Almost summer! Here you go.You’re headed out on the road with the kids. Sure, you can put a movie into a player and that’s an easy two hours. But what about creating memories? I feel disconnected from my child if the whole trip is spent staring into our portable devices. When I was a kid (ha! there’s that line!), boredom brought about invention. We
The benefits of music are vast and impactful. Maybe not all parents have gotten the word. For example, I hear some version of this all too often: Parent: We’re trying to decide between gymnastics and music. Me: I love gymnastics. But it’s NOT music. Or a parent may say, “My child is losing interest in music.” With most everything in life worth doing, there are
When have you felt such overwhelming love for your child, even amidst anger, disappointment, or frustration? How much do we have to grow ourselves up to rise to this amazing feat of parenting? ~~~~~ School Morning near the End of Kindergarten by Beth Kelley Gillogly I just feel so thankful this morning, she said. I want to thank you and daddy for being my parents. I
Parenting is a job thrust upon untrained workers. Parents often look to other parents for tools. I call it Over-the-Fence Parenting as I am reminded of my mother leaning over the fence to talk with her neighbor about the latest recipes, mothering issues, and neighborhood news. Later, when I saw films of tribal women talking together as they worked, I would think of my
You’ve heard about all the research. Media kills brain cells. Children who play video games do worse in school. Creativity is thwarted by media. So you limit. You restrict. You answer with a no more often than a yes. There is tension and raised voices. You BATTLE. A common outcome is for the parent to impose a limit or a punishment onto the child.
Check out my guest post on Music Teaching and Parenting’s site. It’s all about Rhythm and what it can do for you and your child: Click HERE to see more.
I’m so pleased to introduce Fern Weis of Your Family Matters. She is a certified coach helping parents of teens to change silence to sharing, apathy to responsibility and to raise them to confident, self-sufficient adulthood. As the founder of Your Family Matters, she works with parents privately, in groups, and leads a variety of in-person and virtual workshops. She is also a middle school teacher,
What? Brownies? I know you thought this site was about children’s behavior. Well, kids need lots of vitamins and minerals to help their brains learn – and the brain gets really involved in learning new behaviors. So that brain needs good fuel. My son likes white foods. He’s one of those. Been that way he was a very little guy. At ten, there’s more
I’m excited to share this guest post by Angel Rodriguez of Wise Learners. He is an educator with over 17 years of experience in early childhood education. He currently works as a Parent Instructional Support Coordinator for the largest school system in Georgia, specializing in brain-based learning. He’s also served as a foster parent to children with severe physical, emotional, and mental disabilities. He’s
I love how much easier music makes everything. Here are FOUR surefire ways to use music to make your parenting life easier. 1. Find a Signature Song First pick an easy go-to song that you can use for most everything. It saves you from running through a list in your head, trying to decide, and most likely, missing the moment where a song was
