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...

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. ...

  If you have already read Part 1 of Early Childhood: Sexual Behavior, you know that two very big topics were left to Part 2: How to promote healthy boundaries and communication with trusted adults, and What you (the parent) should do when something is troubling regarding your child's sexual behaviors. Since these topics can be quite broad and lengthy, we will go over them superficially and generally. For more in-depth information, plea...

  We all know it's part of human nature and development, but many questions are associated with self-touch and sexual behavior in young children. It's a sensitive topic for parents for many reasons: religious beliefs and personal values, inexperience in explaining body development and appropriate behaviors with children, uncertainty around what is typical at this young age range, and others.  Though we cannot expound on all reasons list...

I was reading an article the other day that talked about studies in favor of toddlers sincerely enjoying and wanting opportunities to help those around them. After finishing the article, I wondered, "where does all that 'helping spirit' go when they get older?" And why is it that some older children are more willing to help than others-- why do some children have more intrinsic motivation? The Deets on Motivation Motivation is generally categoriz...

The Eight Sensory Systems "It's too loud! Can you turn down the volume?" "No hugs! Stop touching me!" "If he keeps eating, he's going to gag himself again!" "Why is he rocking back and forth?" Have you ever heard these phrases? If you have, you are probably familiar with sensory processing. Without us knowing it, our bodies perform infinite amount of processes within seconds to keep us alive, one of them being the process of deciphering sense sig...

One of the most inspiring ideas I learned about in college was the idea of "emotional coaching." I remember feeling overwhelmed with this practice and asking myself "how am I supposed to emotionally coach a child when I struggle to understand and navigate through my own emotions?" Perhaps, you may feel similar thoughts and fears about emotional coaching, I want to look more into why emotional coaching is important and simple steps that can help m...

I love training in martial arts. There's something really fulfilling for me to be able to master a new technique while getting a really great workout in. One aspect of martial arts that I really connect with is the need to breathe. We all struggle with different challenges. We are all more capable of handling life's challenges a little bit easier if we can just breathe. Gentri, Help Me Grow's Call Center Manager, wrote an amazing article on Copin...

As a Parent Support Specialist, one of the most common concerns that I hear about are tantrums. Often irrational, unpredictable, and unpacifiable, it comes as no surprise to me that tantrums can be so concerning to parents that are simply trying their best to keep their child happy and breathing. What is a parent to do when it appears that their child is the only one crying on the floor in the grocery store, or when they seem to still throw a tan...

What's behind a tantrum? When a toy goes missing, when their cookie falls on the floor, when another child won't share. In a toddler's world, moments like these can result in every parent's nightmare: a tantrum. Hidden behind these intense reactions to life experiences is the process of recognizing what emotions are, and how to regulate them. While these experiences can be frustrating, and sometimes embarrassing, there are ways we as parents can ...

As a parent support specialist with Help Me Grow Utah, I sometimes get asked questions regarding receiving an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Frequent questions often sound like: Does Help Me Grow screen for autism? My pediatrician administered the M-CHAT to my child and it said he is at high risk-- doesn't that count as a diagnosis? My child just received an autism diagnosis-- what does she need now? For any parent that has similar que...

Have you ever noticed how life has a tendency to throw all sorts of unexpected twists and turns, especially at the least convenient times? I've heard enough experiences to know that this doesn't just happen to me; everyone has their own story. It's often hard for me (but really, most adults as well) to deal with these types of challenges. Imagine what it's like for a child! Yet we often have huge expectations of our children at their first sign o...

Your child's day is filled with noise, motion and lights. From TVs blaring, phones buzzing and more, their days can be filled with devices and distractions. These distractions make the brain work harder. A National Safety Council white paper said , "Human brains do not perform two tasks at the same time. Instead, the brain handles tasks sequentially, switching between one task and another." Over time, these distractions cause stress, decrease pro...

It can be surprising, frustrating, and worrisome when your child first lies to you. It can also be really hard to know how to respond! Lying is actually a normal and necessary part of a child's development. Though parents should teach their children to be honest from a young age, they shouldn't be too concerned when their child begins to tell lies, because it's a normal part of childhood that every child goes through. Only one-third of three-year...