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
We all know that food and drink are essential for humans to survive. Connection is less thought about. But humans are wired for connection. When your child comes off the slide with a bump, what is the first thing he
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
In his fantastic book, The Opposite of Worry, Lawrence Cohen introduces us to what anxiety in children looks like, and what we can do to help. He covers a great deal of current theory in a clear, accessible, and practical way,
Yesterday my 8-year-old daughter had a friend playing at our house all day. There were lots of arguments and power struggles over their play. It wasn’t going well. The other girl said that she wanted to go home a few
It’s the beginning of the school year, and as surely as leaves will drop, so will the homework. Pages and pages of it. Sometimes whole binders worth. Homework can be the source of many arguments, and I wanted to take
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,
“Mom! He’s being mean to me.” “She’s weird. I don’t want to play with her.” “They never give me a turn.” “He won’t let us climb the tree.” “She always gets to go first! Just because she’s the oldest…” You
Do you know that expression “I used to be a perfect parent, then I had kids?” I think that perfectly describes how sure I was that my children would not play with weapons. After all, what better way to keep
We know that play is a child’s work.The best play provides opportunities for fun, and also chances to build intelligence. Because good play has the power to help children laugh through fears and address their issues, and get connected to
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
Parenting can be all encompassing. It can seem to take us an age to figure out what we can accept and what our boundaries are at home, and then bam! We have to leave the house. What happens when
Dear Hand in Hand, My child is having serious aggression issues at school. She’s been acting out a lot. Her teachers tell me she throws tantrums and she cries loudly when she gets told off. I’m not sure how to
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
My daughter has just turned 8, and as she’s grown I’ve become increasingly frustrated when she doesn’t help around the house. When she doesn’t help tidy up, I start to feel like a ‘slave.’ It’s not a great feeling. I