Tag Archives: attention

Single Parents are Devoted Parents Too

Combating the myth of the neglectful and self-absorbed single parent seems to be at least a small part of every single parent’s existence. Sure, there are lousy single parents just as there are lousy partnered parents. While we might not be able to change and control what everyone thinks about us and about single parenthood as a whole, we can find and surround ourselves with those people that can see single parents as devoted and competent parents too… It amazes me that this myth prevails and is perpetuated by so many different people in different areas of life. I have … Continue reading →

How Do You Get a Deaf Dog’s Attention When He’s Not Looking at You?

Who knew my friend asking me an innocent question the other night about the little deaf puppy she’d adopted would spark so many questions on my end? But it did, because I’ve never had a dog with a disability and I couldn’t help but wonder, “What would you do in X, Y, and Z circumstances?” For instance, I wondered how you’d train a deaf dog? Turns out, it’s not all that much different from training a hearing-able pooch. Sure, you do have to rely more on hand signals, but you can be creative! Either with inventing your own hand signals … Continue reading →

Is There Anything We Can Do if Our Kids are “Under-Fathered” (or Under-Mothered)?

One of the biggest challenges for a single parent is trying to “make up” for the fact that we have only one parent in the home. We work hard to make sure that our children have the best possible lives and to counter society’s ideas and the affects that a crisis or trauma might have brought on our families. Many of us also work hard to share custody or keep the other parent involved in our child’s lives despite our own personal “issues.” BUT, this is not always enough. Sometimes, our children just don’t get enough fathering or mothering and … Continue reading →

They Still Compete for Attention (Even Though They’re Older)

One of the realities of the single parent home–especially those of us who have more than one child–is that we have to divide our attention and our focus up amongst all sorts of competing things–starting with our kids! Even though my kids are older teenagers and nearly grown–they still compete for my attention… Single parents have to split up their time, focus, and attention and it isn’t always easy–between work, home, personal stuff, and our child, it is nonstop. For me, with three kids and a home business, I still have not gotten used to all the interruptions and all … Continue reading →

Think of Ways to Get Attention

Okay, I know that we are raised to think that drawing attention to ourselves is not necessarily a good thing—but this thinking can get in the way of our being able to really market and promote our businesses. If the term “marketing” puts you off, or your eyes glaze over when you hear terms like “public relations” and “promotions”—consider just thinking about it as getting people to pay attention to you and your home business. Attention-getting tactics are those things that bring you customers, prospects, and public interest. This can be anything from a fantastic logo and a brilliant sign … Continue reading →

When Everybody Wants to Be the Center of Attention

Some people are more dramatic than others, and some children seem to crave attention more than others–but anyone who has more than one child knows that competing for attention can often be the name of the game. Throw in the dog, a cat or two, and a spouse or partner and it can seem like everyone wants to be the center of attention! It wasn’t that long ago that my kids would compete with who could “sit next to mom” whenever we went anywhere. With only two sides, that meant someone was often getting left out (once they were two … Continue reading →

“Look at Me!”

I was working from a café table in an airy coffee shop outside our local library and there was an incredibly active 3 year-old and her mother at a nearby table. The child reminded me a great deal of our newest family member, a rambunctious kitten named Toby as both were up, down, and all over the place—all the while wanting to make sure that they were being watched. The patient young mother answered reassuringly each time, “I see you” and “What a brave girl you are!” Perfect. Most of us know that our children tend to vacillate between stages … Continue reading →

Child Using Inappropriate Tone of Voice? Try Not Responding

One of the big issues for parents is dealing with wining, screaming, and rude demands that come from our children. Some of these “tones of voice” can be so aggravating and annoying, it makes us want to bark or scream back. Believe it or not, the best way to change a child’s tendency to use such annoying ways of speaking and communicating is to NOT pay attention when they do… Now, I am not advocating blatantly ignoring a child who is whining or being obnoxious–but not responding or giving in is an incredibly effective technique. You can give the child … Continue reading →

Giving Our Kids Our Full Attention

My son’s a morning person; I’m not. Does this cause conflict? Most of the time it doesn’t. He wakes up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and I can’t wake up without at least one cup of coffee. This morning was one of those mornings when he seemed especially luminescent and I was especially comatose. Not only did I not want to get up, I didn’t want to wake up. Tyler, on the other hand, was raring to go. First, he wanted to talk about a dream he had. A dream of our return to New Orleans. Then he wanted to talk … Continue reading →

Please Don’t Ignore Your Child in Public

Every day, I hear children competing for a parent’s attention in public: “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy” or “Where are we going? What does this mean? Mommy? Mommy? Daddy?” Meanwhile, the parent is carrying on a conversation with another adult, fussing over another, younger child, or simply ignoring the child who is getting increasingly louder and more manic. A word or two of attention from the parent could quiet and reassure the child and make things more pleasant and peaceful. Take it from someone who’s been there, I know how weary a parent can get of hearing questions and comments and … Continue reading →