Special Time is Special
I have a short anecdote that really showed me how important Special Time is, no matter how humdrum it may seem from the outside from time to time. This summer we had planned a visit
Staylistening at Bedtime: Letting a Child Have Feelings About Separation
Eventually I said, “OK, you go to sleep now. Do you remember that I love you?” He said, “OK! Yes. Do you remember I love you?” I said yes, and he yawned. I sat for
How to See When Your Child is Disconnected
I was teaching a Playful Parenting class one night and the topic was how we notice when our children are disconnected. One mom volunteered to come up and demonstrate what her son acts like when he
Offering Support to A Challenged Infant
My grandson kept having life-threatening emergencies–it took a good while to get him stabilized. I stayed right beside him, talking him through it all. Drugged up on morphine, he kept one eye open finding my
Try A Weekend of Special Time To Help Problem Behavior
Often times my son will walk by his siblings and push them down or punch them on their backs or yell in their faces. If they are doing something that irritates him, he will get
Playlistening to Get Through the Morning Rush
It was one of those mornings that are really hard to start. My youngest (6 at the time), was sleeping in more than usual, and I was also dragging myself around the morning routine. By the
The “Wrong” Sippy Cup
Last night, my son (27 months) was having a typical evening, in a pretty good mood generally but, as usual, resisted having his teeth brushed. I brushed them just a little bit, let him brush
I Love You No Matter What Feelings You Are Having
It felt like an MFA in parenting! I think he really got the message that I love him and accepted his feelings and would not punish him for sharing them. Which now I realize I
Sleep Issues: Helping My 5-year-old Sleep on Her Own
My habit had been to lay down with my five-year-old daughter at bedtime until she was asleep, which often took half an hour or more. She would fall asleep fairly easily when others put her
Helping an Adopted Child with Night Waking
We adopted our daughter at birth but due to the state’s adoption laws and her case of jaundice, she was confined to the hospital nursery for 5 days. We had limited access to her during
Listening Helps my Daughter
She started to cry on and off, and I tried to remember if anything had happened that might have upset her.
Wanting Mama
She has a strong mama “preference” and almost never chooses to be with me rather than with her mother.
Carpool Playlistening
Due to a budget cut, we don’t have a school bus at our school. So my neighborhood organized a carpool when our children entered kindergarten. It saves gas, time and creates a sweet sense of
Listen, Limit, Listen
I sat there thinking how Mother’s Day was an hour away, I would be getting up at 7 and driving to South San Francisco with my daughter and right now I am probably the absolute
Listening Through a Family Change
Given the morning conversation, I kept telling her that both mummy and daddy love her, that she was safe and that we would both continue to look after her.
My Child’s Crying Helped With A Major Accident
All in all, it was 8 hours of really hard crying, perspiration, and tears. I could smell his body odor—he worked up a heavy sweat.
Laughter Eases the Way to Brushing Teeth
Now, that it was time to brush teeth and go to bed, they were not in the mood.
Supporting a Child – and her teacher – in School
After the listening time I began to think of how the teacher must feel. If she was calling the children crybabies, she must not be feeling very good herself.