Intentional Parenting

What is Intentional Parenting? It is acting with knowledge and purpose, ensuring that young children acquire the social, emotional and cognitive skills needed to succeed in school and in life. Intentional Parenting goes beyond love. You can love your children and still create an environment of chaos, disorder, mistrust, shame …

Messages To Our Children

  We give our children verbal and non verbal messages about themselves; their value, their abilities and the world in which they live. Are you aware of the messages you are giving to your children? Are they the messages you want to give? If you would like some support on …

Words Do Not Teach

  This weekend I had the privilege of meeting an amazing dad. Our chance interchange happened as I was walking through the booths of a local photography exhibit. I stopped to admire some photos and the man started to tell me about his work. He said he had always loved …

The Pleasure of Be-ing

I have a routine in the early morning that includes sipping a cup of coffee while checking my emails. Usually my dog is content to eat his breakfast and curl up on the floor while I’m deep in concentration. This morning he seemed to be off a bit… whining… wanting …

If Only…

If only the kids would act differently, I’d feel better.” We also think “if only my mate, my friend, my sibling, my parent, my governor, my president would act differently I would feel better.” Whenever we turn our well being over to the actions of someone else we have given …

Giving Away Our Power

“If only the kids would act differently, I’d feel better.” We also think, “If only my partner, my friend, my sibling, my parent, my boss, my president would act differently I would feel better.” Whenever we turn our well being over to the actions of someone else we have given …

The Myth of Perfection

I just came in from working in my garden. I usually leave the pruning and planting up to the talents of my husband but my perfectionist tendencies kicked in and I could no longer feel appreciation for the beauty that prevailed. I was immersed in noticing what needed to be …

Mantras for Parents

When we generate an attitude of gratitude wondrous things begin to happen because the Universe matches the energy of the feelings that come from thinking that way. Appreciation is like a GIANT MAGNET that brings more positives into our lives. Here are some mantras you can use to affirm a positive …

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 …

Universal Wisdom

The words of this Native American prayer remind me of a form of Universal Wisdom which says that every time you are aware of something you don’t want you become highly aware of what you do want. I have come to realize that all great wisdom resonates with a form …

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. …

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 …

All is Well

What would happen if you had a crystal ball and you knew *for sure* that everything would turn out just right? You could stop fussing and enjoy the moment. You might breathe deeper and notice your mind chatter dissipate. Perhaps you’d feel eager with anticipation for life’s unfolding.   Right now, …

5 Tips to Help Children Master Self-control

What do impulsivity, self-discipline and willpower have in common? They often require a conscious decision to delay gratification and for many people, that is a real challenge. Here are five strategies you can begin practicing immediately that can help your children experience success with delayed gratification:   1. Make Waiting …

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 …

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 …

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 …