Do you dread the stress that comes from your family? Here’s how you can use Listening Time to start building better times together.
Do you ever feel unsure about how to respond to your child? Whether it’s a request they make of you or, like instructor Michelle Hartop shares in this post, an idea they have for play,
On the playground one child is crying because he can’t get the sand off his hands and he hates the feeling. A second child is yelling “Higher! Higher!” as her dad pushes her on the
When I signed up for Special Time, I wasn’t sure I signed up for days like this. But now I see that leaning in when Special Time feels hard or challenging is a gift that
“Are we there yet?” “How much longer?” “Stop kicking the seat!” “Leave your brother alone!” “But he’s sticking his tongue out at me!” “I’m soooo bored!” Car rides, whether they’re five minutes or five hours,
I just wanted her to nap. My energy was spent and getting her to sleep was my sole agenda. Unfortunately, my cheerful, “Time for nap” was met with her “No” as she continued playing on
by Michelle Hartop Thunder. Bees. Slides. Broccoli. Escalators. Tests. There is no shortage of things that can send our child into minor avoidance or full-on terror. As a parent, we want to help our child
A Guest Post by Michelle Hartop I picked up my seemingly happy seven-year-old from school one day, but by the time we got in the car to drive home, she was filled with frustration and
A Guest Post by Michelle Hartop My daughter’s manners got lost somewhere between 5 and 6 years old. Once the reigning “thank-you queen,” by school-age, she seemed bothered even receiving a gift, let alone actually
A Guest Post by Michelle Hartop My partner’s son has to do one hour of eye exercises each night. Needless to say they are the last thing he wants to do. To give my partner
When my daughter was around 4 or 5, she had a friend over for a playdate. The girls were playing very well for a while until they pulled out the dress-up clothes. “I’m the
My patience was dwindling at an alarming rate and I found my mind filled with lectures I wanted to shout at the kids. I knew I was going to “flip my lid” soon if I didn’t reach out for help for myself. I was just too frustrated to support the kids well.
As parents, we do so much to support our children in their happiness. We make sure to get just the right balance of peanut butter and jelly on their sandwich, stock their favorite cereal, keep
Parents have full and busy lives. It’s easy to become stressed and overwhelmed with the tasks for our day and easier still to want to move at lightning speed to “just get it done.” Yet, the more we try to push through our day, while dragging our kiddos along, the more we set the stage for a meltdown after we’ve left the house.
I had just spent the prior week talking (i.e. stressing) about how much I should hold a limit around my daughter’s following through with activities. Should I just let her quit when she’s afraid or nervous? When is it time to push and when do I step back?
