By Kate Orson When it’s time to say goodbye to our child we may often hear the advice that it’s best to rush off even if they’re crying. Later we may be reassured by their caregiver that they stopped crying as soon as we left and were fine. However we may be worried that our
Having a power struggle at bedtime is hard on everyone. By using Playlistening, my son could save face and get to practice having some power in the situation, which small children rarely do.
When it comes to picky eating it can be hard to find a solution that is fun, connected and playful. On the one extreme we can simply let our child survive off yoghurt and spaghetti with tomato sauce, with underlying worries about their nutrition. On the other extreme we can try the ‘threat of starvation’
When our children express emotion why is it that we want those big feelings to go away, and why is it that crying or tantrums irk us so much? A big part of it may be how our own feelings were dealt with when we were younger.
a guest post by Skye Munro Being a parent is complex work. Figuring out how you want to raise your children is hard enough, then having to rethink those ideals when you realise it’s not all going to plan can send you spinning. Before having children I knew I wanted to be a “fun mom.”
I’ve found the last week quite hard. It could be the transition from having my partner around every day over Christmas and New year to being alone again with my daughter. The weather’s been wet and we’ve been home a lot just the two of us. I’ve struggled to be playful and give my daughter
By Kate Orson, Hand in Hand Parent We all want to live in a tidy house but it’s not easy with kids around. We have a lot of responsibilities in our busy lives, and it’s hard to enjoy chores. They probably didn’t seem fun when we were young, and we can pass on these negative
a guest post by Hannah Gauri Ma In trying to decide on a pre-school for my then 3-year-old I was feeling very torn. I had narrowed down my search to two co-op preschools in my area. There was the one my daughter, had already been in for the last year. It was very close to
Being a parent is hard work. It’s intense work. We shouldn’t be doing this work alone, but all too often, we find this to be the case in the modern world. When we parent alone, it brings up a lot of feelings which might include isolation, doubt, guilt, frustration, and inadequacy. And more! Most of
After a bit of laughter our child is often much more likely to co-operate with us without a power struggle. Here are ten awkward moments where laughter can save the day. Repeat as necessary until the giggles (or you!) are exhausted.
a guest post by Sarah MacLaughlin, LSW I have been in the field of education, child care, or social work for the past 20 years. I have spent my entire life working with young children and their families. This work, paired with hundreds of books, and many trainings on trauma, crisis intervention, behavior management, developmentally