About

Heligirl and Sweetness.

Heligirl: A Positive Discipline Mommy Blog

Heligirl is a helpful and humorous mommy blog dedicated to sharing positive parenting tools that help develop capable, happy, secure children.

How do you raise children today with the security and self esteem to combat the peer pressure of instant gratification, social media and an ever shrinking planet? Positive discipline is definitely a step in that direction. Heligirl is chock full of tools, articles, advice and first hand experiences of this positive parenting philosophy that encourages raising capable children through cooperation, respect and connection rather than punishment. Parenting posts intermingle with hilarious stories of the daily crazy of family life in a way that keeps people coming back for more. Readers can really relate to Heligirl. They come for the parenting advice and stay for the friendships they develop with this helicopter pilot turned mommy with a mission.

Heligirl: The Positive Discipline Mommy
I’m Jen, a mom of two, a part time public relations manager, a freelance journalist, dog mom and a licensed helicopter pilot in Seattle. I’ve done a lot of stuff in life – newspaper reporter, magazine editor, marketing, public relations and helicopter pilot. But that’s nothing compared to mommy, the title I’ve proudly held since my mid-30s.

Taking this title seriously, not long after my daughter was born I began researching how I was going to raise my kids to be self assured, capable, respectful and empathetic. I knew I wanted to avoid the guilt, punishment and criticism that filled my childhood and instead give them the high self esteem, strong self respect and the ability to develop into their full potential.

The answer was Positive Discipline (aka Compassionate Parenting, Positive Parenting, Connection Parenting). I’ve been reading books, taking seminars and have enrolled my kids in a preschool program based on these parenting practices. I put what I’m learning to work every day. Heligirl is where I share what I’m learning and how it is working in our home.

Helicopters? Really? That’s so cool!
Yeah, I still think so too. I get a lot of questions about my flying so here are a few details to get you really curious.

Since my formative years when Airwolf first flew across my television screen, I had the urge to fly helicopters. In 1995, I decided it was high time I did just that.

After a few years as a newspaper reporter following college I learned to fly in Seattle (paid for the whole thing) then followed my helicopter dreams to the East Bay area if California, the Sacramento Valley, the flashy lights of Vegas, and into the trenches of Los Angeles. I racked up 1,500 hours, five helicopter ratings, one ex-husband, two ex-boyfriends and a very healthy distaste for living in Los Angeles.

I’ve not flown regularly since 2004, but still take the controls from time to time, and I tell you all about it here.

Want more details on me? Click here to see my welcome post.