to identify what kind of support or resources would be most helpful for a less straightforward challenge like a big change in your family, difficult sibling dynamics, or a hard decision you're making, like whether or not they should change to a new school.

Use the link below to schedule your call: https://www.hourglassperspectives.com/privatesession

I look forward to talking with you soon.
- Dr. Heather Cline

07/13/2024

I wish I could wave a magic wand and make conflict with our kids disappear.

But that could only happen if you and your child were actually the same person (and still we have inner conflict all the time).

What I can do is show you how to make it a whole lot less repetitive.

Check out my latest blog, Summertime Fun and Frustration with Kids, to find out why we keep experiencing the same challenge and what we can do about it.

Here’s the direct link: https://www.hourglassperspectives.com/blog/sumertimefunandfrustrationwithkids

Your future relationship with them is gonna thank you for it.

No perfection required. Magic wand not included 🪄

07/07/2024

We’re weeks into summer vacation season.

Navigating any conflict with your kids yet?

Yeah, I thought so. Me too.

It can leave you feeling more disconnected with every passing day.

Suddenly we’re counting down the days until school starts again.

I’d like to offer an alternative to the roller coaster of sweet photo ops tucked between utter frustration and endless reminders.

A chance to use that conflict as a way to become more connected, more of a team, and less prone to power struggles – with a productive way through them when they happen again.

I walk you through the process in my free webinar, Connecting through Conflict.

Grab the link in my bio to learn more.

Or comment “less conflict” and I’ll send you a DM with the link.

05/04/2024

Free training!

For family coaches, parenting educators, home visitors, counselors, social workers, and more!

If you talk with parents as they navigate a challenge with their children, this is for you.

You’ll find more details on my website.

🔗 in bio

See you Friday!