A Guest Post by Yasmeen Almahdy If you want to set limits that your children actually listen to, doing what your parents did will not help. That is, if they yelled, nagged, bribed or sent you to your room for not complying. And if you remember how it felt when your parents issued those orders,
“When I first started my Hand in Hand Parenting journey, I used to wish for success stories. Fast-forward 4.5 years, and here I am to share my own. I hope this helps someone know that Hand in Hand really does work! For the second time in as many weeks, my 8-year-old son has shown some off-track
When my husband and I chose parenthood through adoption, I knew that I would be mothering a child who carried deep hurt. These days, children are generally removed due to adversity in their birth families, so trauma is inevitable. I did the reading and training in readiness for being the mum I wanted to be.
Hand in Hand Parenting Podcast for Parents, Episode 18: Rebuilding Hope When We Are Shocked or Scared by World Events When shocking events or natural disasters leave us raw and overwhelmed parenting can feel tougher than usual. Today Abigail and Elle share Hand in Hand’s ideas for caring well for ourselves and our children when events
When my daughter was five and a half, we decided to take our craft project outside on a gorgeous afternoon. As soon as she sat down, a big black spider jumped on her arm and bit her. She screamed in pain and ran back inside. I followed her and saw her arm was getting swollen.
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 hear those words. Boredom strikes when children become unstuck in their play. Perhaps they are
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 find a pretext to offload stress, whether that’s a small bump which causes a big
By Laura Minnigerode Carmela is 21 months old, and a student in my classroom in a community college lab school. Because she loves to play and is not as sleepy as many of the other children she usually struggles at nap-time. Often, the teachers in the classroom will tell substitutes and student teachers, “Carmela doesn’t sleep
The outburst happened immediately after my two children’s father brought them to my home. My twelve-year-old son wanted to use his father’s phone, but his sister wouldn’t share it. He screamed, “She always gets her way!” Then he went into a rage. I could tell straight away that this was a pretext, a reason he found
My daughter was a very capable girl at eight years old. She was smart, strong, clever, and so resourceful. But at the same time, she sometimes acted helplessly. As a single parent, it would drive me crazy when she needed help with the most basic of things. Sometimes, she would demand that I help her
Saying no can be hard. Some of us avoid saying it if we feel like we just don’t have the energy for another fight and we skirt around saying “No.” For others it brings up a lot of feelings. Feelings of resentment, guilt, anger or a general feeling of discomfort or unease. These feelings can coerce us
We were on our way home from a festival weekend where we had camped out. We’d been on the road for an hour or so. My 3-year-old daughter was busy drawing and I was sitting in the back seat with her. She started to get frustrated trying to write some letters. I offered to help,
A friend and I were spending our vacation together. Between us we had five children aged from three to six years old. It was their first time meeting. A few times I had perceived a little upset from my son, Lucas. One night, he had not wanted me to leave the room before he fell asleep, and
By Andrea McCracken As a parent, it can be difficult to remain objective and detached from the emotional storm cloud that erupts in our children. When my 6-year-old becomes emotional, it’s easy for me to be caught up in her big feelings, and mine. But watching how teachers at my child’s school respond to big