Parenting Amid Threats of War

(written in February 2002) We are in the midst of a challenging time, with the possibility of a new war looming. It’s a time to be listening and learning. This article will focus on the

Preparing Your Child for Surgery

Q. “It looks like my 21-month-old son would benefit from a surgical procedure. It would involve ½ hour of intravenous anesthesia, and would also involve him not being able to nurse the morning of the

How to Be Sick and a Mom

My daughter hates it when I’m sick. I try to maintain her routine as much as possible when I have a cold or a mild bug but this flu season really knocked me over. When

Answering Children’s Core Questions

Once they can speak, young children ask lots of questions. “What is on the moon?” “Why do we have to sleep?” “Do worms taste bad?” And a thousand other inquiries help children fill in their

Boy doesn't want to eat we find out why

Help for Picky Eaters

When you have a picky eater, the problem isn’t so much with food, it’s with your child’s feelings about food. This is news to many parents. It is not commonly mentioned in mainstream parenting advice.

NAEYC Presentation “Helping Families with Stress”

I recently gave a presentation at the Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children with Shelley Macy, Hand in Hand Certified Instructor and Coordinator for Early Childhood Education at Northwest

Can Play Help With Bedwetting?

Q. “My five-year-old can’t seem to stay dry at night. We’ve tried and tried, and nothing I do seems to work. They feel bad when they wet the bed, I try not to bother them

Potty Training Experience – Staylistening

In Potty Training Experience: Playlistening, we explored the healing role that laughter can play when a child has unworkable fears. The mother who wrote in had a three-and-a-half year old daughter who was absolutely terrified

Separation Anxiety Recovery

Children thrive on connection with their parents. Their need for a sense of connection is strong and constant through childhood. It is this sense of safety and connection that allows children to learn at a

The Time Crunch: Mending Our Lives

It’s probably safe to say that nearly every parent is time-poor. We need time to connect well with each child, time to tend relationships with our partners and our wider families, time to tend our

The Day I First Partnered with My Child

The day that changed my life didn’t start out promisingly at all. My almost three-year-old son had pinkeye in both eyes. His eyes were really gunky, and he didn’t feel well. I managed to gather

Do Children Manipulate Their Parents?

“Silly question!” you might exclaim. “Of course children manipulate their parents! My children do it all the time, and it drives me crazy!” We tend to call it manipulation when a child looks at us,

How to Help Your Child Deal with Shyness

Each child comes into the world with a different set of potential characteristics. As parents, our challenge is to find ways to work with, and celebrate, the people our children are. Some children are slow

We’re Doing Our Best

I’m struck again and again by how hard each parent I know tries to do well by his child. We make great efforts, moment by moment and day by day. Once the efforts begin, we

Ending Power Struggles with Children

Sooner or later in our lives as parents, we find ourselves locked in a power struggle with our child. It can happen over being fed with a spoon when a baby is just a year old.

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