Finding the right words when children are disappointed isn’t always easy. I’ve learned over the years that although it is hard to see our children feeling upset, distracting, reasoning, lecturing or otherwise trying to fix their feelings usually just backfires. So how do we find the right words to say when children are disappointed? The words that express… Continue Reading
Getting children to cooperate and listen is probably the most shared concern I hear from parents. Similar themes repeat themselves, over and over.
“How do I get my kids to do their homework?”
“How do I get my kids to listen to me? I’m so tired of yelling…for nothing…it makes no difference!”
Our job as parents can be tough as the balancing act of encouraging cooperation positively and needing to get things done unfolds each day. Let’s be honest, what we want and what our children want are often out of synch. It’s easy, alright, a lot easier when everyone is smiling, cooperating and listening. Fostering cooperation reduces the need to yell, nag and demand. Continue Reading
Siblings teasing can be a huge source of annoyance and conflict for the whole family. If you find yourself wishing the teasing would just go away here are some tried and true ideas for reducing teasing between siblings: 1. Be wary of choosing sides: Even if you know which sibling started the teasing, pointing it… Continue Reading
Sometimes I wish I could prevent every failure my children will ever face. No parent wants to see their child down, upset, limp, defeated. In failure, even if we’d rather not go through it, are moments of learning. So I will not prevent my children from failing. The truth is I wouldn’t be able to… Continue Reading
“My other mom lives down the street in that green house and she lets me play with the kitchen scissors all the time.” –told by Nicolas, age 4. Children lie, tell fibs, stretch a tale and tattle-tale. Lying, is actually a sign of intelligence. Nevertheless, lying is sometimes inappropriate and children may need guidance from… Continue Reading
A time out may stop a child from spitting or hitting. The threat of “no TV” may get a child to pick up his clothing from the floor. But…can consequences help children learn what to do instead of spitting or hitting? Will the continuous use of punitive consequences motivate children to be less messy, noisy,… Continue Reading
Often, what holds children back from trying something new is fear of failure or the memory of a time they didn’t do well on something. We can help break that cycle by avoiding evaluative statements such as “good job” and opt to use encouraging words instead and offering our children opportunities to try things again…and… Continue Reading
Including your toddler in the process of life—be it dressing, eating, cooking, cleaning, loading in the car, doing errands—is essential for building healthy, strong relationships and self-directed, capable, confident adults. Continue Reading
Our children are capable, competent beings from birth. Often the struggles we find ourselves caught in with our children can be eased by recognizing and honoring their age appropriate capabilities. And with their capable, competent selves appreciated and affirmed, we can now build a strong foundation for the future independent and successful adult we all hope for. Isnʼt this… Continue Reading
The way we treat our children directly impacts what they believe about themselves. Having respectful interactions with our children is not only important, it is at the heart of raising respectful kids. Respectful Parents Raise Respectful Kids Most parents would like to raise respectful, caring cooperative kids. But so often we end up modeling disrespect. When… Continue Reading