Craig Knippenberg • Knippenberg, Patterson, Langley and Associates

12/24/2025

On Christmas Eve, I want to offer this reminder:

Children don’t remember the logistics. They remember the feelings.

They remember the warmth of being held during the excitement…

The humor when something didn’t go as planned…

The moment when you took a breath and chose connection over correction.

Holiday pressure can pull us into striving for “perfect.”

But the brain science is clear: kids thrive on presence, attunement, and being with us in the moment.

I'm heading to Australia and New Zealand for quality time with my family, and look forward to reconnecting when I'm back in January.

May tonight be slow, warm, and connected.
Merry Christmas Eve from Legit Parenting ❤️🎄

📘 For more calm, connected tools:

Craig A. Knippenberg, an author, speaker, and educator, invites you to explore the Legit Parenting podcast and discover effective parenting strategies for building resilient families.

12/22/2025

Across every study and every decade of practice, the same truth holds: Children thrive when we lead with consistency, calm, and compassion, not perfection.

When you model repair, your child learns repair.
When you model empathy, your child learns emotional safety.

These small daily efforts matter.

📘 Explore more in Wired & Connected:

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12/18/2025

One of the simplest brain-based parenting tools: the Pause.

When we take three seconds before responding to big emotions, we shift from reacting to connecting, and kids borrow our calm.

Those few seconds can change the entire outcome of a tough moment.

🎧 More on the Legit Parenting Podcast:

Parenting Podcast · Craig Knippenberg, expert, and best-selling author, shares strategies for actual (imperfect) parents to build resilient kids and families with good-enough parenting so that you can have less stress an…

12/17/2025

A big thank you to AGEIST for featuring me in their 's Not Too Late section!

"To put it lightly, Craig Knippenberg, 67, is flooring it - up mountains, across rivers, and onto the bodybuilding stage. He finds inspiration from decades of work helping neurodivergent youth develop robust emotional skills. As a therapist, speaker, and lifelong reinventionist, Craig has long made a habit of achieving the unexpected and proving it's not too late for anything..."

This is an excellent thing to keep in mind for January - you can do anything you put your mind to.

12/16/2025

Parenting never requires perfection. What makes the difference is choosing one moment a day to connect.

Connection rewires the brain toward calm and resilience far more than correction ever will.

If all you do today is one meaningful moment, that’s enough.
Relax parents, you just have to be this side of good enough.

📘 Learn more in Shame-Free Parenting:

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

12/09/2025

I always say: parenting is one of the greatest invitations to work on ourselves.

Alicia Keys shared a thoughtful reflection this week about how her own emotional triggers shaped the way she parents, and how doing the inner work helped her show up more fully for her kids.

This idea couldn’t be more true. When parents understand their own emotions, kids get a calmer, safer, more connected guide through the world.

If you’re looking for a meaningful read today, this one is worth your time:

👉 https://www.businessinsider.com/alicia-keys-motherhood-kids-parenting-lessons-emotional-healing-2025-12

You’re doing better than you think.

Alicia Keys and her husband, Swizz Beatz, have a blended family of five kids, three of whom are from his previous relationships.

12/05/2025

Every child deserves to be seen, understood, and supported.

From social-emotional groups that foster connection and resilience, to psychological testing that offers answers and direction, we’re here to help families navigate every step of the journey.

We offer two-week report turnarounds on all testing, plus our CONNECT Model groups for ADHD, anxiety, twice exceptional and level 1 ASD.

For more information on what we offer as the most trusted name in Colorado family mental health over the last four decades, visit us online.

Denver CO- socialization/social skills groups and camp, psycho-educational testing and individual and family/couple counseling for pre-k-young-adults.

12/03/2025

Not all kids grow in perfect conditions. Some bloom right through the cracks.

In Shame-Free Parenting, I write about resilience, and how it isn’t about protecting kids from every hardship. It’s about helping them develop roots strong enough to handle whatever life brings.

🌼 “These are good times to be a dandelion family, raising dandelion children.”

Get Your own copy:

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11/29/2025

As we shift from Thanksgiving to the busy holiday season, try carrying one simple gratitude ritual forward:

✨ A daily moment of beauty
✨ A shared gratitude at dinner
✨ A list of the things that made you smile

Gratitude grows when we practice noticing, and our kids learn from what we model. 💛

11/27/2025

Today, I’m thankful for every parent, teacher, and caregiver who shows up with love, patience, and persistence, even on the hard days.

You’re doing important, often unseen work.

Wishing you a day filled with connection and peace.

Happy Thanksgiving. 🧡 🦃

11/24/2025

This week, look for the ordinary wins:
✨ A shared laugh
✨ A meltdown handled with patience
✨ A quiet moment after dinner
✨ A thank-you you didn’t have to remind them to say

Gratitude grows in the everyday moments. And so does connection.

11/23/2025

This Thanksgiving week, remember: the best moments aren’t always planned.

They happen in the in-betweens: the car rides, the kitchen chats, the small pauses where we breathe and notice each other.

Give yourself permission to slow down.
Connection starts with presence. ❤️

I'm sharing some phots of a few times I've slowed down to enjoy time with my beautiful wife.

I'd love to see some of your own photos with your spouse, children, friends.
Please drop them in the comments below. 👇