Image Credit: © Suzette Pauwels (text & graphic added) | 01.01.11 | CC by 2.0 As we all continue to deal with shelter-in-place, I thought it would be the perfect time to re-post a piece written by one of my blogging buddies, Amanda from Not Just Cute. She shares a wonderful method for dealing with problem behaviors in a positive and effective manner... And make sure you don't miss the extra-helpful printable for trying the techniques out in your home. If you've been a … [Read more...]
2-Minute Strategies for Strengthening Your Child’s “Mental Game” in Sports and in Life
In our fast-moving world today, there is barely enough time to squeeze in a meal together, let alone time to work on the emotional development of your kids. Yet, no matter how well you provide for their every need, if you neglect your child’s mental well-being then you are doing them a disservice in life. But, before I explain how you can find that precious time, you need to understand the following facts: Parents are the epicenter of their child’s world and creators of their … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: The Most Important Thing in My Purse
I thought I'd keep it short and sweet today and just sent one quick universal parenting tip: always keep a card game in your purse. Last week my son had his final cross country meet and it ended a little earlier than I anticipated. Though we weren't initially planning on it, I decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity to have some one-on-one time and pop into our local pizza joint. While that surely would have been connection enough for my son, the experience was … [Read more...]
Top 10 Parenting Books for Raising Girls
Next month, I'll be having my third child and my third girl. Which means that parenting little girls is always on my mind. Whether you have a single daughter or a whole slew of them, these books are full of great advice on how to handle all manner of parenting issues, from education to bullying to the princess obsessions. Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-proof Girls in the Early Grades by Michelle Anthony and Reyna Lindert. Bullying is a hot issue right now, and this book is … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Remember the Best in Your Child and See It In Your Teen
This post is sponsored by the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. All opinions (and memories!) are my own. Then The thing I remember most about Jake's birth was how scared I felt bringing him home from the hospital. There's no guide book for being a parent. I wonder if first born babies sense the way new parents approach every task with uncertainty. The good news is that babies are resilient. They forgive us for putting the diaper on wrong or being a little too over protective … [Read more...]
How to Set Up a Healthy Serve-Yourself Snack Station
With school beginning soon, and a couple of my friends recently welcoming third babies to the family, helping the older kids to learn to prepare their own meals and snacks has become a hot topic of conversation. It all started when one of my friends sent me this facebook link and we all started to chime in on how the system would or wouldn't work for us and what we might do differently. Today we're starting off with snack stations. Hope you get some great ideas and we'd love to hear from … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: My Son is Starting High School as a 12-Year-Old and I’m Not Scared at All
OK, maybe I’m a little scared, I can’t lie. But overall, I’m a lot more comfortable with the idea than I ever imagined I would be. I hadn’t planned on grade-skipping my son. My son’s September birthday meant that he was already young for his grade. Here in Ohio, the cut-off date for kindergarten varies by district—anywhere from August 15thto September 30th —so many kids in his class were already a full year older than him. But when we switched from a self-contained gifted school … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: Should You Send Your Ex A Father’s Day Card?
This will be our tenth Father’s Day since the divorce. Like every other year, I’ll take my two sons to the store and help them pick out gifts for their father. Some years I’m surprised I didn’t get lock jaw from forcing myself to smile as I helped them wrap their presents, and I can’t say I’ve never stooped to passive aggressive gifting. (Please don’t ask me about the garden gnome.) It wasn’t always a joy to spend money on my ex-husband, particularly since I was mothering on a … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: How I became a Hockey Mom against my Better Judgement
I walked into the hockey rink at 6:30 am on a Saturday. Now, school didn’t even start until 8:00 am, so 6:30 was not a time I was normally awake, nor was it a time I wanted to be awake. The coach had promised to bring coffee, but I didn’t see anything resembling coffee anywhere and the concession stand was closed because the people who ran concessions were home in bed—where all good people belonged at 6:30 am on a Saturday. I hadn’t intended on becoming a hockey mother. Unlike when … [Read more...]
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