Parenting support for calmer days and more cooperative family life
If your child is not listening, says “no” to everything, has frequent tantrums, or turns everyday routines into a battle, you are not alone. Family Date helps parents understand behaviour, reduce power struggles, and build stronger relationships with their children using practical Positive Discipline tools.
What is Family Date?
Family Date is a parenting coaching and education service created by Agata Boczkowska-Young, a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator. It helps parents respond to challenging behaviour with more calm, confidence, and connection.
What problems do parents come with?
Parents often come to Family Date when they are dealing with:
tantrums and meltdowns
power struggles
not listening
shouting at home
sibling conflict
frustration around routines
difficulty getting children to cooperate
What will you learn?
You will learn how to:
understand the message behind your child’s behaviour
respond without bribes, threats, or constant shouting
encourage cooperation and responsibility
model the behaviour you want to see
teach social and life skills through everyday family life
bring more fun and connection into parenting
Why this approach works?
Children do better when they feel safe, connected, and capable. When parents understand what behaviour is communicating, they can guide children more effectively and build skills that last far beyond the moment.
Is this right for you?
Family Date is for parents who want practical help with child behaviour, cooperation, emotional regulation, and family connection — without shame, blame, or unrealistic advice.
I’m Agata Boczkowska-Young, founder of Family Date and a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator.
I’m also a mother of two — a girl and a boy — with three years between them, so sibling fights and everyday disputes are very much part of my real life, not just something I talk about professionally. I’m also a working mum, running another business , and we have a dog, which adds its own joy and chaos to daily family life.
Having lived in different countries and cultures, I’ve seen that parenting struggles are universal. Wherever we are in the world, parents want many of the same things: calmer homes, stronger relationships, and more confidence in how they respond to their children.
Am I a perfect parent? No — and I don’t believe perfect parenting exists. What matters to me is learning every day, including from my mistakes, and showing my children that mistakes are not something to fear. We all fall, we all lose sometimes, but what matters most is what we learn from those moments and how we grow from them.
That is also at the heart of Family Date: helping parents approach family life with more calm, more self-compassion, and practical tools that build connection, resilience, and trust.
What our customers say about Family Date
Ally K and Lucy
Entreprenuer and 3.5 year old
“The mornings were always a hassle. Lucy (3.5 years old) would refuse to get ready for nursery in time. ALWAYS. She would find any excuse to prolong the time in the morning. This could include: sorting out her books, pretending to be asleep in bed, having a floppy body, not wanting to wear anything I chose for her, making me a “coffee” in her little kitchen… I could go on.
I really didn’t know the reason behind it. Frankly I didn’t have time to think about it. All I wanted was to get her ready and get her to nursery on time so I could get to work. I did not have time to think.
Every morning, the same old story. Tears became part of the routine. Me fuming with anger became part of the routine. Things were just getting worse.
You think getting a 4 year old ready for nursery isn't a big deal. Well I agree, it shouldn't, but it was. I was getting irritated, I hated mornings.
As a result every day, Lucy and I started the day on a bad foot. In foul moods. That is not what I wanted for my girl. I wanted her to be happy, have an innocent childhood, and be free. What I was doing was totally opposite. I was making her (and me) sad and angry. Not a good start.
A friend recommended Family Date. She said, try, it’s all about fun. What do you have to lose. So I contacted them and explained the situation to Agata. She helped me understand a few things and advised an approach to take to address the situation through engaged play.
I tried out a number of approaches that we discussed, but what worked for me the best was a combination of two: giving Lucy the power to decide and the personification of clothing. Suddenly having two pairs of knickers having a discussion in weird squeaky noises about who is going to go on Lucy’s bum, made the whole difference! Lucy laughed, so did I. Lucy chose the knickers and then put them on. How easy!
This was the EUREKA moment. Now mornings are different. Now Lucy and I start the day on the good foot!
Sometimes I take it for granted that I solved the problem and revert into my old self, going through the motions, being transactional. Lucy then reminds me: Mummy, make the socks talk! So I do… and the mood lightens up.”
Sumi Y. and Betty
Finance Manager and 3 year old
“My 3 year old daughter used to hate having her hair washed. She loved having baths but when it came to washing her hair, the nightmare started. She would fight for her life not to have her hair washed. This involved biting, stomping, pushing, hitting… you name it. She was like Jekyll and Hyde.
I couldn’t understand the problem. She loved baths overall. She also loved swimming. Why such drama?
After working with Agata at Family Date, we introduced the technique of problem solving. I couldn't believe this. The solution was in front of my eyes. My girl disliked when water with shampoo got into her eyes, as it did once before (probably more as a result of the fighting). I mean who doesn’t! So we agreed she will use swim goggles and we will pretend we are diving in an ocean when I wash her hair. Amazing, not a single fight (about the hair washing) since then.”
Jane M. and Jack
Mum and 4 year old
“My 4 year old boy Jack has a little brother, Oliver, 2.5 years younger. At the beginning Jack was a lovely, caring older brother.
Things changed when Oliver started to express himself more, and be more mobile. He started to irritate Jack, by grabbing and playing with his toys, asking for my attention.
Jack started to show Oliver how he felt about him by pinching him, hitting his head while passing by or sometimes pushing him.
I was very upset. My two little babies and so much anger already.
We tried to reason with Jack, but that made no difference.
We then started to apply punishment techniques like putting Jack on a naughty step or taking away his toys; OMG this resulted in Jack being even more hateful towards Oliver.
We spoke with Agata at Family Date and she helped us work through a number of techniques. One that stood out was the “making amends” technique.
Every time Jack miss-behaved towards Oliver, rather than punishing Jack in any way, we showed him how to make amends.
This actually made Jack feel better about himself. Seeing that he made his little brother stop crying and smiled made him happy. As a result he became more gentle with Oliver.
There are times when Jack forgets himself and does something he is not supposed to, when this happens he immediately is trying to rectify his mistake by running back to Oliver with a toy or a kiss to make himself better.
It’s amazing to see that.”
If any of these case studies resonate with you and you’d like to rectify your situation, then contact me for a no obligation discussion.
- Agata, founder of Family Date.