As I write this on 9/11 and recall what I was doing when the World Trade Center Twin Towers were under siege 24 years ago, my place in the world vividly returns in my memory. As the news broke, I was moving into a large meeting space to spend half of the day with twenty …
Fa, La, La, La, La… This is an oldie but goodie (and frankly I needed it today!). My son burst into tears as his friends waited at our door to play. He had fallen up our stairs and gashed his shin on the metal rims of the hall steps. I plopped on the floor to …
Learn More About What Exactly You Can Do! Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body. – Elizabeth Stone And this is the very reason why the events of school shootings shake us all to the core. Because it …
What if, this new year, you introduced a family new year’s resolution – to agree to fight fairly? Fighting is inevitable in families. It does not represent weakness but only reality. Be sure to read through to the end of this article to find the easy-to-print and use “Fighting Fair Family Pledge”! Throughout childhood, kids …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment Tags: 2018, conflict in marriage, Conflict Management, Conflict resolution, Divorce, families arguing, families fighting, family conflict, fighting fair family pledge, fighting fairly, Happy New Year!, kids and name-calling, kids arguing, Name-calling, New year, New Year's Resolutions, Parents, parents fighting
“Mom, come quickly!” E says practically jumping up and down. “There’s a bluejay in our yard!” And this scene has played out over and again but with varying creatures – bunnies, beetles, and butterflies – oh my! If you have a patch of grass outside your door, there’s an opportunity for your kids to explore …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment Tags: awe and wonder, Caring, Celebrating Earth Day, Cooperation skills, Discovering nature with kids, Earth Day, Exploring nature with kids, Family bonding, Family connectedness, Kids, Motivation to learn, nature, Parents, Perspective taking skills
Because of the numerous holidays celebrated through the fall and winter months, it is an ideal time to discuss how people celebrate around the world – both the uniqueness of traditions and also the many commonalities. I was struck by the number of similar themes and symbols when I did the research for the following …
I spoke with the talented team at Pearson Education – sponsors of the NBC Parent Toolkit – about a hot topic as we approach this U.S. holiday. What do you do when family conversations are heated or divided around politics? Here’s how it begins… __________________________________________________________ “Affirm their strong feeling –‘I can hear you feel …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills Tags: Emotional Intelligence, Emotional intelligence at Thanksgiving, Emotional intelligence with family, Families fighting fair, holiday anxiety, holiday stress, Kids, NBC Parent Toolkit, Parents, Pearson Education, politics family conversations, Thanksgiving
“I just can’t go to sleep!” E said summoning me well after our nightly bedtime ritual had taken place. When I guided him back to bed, he layed down and flopped his feet up in the air with his body in a constant wiggle. Since I observed his physical restlessness first, I gently guided him …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills Tags: Bedtime, bedtime with kids, calming kids at bedtime, Gratefulness, Gratitude, Kids, kids getting to sleep, kids going to sleep, kids' anxieties, kids' worries, Mindfulness, Parents, reflective thinking, relaxation at bedtime, restless mind, Self awareness, self-soothing
How can you help your child deal with fears? Does your child call out to you at night when she is supposed to be sleeping because she is afraid of the dark? Does your son shrink from learning to swim or to ride a bike because he fears failure? Is it difficult to get your …
In honor of Bullying Prevention Awareness Month… Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. – Elie Weisel “You’re a horrible person,” was what I heard and deeply felt though I cannot recall the exact words that delivered this final crushing blow. It had come after a series …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills Tags: Bullying, Bullying prevention, coaching kids, Compassion, Confidence, discipline practices, Kids, Parents, School-family partnerships, sibling kindness, Upstanders, Violence prevention, What can parents do about bullying
