Some Kids Need More Specific Guidance and Instruction

Some of us can pick up general ideas and others of us seem to be able to figure out what needs to be done or what is expected of us. As parents, we may have children like that or we may have children who need more direct instruction, minimal choices and specific guidance. If we can realize that everyone is different and adjust our parenting to be more specific, we may have better results! I am thinking of not only children, but also people I have worked with. There have been those with whom I found communicating a breeze and … Continue reading →

It can be a GOOD Thing we can’t Change our Kids

I can get as frustrated as the next parent that my children will not just settle down and do what I want them to. After all, I just KNOW that I often know what is best for them and I am convinced that if they would just listen to me and change—they would be happier individuals. I could save them so much pain and suffering. Of course, I imagine that my own mother probably felt the same way and parents have been trying to steer and change their children forever. There must be a reason that we really cannot change … Continue reading →

When You’re All Stressing Each Other Out

As “the Mom” I tend to think of family life and the things my kids do in the perspective of “how are they affecting me.” For example, I am quick to report when my kids are doing or saying things that stress me out, but I forget that I do things that stress them out too. There are then those really charged times when we all seem to be bouncing off each other and stressing EACH OTHER out… My eldest daughter is graduating from high school in a matter of days. I have written before that her personality and my … Continue reading →

What to Do with Night Owls—Part Two

We’ve talked about kids who get up early in the morning and started to talk over some of the reasons that children might be having a hard time getting to sleep at night. If your child is just a biological night owl, however, your task as a parent may not be to change them, but to figure out how to make family life more livable for everyone in your household. For those of us who get tired or need to get up and head off to school or work in the morning, staying up with an energetic night owl is … Continue reading →

What to Do with Night Owls—Part One

Earlier today, I wrote about some suggestions for adjusting to a child who likes to get up early in the morning—just a few ideas for ways to keep the child safe and entertained when he or she insists upon getting up before the rest of the household. Some of those same ideas can work for those night owls too—but often mom and/or dad are still up and trying to have a “grown-up” evening or night while the child is bouncing off the walls too. Entertaining a night owl, or trying to get him or her to settle down for the … Continue reading →

What to Do with Early Risers?

Parents of those early risers often spend a great deal of time trying to maneuver and manipulate their child’s sleep schedule to force them to sleep late. After a while, many of us give up and learn to accept and adjust to the various sleep schedules in our homes. Instead of trying to change those early morning preschoolers, it might be a better idea to figure out what to do with them to keep them safe and get the morning off to a good start… I just want to clarify that I am not talking so much about babies here. … Continue reading →

Stubborn or Strong-Willed?

I have written before about how all three of my children are pretty strong-willed and opinionated. Recently, while talking with another parent, he kept referring to his child as willfully stubborn; I realized that depending on how you view it, that tenacity can either be spun in a positive or a negative way… I think it helps to consider a child’s motivation and try to keep an eye on the big picture. A child who is strong-willed and able to stick up for himself, may have a leg-up in life as he gets older. It might be challenging for a … Continue reading →

The Curious Child

Curiosity is a good thing, right? For those of us who have had one or more super-curious children, we might not be so sure. Of course we want our children to have a healthy interest in the world, but what do you do when you are raising an incredibly curious child? How do you keep her intellectually stimulated, answer all those questions, and keep her safe at the same time? Most children have a natural interest in the world around them and are eager to head off exploring as soon as they are able. This is why we are all … Continue reading →

Do You Need to be More (or Less) Logical?

While I have always had a strong vein of logic running through me, I think I have become somewhat more detached and appreciative of logical reasoning as I’ve gotten older. Meanwhile, with three kids of very different temperaments, I have also had to learn that some respond well to logic and others need a little less of it… The truth is, some kids respond really well to logic. This can be challenging for a parent who is a little more on the intuitive or emotional side of things. These kids need to know the cause and effect of things and … Continue reading →

Real Live Kids (Not Television Actors)

I have found that friends and acquaintances that do not have kids often have an unrealistic expectation of what life with children is like. My opinion is that they have 1. forgotten what it is like to be a kid themselves and/or 2. been unduly influenced by movie and television children who are extra-cute, extra-brilliant, or extra-obnoxious. Those of us who have taken the parenting road know, however, that real live children are really nothing at all like television characters… Sometimes my kids are cute, sometimes they seem like the most brilliant people on earth, and sometimes they are pretty … Continue reading →