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.
My three-year-old son has a lot of anxiety around getting shots. He gets extremely agitated beforehand.
For my daughter, getting her hair washed has been an emotional project. She usually has a tantrum at the mere suggestion that hair washing might be on the agenda.
I could let my son continue to show me his impulse to interfere with his sister and I didn’t have to yell at him or tell him he was a “bad” kid. I knew there was nothing wrong with my son just because he wasn’t feeling connected and his impulse control was impaired. He needed connection first, before he could have good impulse control.
Maybe it’s not-so-easy to have that first sleepover. But so easy to have some kind of parental amnesia! Ugh. I was immediately wondering if we were going to need to turn right back around and pick up the kids and then turn around again to go home.
a guest post from Stephanie Parker When my daughter was three she started pinching and biting me. I was pretty shocked as she’d never done anything like that before. I tried setting a limit and
This really helped each boy to feel more confident and in control and not so tight and stuck in being able to share the chair and other toys with each other during the playdate.
My 6-year-old daughter and I go swimming once a week together. She normally loves this time and looks forward to it, but one weekend she didn’t want to go at all. As it was our
We were on holiday—and it was full on, with lots of new things to see and do. There was no routine, and Grandma and other people were always with us. So it is no wonder
Part 1: Playlistening With Balloons My son loved playing with balloons when he was in control, but he had long been afraid of other people playing with balloons. He didn’t like the sounds balloons made
My son had been through periods of using his small potty, but for some reason, he had become resistant. I tried putting him in underwear, hoping the natural consequences would help him learn, but it
We were surrounded by foam peanuts. I don’t know how anyone can be oblivious to foam peanuts on the floor, but she was! She was talking happily to me about this, that, and the other, with a big smile on her face, when I felt this really strong urge to take some of those peanuts and throw them at her. So, I picked up a bunch of them in my hand and, in slow motion, with some soft dramatic noises, I slowly inched my way toward her with the foam peanuts.
First I started carrying all 48 lbs. of her in front of me. When that became too much, I shifted her to piggy back. It wasn’t long before that became too much for me. I knew I had to figure out a creative way to help her feel independent and capable but not feel like I was pushing her away. This would be a perfect time for Playlistening.
Every night after dinner, around 7:30 pm I play with my daughter, 4, and my son, 2. They decide where we will play and what they want to do. They have been choosing to play
At the end of one day during my sons’ school break, I needed to go buy some food. So, my six-year-old and nine-year-old sons and I stopped at a supermarket. Things went well initially, though