OK, I’ll admit it, when I was a preschool teacher I used to shake my head at the moms who had such a hard time leaving their child. It seemed obvious to me that by prolonging their goodbyes and furrowing their brows they were only escalating their child’s separation anxiety. If they would just leave…
Have you ever found yourself ruminating about things, going over and over the experiences of your day, beating yourself up about the way you talked to your child, and not able to relax to sleep at night? Well, I occasionally find that relaxing to sleep is difficult for me, but I have found a wonderful…
I recently got an email from a mom who enjoys my newsletter but who sometimes feels left out because her child has special needs. While I do tend to offer guidelines about ages and stages of development I hope that every parent can adjust those guidelines to their particular child. Children learn and develop differently…
Years ago a friend told me about a daily practice of self-love she had. During her shower in the morning she would honor, thank, and appreciate each body part as she washed it. My friend would touch the body part, clean it with care and think to herself, “Thank you hands, for everything you help…
Last night as I was mindlessly flipping through television channels trying to find something interesting I happened upon a show in which young children were being interviewed by a journalist while their parents watched from a room nearby. The kids were between the ages of three years old and six years old and the journalist…
Although we tend to think of praise as beneficial to kids, recent research has shown that certain kinds of praise are actually detrimental to young people. When we tell kids they’re “good” the unintended effects are that children begin to fear being seen as “bad”. Personally, I think all kids are good all the time. …
When it comes to babies, at my core, I am a scientist. The process children go through as they transform from a fetus into a walking talking human child in just the first 2 years of life fascinates me. It’s absolutely incredible really. As a scientist, I want to understand all I can about this…
Are you wanting more ease and cooperation from your kids this week? I have a magic question that will get you exactly that. One great thing about this question is that it also works well with other adults. Another wonder of this magic question is that when people ask you this question you feel honored,…
Considering our environmental impact and moving toward sustainability is something that every modern day aware parent is faced with, but sometimes the task can seem daunting and it can be difficult to tell whether we’re really making a difference. Finding out what your carbon footprint is can be a great jumping off point. There is…