Children under the age of seven are in a developmental period for creating social relationships. Children want to connect and develop bonds of trust, respect and love with the people around them. Children are designed to want to connect positively with the adults in their lives. Children are naturally motivated to love. Unfortunately, the dynamics […]
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Great parenting tips
The Myth Of Sharing
Parents, picture this scene: Your folks stop by to visit with two people you don’t know, but are close to your age. Your dad says, “Give me your car keys, please. John saw your new car and he wants to take it for a spin. I know you’d want to share. Oh, and Sue wants […]
Imagination In The Young Child
Imagination is the ability to visualize something that is not physically present. Infants have little if any imagination. If the familiar is gone, distress and tears usually follow. A new situation, such as being left alone, can be painful to the child until the child learns that this situation is safe or parents return. Experiences, […]
Children Seek To Create A Flow Of Activity
Up. Down. Up. Down. Eight-month-old Dana stood holding onto the coffee table doing deep knee bends. Day after day, over two hundred at a time, perhaps thousands a day. In amazement, I watched as Dana tirelessly exercised. There was no way I could do a thousand deep knee bends in a day, or at least […]
The Child Is Always Becoming
Whether we know it or not, each of us is on a continuum of growth. Not being open to growth and change, though, can make us falter on our journey through life. We all know people who have eddied out of the flow of life. They appear stuck in a routine and can’t seem to […]
Pull An Art Box Out Of Your Hat
“I’m so bored. There’s nothing to do.” The-Rainy-Day-It’s-Too-Hot-Summer-Blahs. Every year the blahs hit, and every year parents and grandparents wish they were more prepared. Get ready by having a special art box organized and ready to pull out on short notice. For a small investment, about the cost of taking four people to the movies, […]
Add A Little Drama
Summer is upon us and ideas for vacation fun can start to run low after a couple of weeks. One of our perennial favorites for serious merriment is the drama box. Our drama box began with remnants of Halloween costumes, old dress shoes (cowboy boots and red sparkle heels!), and a forgotten black dress. From […]
Lighten Up
Thank goodness for my mother-in-law. Her sense of humor has always been helpful. Years ago, my in-laws came to stay with the girls, then four and five, for a few days while my husband and I headed off on a company sponsored trip. This five-day trip was the first time we had been away more […]
Dealing With Bullying
“Do you have any suggestions for me to share with a parent on how to help her child deal with a bully in school?” asked Mary, a grandmother and teacher. Bullying seems to be getting a lot of media time recently. Many schools and other organizations are creating programs to try to combat these mean-spirited […]
Five Dangerous Behaviors
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi We have all experienced the person. The person with the negative attitude whose dark cloud metastasizes throughout a relationship, family, business or community, bringing discord, disorder and disaster. In order to maintain harmonious relationships, Stephen Covey in The 8th Habit says […]