Category Archive:
Great parenting tips

Learning to Engage

Learning to engage

Knowing and not doing, is really not to know at all.  To truly know and experience something, we must engage.  We can watch all the football games in the world, but until we learn to throw an accurate pass, run past a halfback, or have been tackled, we really don’t know football, we only know […]


Learning To Set Goals

learning to set goals

Goal setting seems to be an adult-oriented skill set. How do we help our children learn to set goals? Having given adult workshops on goal setting, I realize that many adults lack basic understanding on how to formulate goals along with the strategic and tactical steps to achieve a goal. In my elementary classroom my […]


Learning To Be Good At Doing Things

learning to be good at doing things

Recently I read an article by a father of a three-year-old boy discussing his son’s prowess in the kitchen, and what a surprising amount of tasks his son could accomplish—washing vegetables, stemming mushrooms, cracking eggs and kneading dough. The dad observed, “I’m not pushing him. He’s pushing himself.” Our under seven’s are in a developmental […]


Creating Clear Expectations for Our Children

creating clear expectations

“Last night Dustin asked me what rules we had at home. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t have a ready answer. Dustin told me, ‘At school we have these rules, Mommy. Choose your work. Don’t touch anybody’s work. Work at a rug or table. And put your work away when you’re finished.’ See, even […]


Don’t Be a Dolt

don't be a dolt

“I can’t tell you ’cause you’re a dolt.” Kenny said through his sniffles. “A dolt?” I thought. What did I do to be called a dolt by a kindergartner in my Sunday school class? I took a deep breath and ventured into unknown territory. “Kenny, what do you mean, a dolt?” “You know, a grown-up.” […]


The Power of Touch

power of touch

We all need a certain amount of attention from others to thrive and survive. The late Virginia Satir, a family therapist, said that we need four hugs a day to survive, eight hugs per day to stay at a strong emotional level and twelve a day to grow. Unfortunately in our busy world, the time […]


Dealing with Tantrums

dealing with tantrums

The day that your child turns red then blue while writhing on the floor in an attempt to get his or her way, is a day when you earn perhaps your first parenting medal, “valor under stress.” Joan, a mother of two, related to me her ordeal of a temper tantrum with three-year-old, Robbie. “It […]


Know Your Children By Their Likes and Dislikes

know your children by their likes

What’s your child’s favorite food? Color? Outfit? What does your child dislike? Preferences give important insights into our personalities. For the child who is agreeable in most situations, we have smooth sailing. The child who expresses strong preferences, though, can push us to the limits of our patience. How long can we listen to…I don’t […]


In a Twitter

The most important help to life we can offer to our children is to provide opportunities to develop concentration and independence. With the development of concentration and independence, our children can take these strengths and apply them to any activity they wish to pursue. With concentration and independence a subset of other skills comes along, […]


Kids Love Monkey Bread

kids love monkey bread

As the Christmas holidays and our winter season begin, a nice warm yummy treat to share creates fun and memories. One of my favorite activities for those cold dark afternoons of winter is to whip up a batch of Monkey Bread with my favorite group of monkeys, who affectionately call me Momma Monkey or Ms. […]