I was working with some elementary aged children recently, helping them with their Mother’s Day/ Father’s Day writing assignments. They were all following the same skeleton for their poetry, using personal details to fill in the blank spaces.
Be The Best Parent You Can Be
When my oldest was about 6 months old, he reverted to waking every two hours at night. I felt like a zombie.
“That’s How I Was Raised” and Other Reasons We Spank Our Kids
In my last post, I wrote about the slippery slope between spanking and child abuse, the slippery slope which appears to have pulled Adrian Peterson and much of the public discussion about spanking over the edge of the precipice. Today, I want to address the reasons we use to rationalize spanking, and talk a little about setting broken tools aside. [Read more…]
How to Pull it Together When You’re Parenting on Empty
Perspective: A Powerful Tool for Challenging Behaviors
I couldn’t help but think about parents and teachers who love and teach children with challenging behaviors as I drove along the hills behind my childhood home this past weekend.
Here’s Why You’re Doing a Better Job of Parenting Than You Think
Child Behavior: Is it really about what they’re doing?
I have this internal alarm that goes off whenever I haven’t seen or heard my toddler for 60 seconds. The realization usually startles me and I wonder off thinking, “Oh great. What is he doing?” Usually I find him emptying the soil from the potted plants, scrubbing the toothbrush drawer with a (wet) toilet brush, or exploring the markers (which are thankfully washable) at the art table….and on every adjoining wall. It’s a tough job to keep up with kids, and all the things they DO.
The Myth of Perfect Parenting Series: It’s Never Too Late
Remember way back when I started this series? I had a new baby and was being lured by the siren call of perfectionism. Wrapped in this swaddle of blankets was a clean slate — perfection embodied. It was my chance to start over as a parent and get it “right” this time.
Yeah. I’m THAT Mom.
Here’s Your Permission to Ignore Good Parenting Advice
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by good parenting advice? Ever feel like your head might explode, not only from the sheer volume of well-meaning recommendations, but also from the mind-numbing contradictions among “experts”? Ever sat on the verge of tears (or completely gushing with them) because of the thoughtless, misguided, or — even worse — totally spot-on critiquing of your parenting?
