 Sooner or later, almost every child gets carried away by strong emotions. For some children, it’s an everyday occurrence. We parents can get carried away ourselves, especially when we have one or more children whose feelings erupt often, and
As they move from play dough to playground and from dress up to dodgeball, it may seem like our children spend their whole day playing. And that’s great. But some of the best ways to play will be the play
Our son is nearly three years old. He still goes through some separation anxiety when he’s without his mom. We usually put him to bed together, but the other night, my wife needed a break. So our routine began. I
My partner’s son has to do one hour of eye exercises each night. Needless to say they are the last thing he wants to do. To give my partner a break from the limit setting and listening that followed I
We all want our kids to come home from school chattering happily about their day, but that doesn’t happen too often. Separation can feel very different and very real for children, especially at the start of a school year, and
My three-year old daughter had been seeking quite a bit of connection from me for the last day or two. She had been employing all of the tactics we’ve developed over time to get me to snuggle her. Also, she
We’ve all had those mornings. The one that begins like nothing will ever be right again: “I do not want to get dressed. I want breakfast.” “I don’t want cereal. I want oatmeal.” “I wanted toast cut in triangles,
After 28 years of being together, my husband and I divorced. My son and two daughters were in their teens. The divorce and the years leading up to it had been very painful for each of us in the family.
I was excited to become a mother, but I didn’t have any idea what I was in for. I thought that parenting would be lots of love and gently guiding my child. I thought that if I was reasonable and
We work hard to help our children heal from separation anxiety. Lately I’ve been the one experiencing separation anxiety. After using the Hand In Hand Tools many times to help my now 8-year-old daughter heal from her own separation fears,
A Guest Post from Megha Mawandia In part one of this series on Parenting As a Team we talk about how to become more confident in making parenting decisions. Today we focus on an unexpected tool for diffusing tension: Play
A Guest Post from Megha Mawandia You may have heard the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” No doubt, it is a beautiful thing for a child to be able to spend time with different people, whether
We leave the children happily playing while we go stir a pot on the stove, and two minutes later they are busting into the kitchen, screaming and pointing fingers! We’ve all been there. Sibling rivalry comes with the territory when you
What happens to you when your child announces “I’m bored?” Despite research telling us that boredom is actually good for children – it can help foster creativity and independence – most of us try to rush into a solution when we
“I was lucky to get involved with Hand in Hand (then Parents Leadership Institute) when my children were aged 6, 3, and just-born, over twenty years ago. I was in quite a lot of stress, as we were trying to
With Laura Minnigerode You thought you’d covered everything. It’s late in the day, your baby is fed, healthy, and their diaper is changed, you’ve jiggled and jostled them until you are exhausted, and they are still crying. Or… You
A guest post by Laura Minnigerode Children’s brains are wired to connect with caregivers. And if they cry it means they feel especially safe and secure. Since a child’s limbic system works brilliantly to protect them, they will often
A guest post from Sabina Veronelli Do you sometimes feel like your child has suddenly become grumpy or distant, and you have no idea why? When pre-schooler Charlie starts ignoring his friends one day at preschool and seems distracted