A recent conversation with a mom with 3 little kids prompted my post on Getting Control of Your Frustrations.
Before I had kids, I was known to be a mild and gentle person. “Katy never gets mad.” But what happened to her after the kids came??
Children have the power to bring out the worst in [...]
I love to read. I just finished reading a book that my sister recommended, Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah, a true story of her life.
Adeline was born in the 30’s and grew up in an affluent family in China. Â As the youngest of five, their mother died after giving birth to Adeline. Carrying the [...]
We parents talk too much.
I suppose it comes naturally to us to talk too much.Â
When we tell our kids “NO” to having a cookie right before dinner and they begin to whine, we feel compelled to explain to them why they can’t have a cookie. When they continue to whine, we escalate our volume and explain [...]
Are you fighting and arguing with your kids to go to sleep at bedtime?
When we took our puppy to Puppy Obedience School, all us new dog owners had the same questions:
How can I get my puppy to behave? How do I get my puppy not to chew? How can I make him stop digging up [...]
There’s something wrong with the way American kids are being raised today.
Dr. Anne Pierce in her book Ships Without a Shore: America’s Undernurtured Children challenges commonly accepted notions about parenting such as nannys and daycare workers, hyper-structuring, and how Baby Boomers have affected the way we raise our children.
Dr. Pierce gives us good insights [...]
Have you ever squeezed too much toothpaste and tried to get it back in? You can’t do it.
It’s the same with words. Out of frustration, we often say things we don’t mean. But once the words are out, you can’t take them back.
Here is a list of things I’ve actually heard parents say [...]
Today’s article is written by Peter Aldin, founder of Great Circle Life Coaching. For over a decade, he has provided coaching, workshops and training that assist people to sharpen their personal and professional relationships and communication. Peter and his family live and work in Melbourne. I love his light-hearted (and helpful) look at fatherhood [...]
Whether it’s your hamster, your goldfish, or your family dog, it is not easy for a child to face the death of a pet. It is even harder for a parent to have to explain it.
At one time we had 6+ hamsters and 2 dogs. Now we are down to one rabbit.
We grieved the hardest [...]
This is the third article in the series on discipline. This one deals with younger children. Disciplining older children will be the topic of the next article in this series.
In approaching the subject of discipline, our idea is to think of what to do when a child misbehaves.
But the best defense is a [...]
Kids don’t know anything about the economy nor do they care. They could care less about unemployment, recession, or foreclosures.
But kids should be very concern about the economy. Do they know that it has a great impact on their personal lives? Their family vacation, their college fund, the amount of Christmas gifts they get, and [...]
This is the second article in the series on Discipline.
Honestly, no one likes to be disciplined, isn’t that right? Whether you are an adult being disciplined by the law or by your boss, or you are a child disciplined by a teacher or by a parent, it’s definitely no fun.
This is the first article in a series on Discipline
Dr. Laura was asked a question by a mother about the proper method of disciplining her son to behave well when they go to the market.
Her response I thought was right on. Dr. Laura said, “It’s not always about discipline.”
Children do not behave the way [...]
“Why didn’t anyone tell me being a parent would be so hard?”
Let me tell you now – being a parent is HARD.
I was talking to a friend who has a one-year-old daughter. “She takes so much out of me,” he sighed.
Yes, being a parent is hard, but it’s also a matter of perspective.
While parenting is [...]
Have you ever had one of those days where you could barely squeeze in 5 minutes to use the bathroom?
At one time I had my 3 little ones in diapers, it’s a wonder my bladder didn’t explode! Or I could’ve used a diaper myself.
As a busy parent, we hardly have a moment to [...]
Are you getting overwhelmed by the busyness of the holidays? Take it easy on yourself and keep things simple yet meaningful. Cindy Leung, a mother of 2, shares a few simple ideas for creating great memories for your family.
During recess at the elementary school today where I was substituting, I observed with interest all the children playing in the playground. There were boys playing football and kickball in the field. Groups of kids were playing handball and basketball on the blacktop. Some were on the swings and monkey bars. Many of the [...]
My family was not financially well off when I was growing up. At Christmas we did not receive any presents from my parents. After all, they reasoned, they give us room and board, isn’t that enough? Can’t argue with that.
I brought along a similar frugal mentality when we had children. Since as a young couple [...]
Would you agree it is hard to buy presents for kids nowadays?
Would they actually appreciate the present or would it end up in their garage sale next month?
I personally refuse to purchase the overpriced toys that advertisers try to entice you to buy. I know every kid has on their wish list an electronic game. [...]
I learn a lot about parenting from my kids. I often ask for their advice.
I asked my 18-year-old daughter why she thinks some of the teenagers at school are precocious while others are not.
She had a good answer: What kids watch on TV influences their behavior.
As I walk around the junior high school, I am [...]
“My kids are so disrespectful when they talk to me. How can I get them to show some respect at home?â€
I have to warn you here, you may not like my answer. I wish there is an easy answer to that question. But from what I have experienced and observed, the [...]
“How do I keep communication open with my teenagers?â€
Parents often express that their teens are shutting them out of their lives. They talk more to their friends than to their parents. They might even consult with other adults such as their teachers or their friend’s parents. But they hesitate in coming to their own parents [...]
Do you feel pressure to be a creative homemaker?
Imagine this… your children’s rooms are painted all cute. The dishes are coordinated with cups and napkins. The furniture is arranged like a home magazine photo, with accent pillows, soft lighting…I am getting so tired just thinking about everything that I cannot do!
I am not a perfect [...]
Ask any child to tell you the best thing about Christmas, and what do you think he will say?
“Presents!”
While we want to teach our children that Christmas is not all about getting presents, perhaps we’ve inadvertently conditioned our children to think that it is about the presents! That pile of wrapped boxes under the Christmas [...]
Roll up our sleeves: Getting involved is both rewarding and fun!
Join us for an interview with Heidi Gallegos, past school PTA President, elected School Board Member, Executive Director of the Regional Chamber of Commerce. She shares from her rich experiences in community involvement, and in raising her blended family which includes a set of twins.
Yesterday at church while I was teaching the children’s class, one of the boys was assigned to pass out the snacks. He proceeded to serve the boys who were clamoring for the food.
“Ladies first,” I said.
“Awww!” the boys groaned. “Why should the girls get it first?”
In this day and age of women’s rights and equality [...]
As a substitute teacher I was teaching a 3rd grade class today. The math topic was figuring out elapsed time on a clock.
“If the movie started at 6:30pm, and the movie was 1 hour and 15 minutes long, what time did the movie end?” The students are to write their answers on their individual white [...]
Would you rather clean the house or go shopping? Would you choose washing dishes over watching TV?
No one prefers work over pleasure – not you, and certainly not your kids. So it really should come as no surprise that our children will find every excuse to procrastinate doing their homework or chores. Don’t we as [...]
A friend of mine paid me a huge compliment. It’s not about my hair, or my clothes.
She said, “If you wrote a book on parenting, I would read it.”
I know for a fact that I am not the best mom. Nor do I know all there is to know about raising children. I don’t pretend [...]
