Meet the Jones Family
John and Samantha Jones are working parents of 3 bright and energetic children. Molly is 4, Austin is 7, and Micah is 9. John works remotely while Samantha is in the office most days with some flexible remote work as well.
Everything was a battle
When Micah was 8 years old, John and Samantha started looking for some help. Everything was a battle. Micah often became very upset and said things that were hurtful. Everyone in the family was experiencing stress, and John reported that there were days that guilt sat with him through the workday. He could not stop thinking about some of those interactions at home.
As a speech therapist, Samantha had a background in communication and knew tools for working with kids and de-escalating emotions. Even so, John and Samantha were looking for a fresh perspective and resources that are easy to use. John noted that layman’s terms were important to him, he did not have a clinical background or want to have to translate psychobabble. Samantha reported having no time to read a book for 3 hours. She needed a quick idea that she could try right away.
A colleague suggested Cadey
A colleague suggested the Cadey app, and John and Samantha decided to give it a try. They resonated with the short videos, easy-to-understand ideas, and tips that were easy to implement.
“The app is awesome because you can select the age and the area of concern. These videos are 1-3 minutes long, and as a working mom, I have time for that. There are videos for adults and videos to watch with your child, and they serve as reminders too. We use the Cadey app for all 3 of our kids.”
Samantha
What They Learned With Cadey
John and Samantha learned about the concepts of 3 baskets, lizard brain and wizard brain, and finding the positive. They learned not to take back the prize, and how to present their kids with the idea of earning back a privilege with good choices and showing growth in their skills.
The concept of the three baskets helped John and Samantha decide how flexible to be about different family rules.
Strategies that work for the entire family
Their kids resonate with the lizard brain and wizard brain too. Sometimes, just labeling what is going on, using the “name it to tame it,” strategy helps the kids to calm down more quickly. John noted that it is easy to focus on what is not getting done, like “leaving toys around,” instead of the positives, like “you did help your brother.” He finds that focusing more on the positives makes a big difference with his son.
These are just a few of the many tips that Cadey has given John and Samantha.
The concept of the lizard brain and the wizard brain helped the family learn some valuable emotional regulation and communication skills.
“There are times when I am struggling, and I have hopped on there and learned something. For example, the term working memory. I had not heard that before, but it really makes sense for my middle son. Now I know that something exists that has a label that I can learn about to try to help my child. I go to Cadey first now, and google second when I want to learn about things like that.”
John
One thing the Jones family likes about Cadey is that tips are explained clearly for parents who have or don’t have experience with parenting and education. Samantha explained that even with her background in the field of child development and language, she learned some new ideas and took a fresh perspective. For John, he noted that he did not have a baseline in his mind for child development, and Cadey helped him know what to expect.
John likes getting push notifications with short tips and optional videos during the week because it keeps the tools in Cadey front of mind. He and Samantha noted that it is easy to slip back into old patterns and habits. By remembering to check in with Cadey just for a few minutes a couple of times a week, the reminders can keep their family on track.
They also instituted a family reinforcement system with a marble jar that everyone is contributing to with the different skills they are working on, parents included.
Using Cadey Has Been Really Helpful
Cadey’s short videos and articles really helped John and Samantha. They have less stress and guilt, and they feel more capable. Samantha noted that when she understands that her children are having big emotions, or struggling with multi-step directions, and she can show them that she gets it, there is less stress from everyone. The level of conflict feels more manageable.
Cadey’s fresh perspective and quick and accessible resources have been a game changer for the Jones family over the past year. They continue to go to Cadey, now more often for Molly (4) as they have learned how to help Micah manage his big emotions. It’s always a work in progress, they say, but Cadey has been and continues to be a meaningful part of their journey.
Cadey Empowers Parents and Caregivers
Cadey empowers parents and caregivers to communicate better with their children. This positive change alters families’ trajectories and points them toward increased wellness and harmony.
Read this quote from John as he walks through his family’s path.
“I didn’t grow up in a household that had a lot of yelling, but every time I turned around, it felt like I was raising my voice towards my kids to try and get anything done or to get my point across.
After seeing my oldest lash out in extreme frustration, I knew it was time to look for some additional help. We had done a lot of internet research and even sought out professional help previously but felt that we were taking one step forward and two steps back each time. I knew that as my child continued to grow, if we didn’t get them the support they needed, we were not setting them up for success.
We found the Cadey app from a friend’s recommendation. The app allows you enter your child’s age and narrow down the focus to your child’s areas of need. Based on the information entered, the app provides curated content in short, to the point videos that are impactful and easy to understand. For example, we learned how to better motivate our children through phrasing and positivity.
Within the first week, we started to notice differences around the home. It all came down to empowering us as parents with the tools needed to better communicate with our children. While we still have areas of friction, they are much less extreme and significantly less frequent.
I’m excited to say that our child is having their best school year yet and our home has become a much calmer/quieter place.”
John