It’s Sunday. Sunny and mild March foothills weather. Sunday is traditionally family day at our house. Today we are all here but doing our own thing. Mu husband is fixing a squeak on his mountain bike (specifically, rear-disc brakes, he just informed me.) My son is building his Lego MindStorms ping pong catapult for Science class. Before I sat down to write this post I
From the moment my son could grasp, he held a stick in his hand. As he grew, the stick became integral to his play. It took on the life of a sword, a knife, a light saber, a spear. I thought of these as healthy ways for him to express childhood curiosity towards power and and aggression. But then, the stick became a gun.
You’re trying hard to be consistent. You mean no when you say it. You’re holding to strong limits. You understand that parents are in charge, not children. But you’re not having ANY fun!! Time to add in some Guerrilla Lovefare. In Guerrilla Warfare, one of the main elements is that of surprise. But in Lovefare, instead of waging a secretive ambush, you use the
Not too long ago, I wrote a post about praising kids called The Harm in Praising Kids. A discussion followed on ways to show encouragement and be motivating without promoting the need for validation. Six simple words solve this dilemma beautifully. This concept comes from a blog post you should read by Rachel Macy Stafford who is the Hands Free Mama. I highly recommend her
Neither. But often both are working too hard. Parents are trying to adjust their parenting to every situation that arises. How exhausting. And kids are hardwired to take the reins if they can’t figure out who’s in charge. That’s exhausting for them because they don’t have the skills. All of this can create a tired, stressed family who aren’t having much fun. I’m in
Sometimes noise can build so slowly that you don’t even know why you are tense, unable to concentrate, and ready to scream louder than the noise you are hearing! The other day before my parent/child music class started, four good friends were holding hands, whipping up a circle, and whooping up their voices. They got louder and louder until it was uncomfortable. The nearby
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
