1. Set up consistent, predictable routines. Be careful not to confuse this with being rigid. You are aiming for a safe and nurturing environment where children know what to expect. 2. Have clear, consistent, age appropriate expectations. Children will push, test and manipulate when boundaries are inconsistent or …
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. …
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 …
Thought Playlist
I asked my daughter to put some of my favorite songs in my iPhone. She showed me how to create a playlist and told me I had the ability to listen to the songs in any order that felt good for me. I was entering a whole new world …
Is Your Child An Empath?
Children who are labeled as ‘highly sensitive,’ ‘intense reactors,’ or ‘overly emotional,’ may actually be empaths. Parents who have never experienced what it feels like to take in the overload of energy that constantly surrounds us are likely to misunderstand their empathic child’s behavior. In the same way that we …
Our Inner Little Girl
We still carry our little girls around inside of us and our physical, emotional and spiritual history sometimes gets in the way of being the mother we dreamed of being. Moms are just little girls who grew into a bigger body. Becoming a mom is a rite of passage that …
Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs are obstacles to attracting and manifesting what we want. They color our perceptions and can render us powerless. Our behavior and reactions stem from an unconscious set of truths that are very powerful and, ultimately, determine our parenting style. Many limiting beliefs sound like this: “I’m not good …
Successful Parenting
Successful parents are willing~ Willing to look inward… Willing to wonder… Willing to try new approaches… Willing to think new thoughts… Willing to take things less personally… Willing to forgive… Willing to let go… Willing to shift limiting beliefs…
Judgement to Joy
We were sitting in a restaurant when I noticed the young couple in the corner. They were snuggling and kissing and just plain lovin’ each other. My initial thought was that it seemed inappropriate, but I realized if I stopped judging I would free myself to enjoy their sweet energy. …
Getting Them to Talk
Parents sometimes 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, …
The Art of Appreciation
Become an appreciation detective! Model for your children, through your own behavior, the power of appreciation. Seek out reason to be thankful for throughout your day. Look for the good in everyone and every situation that you encounter. Teach your children through your own example that there is always some …
Enoughness
The new little babies come into life knowing their value. They trust they are enough. Toddlers are certain that they are deserving of the best that life has to offer them and from their vantage point they expect to have it all! So when do we start believing that we …
Lit With Joy
I can’t get this question out of my mind: “When your children walk into the room do your eyes light up with joy?” I work with so many parents and grandparents who search for ways to enrich their children’s self esteem. I usually suggest they stop noticing what the kids …
A Lesson About Fear
Fear can be paralyzing. It can insidiously creep into your mind and take over your body, making you doubt yourself, squash your joy and leave your dreams unfulfilled. Sometimes it appears with the force of a racket that is triggered by a catastrophic event, reeking havoc with daily reality. While …
Positive Behavior
It just comes with parenting! It seems so easy to notice when our kids are behaving in ways that need improvement. While there are many things over which we have no control, the following are ten key elements that set the tone for positive behavior. Notice that none of …
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 …
It’s All In Our Perception
I was taking my daily walk when I passed an elementary school playground with children at recess. “You’re lucky!” a young girl shouted to me. “Why do you say that?” I smiled back. “Because you’re free to take a walk and I’m stuck in school!” I thought that her perception …
A Promise to Our Children~
I will never treat you like you are my property or that your role in life is to please me or soothe my fears and worries. I know that I am merely a soul who is experiencing life in a human body and just because you’ve physically come through me …
Lying to Our Children
Now that the holidays are neatly tucked away behind us it may be safe for me to bring up a touchy subject: the way grown ups lie to children about Santa Claus. Before you have a meltdown at the mere thought of reflecting on the lies we tell children, take …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2