Preventing Tantrums

preventing trantrums

Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” in regards to fire prevention. If you’ve ever experienced a full fledged tantrum, you see how this advice might apply to tantrums. What we need is preventative parenting, the art of being able to say “yes” more often while gaining […]


Dealing With Meltdowns

Dealing With Meltdowns

Rage is one of the core emotional systems that kicks in when we feel like we are being physically or mentally restrained. Frustration is part of our core emotional system, as is anger. We have the ability to rage from birth as it acts as a type of energizer to get us to safety. Hold […]


Understanding Core Emotions

understanding core emotions

In her book, Animals Make Us Human, Temple Grandin asks the question: What does an animal need to be happy? Grandin lists five freedoms animals should have when in an intensive animal production situation: Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom from pain, injury or disease Freedom to express normal behavior Freedom from fear […]


Avoiding Transition Time Tears

avoiding transition time tears

“But, Daddy, I don’t want to go!” Moving from one event to another are difficult parenting and teaching situations. Our children are involved and concentrating on an activity, then life gets in the way. It’s bath time. It’s bedtime. Preschool is over. Daycare is closing. It’s time to get in the car. Resistance emerges. Tears […]


Do What You Say And Say What You Do

do what you say

“Throw rocks into the pool one more time and we’re leaving the party,” Jonathan’s parents told him. It was a surprise party for his grandparents’ anniversary. When Jonathan threw in the next handful of pebbles, nothing happened. Empty threats. It is an easy trap to fall into. We think if we mention the possible consequences […]


Gaining Cooperation

Gaining cooperation

“How many times have I told you…?” How would you complete the sentence? Perhaps one or several of these: Shut the door. Remember your lunch. Wash your hands. Set the table for dinner. Walk in the house. The list goes on and on. When we feel that our children are not listening to us—they become […]


Bottling The Whine

bottling the whine

Nothing can wear you down as quickly as a whining child. You may think you are patient, kind-hearted, understanding and virtuous beyond vocabulary. Five minutes with a whining child can make all those golden qualities evaporate. And let us not forget whiny adults. Whining isn’t just a youngster’s activity. Whining works. Which is why it […]


Happy Birthday Kids Talk!

Wow!  Happy Birthday, Kids Talk! This month we celebrate the tenth anniversary of Kids Talk. Ever since my dad worked for the Daily Oklahoman when I was two years old, I knew I wanted to write a newspaper column. Kids Talk is my dream come true. Column by column, blog post by blog post, the […]


Better Trickles Down

Better Trickles Down

As we learn and grow interesting events occur. Others around us grow and learn. We position ourselves to help others through our newfound knowledge and skills. One of my friends when I was ten years old received a new Monopoly game as a gift. Over the next year it sat on her shelf in the […]


Always Room For More

Always Room For More

As we learn and grow, there is always room for more. How can we say or believe that we can’t learn one more thing? Living requires that we learn more. If we are aware that learning is a necessity we can choose to engage positively in our personal growth versus experiencing the school of hard […]