In recent days there have been many reactions to a mom who blogged that her family was ‘canceling Christmas’ because her children’s recent behavior was disrespectful and entitled. During an interview with “Good Morning America” the children agreed that they were hitting, fighting and even having tantrums and when asked …
Flashes of Connectedness
Parents often brush their child’s cries for validation of their worth aside. Adults are so focused on their own issues that they forget to appreciate the essence of the child’s perceptions. They can become so consumed with the pressures of modern living, earning money, and getting their own needs met …
You Can Control How You Feel
“You cannot change a circumstance but you can control the way you feel about it.” This message has been coming to me over and over again in recent days. It has become one of my daily mantras. It is fuel for personal empowerment. For most of us it is natural …
Perspective
Most disagreements and misunderstandings come from different perspectives. We each experience life through our own unique filtering system and what appears to be absolute truth to one person may take on a totally different view to someone else. It is only natural that we will have different points of view. …
Parents Must Model Wanted Behavior
When children feel threatened their ‘lower’ brain immediately responds with a fight, flight or freeze reaction. It is vital that parents not take these responses personally. When your child runs away from you, fights back or just gives you a blank stare it is an indication that their lower brain …
New Definition of Discipline
Say the word ‘discipline’ out loud three times quickly. Which part of the word gets the most emphasis? The ‘dis’ part. I looked up the meaning of the expression ‘diss’. Popular agreement seems to be that it means to insult someone; speaking rudely or disapprovingly about someone. According to the …
The Remedy for “TGF” (Taken for Granted)
Ah; how many times has a parent felt taken for granted? Children seem to just expect that laundry will be done, food will be prepared, they will be chauffeured to activities and the ‘stuff’ of daily living will be taken care of…. The remedy for TFG is awareness, consciousness and …
Getting Kids to Talk
Parents often lament that their children don’t talk to them and when they do they give one word answers, “Fine.” “Nothing.” When children are little they jabber freely, sharing their thoughts, questions, desires, needs, feelings and vivid imaginations. Many times adults meet this outpouring of their inner world with condescendence, …
Shift Towards Real Peace
I just watched a news report from the Middle East and found myself crying tears of despair. “How is it that humans get themselves into such situations?” I wondered. It became clear to me how seductive it is to be safe in our comfy homes, watch our big screen televisions …
Natural and Logical Consequences
We all make choices and engage in behavior that creates the next experience. Consequences should not be used as punishments~ They need to be: • Naturally or Logically connected to the behavior • Known in advance when possible • Given in a firm but calm voice • Easy to apply and …
Redefining Discipline
The reason using emotionally healthy discipline is hard is because PARENTS MUST DISCIPLINE THEMSELVES and model the very behavior wanted from the children. Listen to our MP3, “Redefining Discipline” to learn more about this very important topic.
Redefining Old Truths
Growing up as a child in New York, I learned that there were four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. While there were variations during the year, kids could pretty much depend on flowers blooming in the spring, taking trips to the beach in the summer, playing in the …