Inside: Understand the feelings behind aggressive behaviors and help your toddler manage big meltdowns and fits of anger. On a sunny, beautiful morning, Mariah was on the floor, in a pile of tears. Her little hands stretched wide reaching desperately for Jenny. More accurately, reaching for the apple and egg in Jenny’s hands. Because for… Continue Reading
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” – James Baldwin Children are mirrors; they reflect back to us everything we say and do. We now know that 95% of everything children learn, they learn from what is modeled for them. Only 5% of… Continue Reading
Inside: Children with positive self-esteem recognize their abilities and feel proud about what they are able to. You can actively help build your child’s self-esteem by fostering connection, being encouraging and welcoming mistakes. After jumping down from a tree at the park my son stood up, did a little victory dance and then ran off… Continue Reading
Parenting Your Child through Big Emotions Can be Challenging. “You’re disappointed with my decision,” you say empathetically. “Yeah! It’s not fair! Everyone else gets to go…except me!” your child yells back. You extend your arms as a peace offering, attempting to connect through this difficult situation. Glaring at you, yelling, “This is the worst day ever!”… Continue Reading
How To Stop Back Talk From Toddlers to Tweens using positive parenting tools “May I please have two extra minutes to try and get across? I am just so close. If I can’t do it in two minutes, I will jump off, no matter what. Deal?” My son was referring to the monkey bars and… Continue Reading
Sometimes, our kids come to us with big problems. Big worries. Big confessions or difficult questions. In a perfect world, we would have all of the answers. We’d know exactly how to respond and we’d say it with the ideal inflection and corresponding body language. But, in reality, big topics often turn into disastrous conversations… Continue Reading
If your child isn’t very chatty, I encourage you to ask just a few questions at a time. We have also sometimes taken these questions and placed them into a jar for family meal conversations starters too. Continue Reading
“However we treat the child, the child will treat the world.” – Pam Leo Can you imagine threatening your partner or good friend by counting “One… two… three…” if he or she did not do what you wanted? However we treat the child…the child will treat the world One of the big issues in schools… Continue Reading
When done well, brainstorming can create an atmosphere of cooperation in your home. It teaches kids to think critically about problems, consider the thoughts and feelings of others, and to explore a variety of solutions. Even at a young age, kids can create fantastic solutions to everyday problems and challenges if we give them the… Continue Reading
Moving house, starting a new school, the birth of a sibling or any other changes and transitions can be very challenging for some children. Change can bring on tears, fears, anxiety, worry and even “misbehaviors” or “acting out.” While parents often see the importance of helping their children through big transitions, such as the birth of a… Continue Reading