Category: Parenting
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Appreciating What It Means to Cherish Someone
The holidays often bring families together to celebrate and enjoy sharing their love for each other. It reminded me of a chapter from a classic parenting book Your Child’s Self-Esteem by Dorothy Corkille Briggs entitled “The Safety of Being Cherished.” I decided in this blog to share some of the wisdom from this book. First…
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Using Family Virtues to Guide Your Disciplining
Many years ago, I discovered a book called The Family Virtues Guide by Linda Kavelin Popov that gave me a whole new insight on how to discipline my children using virtues rather than rules. The author states that using virtues as your disciplinary guide helps children develop character and learn how to make responsible, moral…
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What Does Unhealthy or Unfair Trusting Look Like?
Recently I was sitting in church observing a parent whose child did not want to go off to the children’s play group. He looked to be about three years old. He clearly insisted that he would be just fine staying in church with his parents. It looks like he promised them that he would sit…
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Teaching Children They Can’t Say “You Can’t Play”
In this blog I am going to share some information from a book written in 1992 that has important and relevant information for parents, caregivers, and for those who work in early childhood education or in schools. The book is entitled You Can’t Say You Can’t Play by Vivian Gussin Paley. Paley describes a phenomenon…
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Teaching Children About Their Brains: Part Three
This is the third in a three-part series I am sharing with my readers about teaching children about their brains. I have invited my readers to consider how even young children can learn brain basics, which can be very empowering, helping them understand and manage their thoughts and feelings, including some often-challenging ones, like fear…
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Teaching Children About Their Brains: Part Two
In my previous blog, I invited my readers to consider how even young children can learn brain basics. Their knowledge of this can be very empowering, helping them understand and manage their thoughts and feelings, including some often-challenging ones, like fear and anxiety. I suggested that parents and caregivers start with basic brain information: what…
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Teaching Kids About Their Brains: Part One
Recently I was speaking with a friend of mine who is the mom of two children with another one on the way. We were discussing how her children can sometimes feel very anxious. I shared some ideas with her for helping her children better understand how their brains may be functioning in those moments when…
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Sometimes, There Are No Words
A few days ago, I received tragic news: a very dear friend of mine shared that one of her son’s triplets had died in his sleep. Since first learning they were having triplets, the parents relished each stage of the pregnancy and celebrated the birth and all the joys – and challenges – of new…
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Appreciating the Pain of School Anxiety
Summer is winding down and kids are preparing to return to school. For the youngest, it may be a completely new experience. Others are heading off to a new school, moving from elementary school to middle or high school. Some are heading off to college. Chances are, most of these kids are experiencing some degree of…