Wow, I feel like I’ve recently emerged from a long winter’s sleep. My daughter is now 15 months old and suddenly in the past month or two I’ve realized how utterly socially isolated and disconnected I’ve been. I’ve barely talked to my dearest friends, I haven’t been out of the house much at all, and…
My day today totally sucked. I worked hard all day but didn’t accomplish much of anything. I felt sad and grumpy for most of the day and I missed my daughter even though she was within ear shot all day long. I need a do over. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just rewind…
I’ve had a few parents asking me about how to transform sibling rivalry so today I want to share an idea of something very specific and powerful that you can do to go from tension, fighting, and frustration to peace, love and happiness between siblings. The bad news is it’s completely up to you to set…
My friend Kristin Slye wrote something on a parenting list we’re on that really got me thinking. She said that she thinks of parenting duties as two distinct types. There’s connection parenting that happens when you’re focused on your kids and interacting with them and then there’s “background parenting” which is all that parenting stuff…
Here’s a great game you can play virtually anytime you’re home and busy with a task. Your kids will love it and feel connected to you, even as you continue to cook dinner. What other ways could you play this game? Can you see how it can help kids learn colors, shapes, locations of things…
What do you think of when you hear the word “discipline”? When most people think about parenting and discipline they probably think of punitive discipline like time out, yelling, spanking, or taking away privileges. I don’t want my daughter to be afraid of me or of the punishment I might hand down. So I’ve chosen…
School is starting! What an exciting and stressful time. You’re probably rushing around purchasing school supplies and wondering how your child will separate at the door. Or maybe school has already started and your child is in the throws of separation anxiety, completely freaking out when you leave. Be assured, the transition can and will…
I get a lot of questions from concerned parents about rough housing, wrestling, and other physical play. Dads want to know if it’s OK to wrestle with their kids, and moms are concerned that somebody will inevitably get hurt. Often it seems that physical play of this sort does end with the younger or smaller…
I’ve been reading a bunch of stuff online lately about nursing and co-sleeping becoming a wedge between parents and negatively affecting their sex lives. Sure, sleeping with a baby causes us to change the timing and sometimes the location of sex, but my husband and I have found a great way to keep romance alive…
Have you ever noticed that when a child cries, often the first things out of our mouths are things like, “You’re OK” (minimizing their experience) or “Oh no! Don’t cry!” (asking them to deny their experience) or even, “What’s wrong?!” (asking them to think about and describe the upsetting event). None of these acknowledge the…