Month: June 2016

Sometimes the Answer Just Has To Be “No”

By Andrea McCracken As parents, we often fight with the idea of saying “no” to our children, especially if it means a big upset in public. But sometimes the behaviour that is driving us batty is because children need a definite “no” to push back from. And sometimes the best thing they can do is to push

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Why Tantrums Happen and How You Can Help…Part 2

Tantrums Can Lead to Revealing Core Issues Some explosions that look like tantrums are directly connected to big, scary feelings that the child has internalized but not yet offloaded. They remain stored inside her, with lots of little trip wires holding them in place. When life is good and safe, and a small difficulty arises,

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When Kids Words Hurt

“She’s viciously swearing, venomously shouting horrible things” I explain to my Listening Partner. I am relating the story of my morning; a repetitive recurring interaction between me and my 6 year old daughter. I am talking to my Listening Partner – an acquaintance I speak with weekly. We’ve agreed to give each other 10 minutes

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Why You Should Let Them Cry Before Bed

By Andrea McCracken   Usually my 3-year old daughter is quite agreeable and adaptable but she had been showing off-track behavior at bedtime for a few nights. What does off-track behavior look like? Playing at bedtime, or getting frustrated easily. Getting in and out of bed. That sort of thing. Then, one night, we had an

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A Bedtime Game Can Help When You Want Your Child To Sleep Solo

You may have dreamed that co-sleeping would be cozy but then found yourself tossing and turning, or you may have dreaded it and still ended up with tiny toes tickling your nostrils each morning. If having children in bed with you isn’t working out, for whatever reason, you might have to help your child through

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Games to Help Your Older Child Feel Special - Tackling Sibling Rivalry

The Death Question: When Your Child asks “Will you die?”

Children become aware of death at a young age, sometimes younger than we’d expect or are comfortable with. So when your child asks “will you die?” it can be hard to deal with. The son of a Hand in Hand Mom first showed his concerns through play. We were having special time and I was

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What to do When your Child is a Sore Loser

By Andrea McCracken One afternoon my two daughters ‘E’ and “K’ had finished up eating and wanted to play. We settled on bingo, but as the game progressed, E determined that she wasn’t going to win the game and clearly did not like it. From that moment on, a dark cloud came over our fun

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This is What It Sounds Like When Moms Cry

    It was Friday, the last working day in a long week and frustrating things just kept happening. Some were to do with my family – like my son refusing to do his homework and some were to do with me – like not being able to publish my articles sooner. The need to cry and release

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When Special Time got Me Soaked

I’d returned from a very rare trip to the hair salon in a good mood, and I found my son ready and waiting with a request to go out and play with his water gun. It had been snowing heavily for days and I felt that I couldn’t agree. I set the limit, but then

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Listening: One Simple Question that Blew My Mind

If you could have a break from parenting, what would it look like? “I imagined myself taking this long, unhurried walk by myself. I made up the scene as it came into my mind: How I would find this one, perfect quiet spot, and just sit there, noticing everything around me.”

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One Way to Set a Limit With an Aggressive Child

Hand in Hand’s Laura Minnigerode uses a special limit setting tool called a vigorous snuggle with a child that scratches and grabs. The warmth and smiles she uses while saying “no,” diffuses anger and fosters connection. Here’s how to set a limit with affection even when a child has aggression.

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Ever felt ‘Not Good Enough’?’

    A guest post by Skye Munro of Nurturing Connections Recently I had the privilege of sharing my passion for connected parenting with over 200 Early Childhood professionals. But right until they entered the room I was plagued with a case of the ‘What if’s”… What if I forget what I want to say?

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In the Eye of The Storm: How To Stay through Staylistening

It can be hard to stay with your child through an intense crying session, especially if you child runs off or tells you to go away. Here’s how Hand in Hand’s Heidi Grainger Russell rode out her son’s big feelings about garbage recycling and his grandmother moving in right next door. Last summer my mother

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Power Play: What to Do When Play Turns Bad

  Children’s playful giggles and laughter can soon boil over and frenzied excitement erupts into power struggles, arguments and aggression. So how can you step in safely to diffuse a play situation headed south? Hand in Hand’s Heidi Grainger Russell explains how a burst of spontaneous Playlistening saved a recent play session from turning sour. What would you do?

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Saying “Sorry” Replay

Join Certified Hand in Hand Instructors Rachel Schofield and Roma Norriss as they show you how we can help kids take responsibility for their actions and give heartfelt apologies, that have an impact on others, while navigating social expectations. Looking for more resources on how to help your kids with making that heartfelt apology? Take a

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Wired to Connect: Discipline Shouldn’t Hurt

Discipline doesn’t need to hurt to be effective. In fact, it’s more effective when the child has a deep attachment to you. The end goal is to provide him with the skills, tools, and motivation to reach his fullest potential.

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Light in the Dark: Helping Your Angry Child

Earlier that night my daughter had shown us some big feelings by screaming and crying when I set a limit for no more cookies.  Now, even though it was late and much past her bedtime, I could still see we still had work to do. My daughter has a huge capacity for emotion. Just the

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15 Playful Ways To Get Children To Walk

Need help getting anywhere with a little one in tow? When our kids first learn to walk, they may be so determined it’s hard to stop them. However once the novelty wears off there may be moments when we’re on our way somewhere and they get grumpy, whiny and don’t want to walk on there own.

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