Personal boundaries are more than just standing 6 feet apart from strangers. Some children are too shy to engage with many of their friends, so they don't have a lot of practice with appropriate boundaries. Some children are best-of-friends with everyone they meet, and parents may worry this will put their child in danger someday. Here is a short list of helpful reminders when teaching children about personal boundaries --no matter how experience...

While allowing kids to fail feels messy and frightening, letting them learn from their mistakes helps them to become empowered, releasing the controlling hold of fear that paralyzes decisions and helps develop lasting, deep rooted accountability along with, ironically, building the self confidence that comes with personal autonomy and recovery from failure. Failure is a part of life. Some of the most successful people in this world have seen the ...

It's 5:10 pm. You were supposed to be at the park to meet the babysitter 10 minutes ago. But you're stuck at the grocery store waiting in line after rushing in to grab "just a few things"... with the 3-year old. Shockingly, Susie kept asking for candy after you specifically told her NO MORE CANDY. You're feeling defeated because you caved and gave Susie your cell phone to distract her. You're fumbling through your purse looking for your wallet. Y...

Some parents may be wondering when to start reading to their child. Both of my parents are educators – under their guidance, I learned the value of reading from an early age. Simply put, it is never too early to read to your child. In fact, studies have shown that introducing books beginning at 4 months increases the chance that parents will continue to read to their children throughout their childhood. There are ample benefits to reading early. ...

Growing up reading was my escape. Through reading I was able to travel to faraway places, learn about different cultures, and imagine living in different eras. I was allowed to be mischievous and go on adventures that would have been impossible otherwise. However, I always felt like a guest in the author's adventure, a "fly on the wall" per se. I never felt like I could be a supporting character let alone the protagonist of the story. I immigrate...

Children who have experienced trauma often react to both positive and negative feedback a bit differently than other children. Brookes Publishing discusses some ideas for teacher-student interactions on how to give both positive and corrective feedback. These ideas can also translate to how you respond in the home. For positive feedback, make it: Low-key and private . Use nonverbal signals like giving a thumbs-up, a hug or, jotting a few words on...

Losing a loved one is always a very hard and emotional experience. As parents, you might struggle with healing from your own grief, while also supporting your children. It's helpful to know how your child might respond and what you can do to strengthen them as much as possible. Here are a few ways that Stanford Children's Health reports children may respond: Denial, shock, confusion and anger Inability to sleep or nightmares Fear of being alone S...

New parents have a million things to worry about. From finding childcare to making sure their new baby is receiving the healthcare they need, new parents can sometimes be overwhelmed by all the new responsibilities they now have to juggle. Building attachment is just one of these new responsibilities that parents face with their babies. Attachment is when parents are able to interpret their baby's behavior and respond with compassion and care to ...

If you are the parent of a child with Autism, you likely have many days when you just feel tired. Parenting is exhausting as is, but parenting a child with special needs can be next-level difficult, and that difficulty is only increased if our child is also struggling to sleep at night. At least half of all children with Autism struggle with some sort of chronic sleep problem due to things such as sensory sensitivities, less natural melatonin pro...

Parents often feel as though they do not have any time to practice any kind of self-care. Although parents know that self-care is important , they may often feel that they aren't being a good parent if they take any time for themselves. They also may feel that with all of their parenting responsibilities, they simply do not have the time to practice any kind of self-care. The demands of raising children can keep parents thinking it difficult to i...

I remember when I was 12 my family went to a restaurant and the waiter asked me the classic question, "Do you want soup, or salad?". I had just graduated from the kids menu and wasn't used to that question, so misunderstanding what he said I responded very confused with, "yeah I'll have the super-salad…". Thinking he was going to bring me a ginormous salad. My answer obviously confused him, so he responded with, "so you want the salad then?", whi...

My two-year old son is crawling in my lap and my three-year old daughter is at pre-school. Frozen 2 is on the TV because it's my son's favorite movie and his older sister rarely lets him watch it, because siblings. This is relatively straightforward, but in one sentence I can point several things that hit that Mom Guilt Button. Screen time. Listen, I lie on the pediatrician questionnaire. I don't know how much screen time they get. It's not out o...

I remember sensing the guilt my mom had as she dropped my siblings and I off at the neighbor's house where she traded babysitting services. Both of my parents have worked full time since I can remember. Making the decision to have child care versus staying home can be a taxing choice for parents. There is so much to consider when deciding what will work best for your family's needs. Some of these decisions include; the cost of working outside the...

Children in today's hurried, high-tech world need structured, routine times when they can connect with their parents and siblings. One of the best ways to do that is family mealtimes. Many of us are so busy that we may feel if we are not multi-tasking all the time, we are not productive enough. We often multitask feeding our children by putting a meal down in front of them and then turning around to do dishes, move over a load of laundry, or take...

Memories and physical pictures remind me of my relationship with my dad. From sitting in the pew next to him in church or on the couch for a movie, dad wanted to squeeze my ears, arms and fingers.  As I grew up and became more aware of my dad's way of loving, I grew to hate physical touch. I shrunk from it. I claimed he made my ear lobes bigger. I resisted his effort to care in this manner. This took a toll on our relationship, which began t...

Whether you're considering homeschooling this coming year or plan to have the kids back in private or public school, there are a few important aspects to consider regarding their education. Often, I hear parents worry about their child's attention span. Some child development experts suggest that the average child should be able to concentrate on one task for 2-5 minutes multiplied by their age. So, an average 6-year old should be able to focus o...

The famous words of my childhood summer days were, "I'm bored." Often my mom would reply, "Read a book." Quickly I would snark, "No, I don't want to." The times in children's lives that are most unstructured, such as during a break from school, are the times we hear the word "bored" the most. About a month ago, I wrote a blogpost on " Alternatives to TV Time ." There I outlined the importance of self-directed independent play in child development...

As a parent, worrying about your finances every now and then is probably second nature, however, it is also something that you probably never want your child to experience. If you're hoping to instill financial wellness in your child at a young age, there are plenty of places for you to start. Consider the five tips below as you navigate raising your kids to be smart with their money. Educate Them Firstly, educating your kids on the topic of fina...

Know your limits As parents, we get pushed to our limits. The rollercoaster of parenthood takes us up, down, around, backward, and sometimes through flaming rings of fire. Often we may ask the question: am I going to survive this? The Window of Tolerance offers perspective into understanding one's own personal limits. Knowing one's own personal breaking points and how to rejuvenate can help parents keep their cool. What is the Window of Tolerance...

Raising children is so much more than a full-time job for parents — it's a lifelong adventure aimed at raising those children into healthy, happy, and productive adults. So, what's the secret to accomplishing this feat? There's not really one secret; after all, if there was, we would all be putting it to good use to nurture and protect our little ones. But there are some helpful resources and tools that can make life as a parent a little easier. ...