Learn to Speak Kid

Defiant Kids with ODD & DMDD: The Hidden Parenting Mistake That Steals Their Zest for Life (And How to Fix It)

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 

Bad Behavior is Communication: Decoding Your Child's Meltdowns, Defiance & Aggression

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

What's Your Role as a Parent? Stop Correcting, Start Teaching

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.

Raise Cooperative Kids Without Authoritative Control

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. 

The "Gentle" Parenting Lie

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. 

Why Restraint Exists and Why Children (and staff) Die

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.

Stop Managing Child Behavior and Start Leading

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. 

ODD, DMDD & ADHD From Years of Therapy to Transformation in 90 Days

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!

Hitting, Biting, Scratching...What's the Root Cause of Aggressive Child Behavior?

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.
 

Should Oppositional Defiant Disorder Be Medicated

Parents of oppositional defiant disorder kids are often told to punish, take things away, or rely on time-outs. But what if that approach is actually making things worse? In this episode, Bonnie shares her story of discovering why traditional discipline failed — and how shifting to a proactive, life-skills-based plan turned defiance into cooperation. You’ll learn why “goal power” changes everything and how to stop living in daily battles with your child. Are you seeking resources that promote harmony and cooperation? Click Here