Tag Archives: parenting

How to Get Your Kids to Talk With You

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Are you tired of getting one word answers from your kids? Are you wondering how to get your kid to finally open up and talk with you? The solution might be one that Kenneth Barish, Ph.D., wrote about for Huffington Post. Give his ideas a try, and see what happens! Frustrated parents should take a minute to read over what Kenneth Barish, Ph.D., wrote in an article titled: “Why Won’t She Talk to Us? How to Have Better Conversations With Your Children”. In it, he explains some of the reasons why kids become uncommunicative with their parents. In short, there … Continue reading →

Creating First Day of School Memories

In less than two weeks, my three children head back to school. This year is the first year that my youngest will be in school all day away from home. The moment he gets on the bus will be bittersweet, of course, but I’ll be sure to document it well with photographs of his beaming face as he embraces what it means to be a big boy. One tradition that I started when my first-born went off on the bus for the first time was to take a short video of him, standing by a certain rock in the yard … Continue reading →

It’s Not Their Fault, It’s Mine

Today, our septic system backed up into the basement and there was yucky water all over the floor. I discovered the mess when I was getting the kids ready to go to the park. I went downstairs to get a pair of pants that I knew were in the dryer from a few days ago, and as soon as I opened the door to the basement and saw water at the bottom of the stairs, my heart sank. As my heart sank, I realized that I had two options for what to do next. One option was to tell the … Continue reading →

Do You Want To Yell Less and Love More?

The past three days have been very peaceful around here. Not quite, mind you, but peaceful nonetheless. I think that I know why, too. You see, a few days ago, I came across a wonderful blog called The Orange Rhino Challenge. The blog is a chronicle of one mom’s commitment to “Yell less, love more”. Once I read about how not yelling has made a huge difference for both The Orange Rhino and her family, I decided that I, too, want to stop yelling at my kids. I do my best not to yell, but it happens. I have yet … Continue reading →

Yes, There Will Be Bad Days

As the parent of a small child, you may have already noticed that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to plan, prepare, or otherwise rise to the occasion, there will be days that are simply awful. Sometimes, you can tell that a day is not going to go well as soon as your little ones wake up. Other times, all of the signs of a bad day in the making are there early in the day but you put on your rose colored glasses and try to power your way through it with every ounce … Continue reading →

Parents Have Needs Too

When you are the parent of small children, it may seem like you spend a lot of time giving and giving, while receiving little in return. If this happens often, especially if you are with the children a lot of the time with few or no breaks in the action, you may find yourself becoming resentful and cranky, and even yelling at the kids sometimes. Of course, this topic is not something that many parents enjoy talking about, so even in conversation with your spouse or your friends who are parents; you may not feel like it is something that … Continue reading →

Praise for Playful Parenting

Yesterday, I mentioned that I have been reading a great parenting book. “Playful Parenting” by Lawrence J. Cohen has reminded me of how much my boys need me to play with them. They need me to play with them much more often than I have been playing with them. They need me to be involved directly with them much more than they need me to be spending a great deal of time concerning myself with household tasks like dishes, laundry, cooking and cleaning. Of course, the fact that my sons need me to play with them and focus exclusively on … Continue reading →

Playful Parenting – A Helpful Book for When You Forget to Enjoy Parenting

The other day I started reading a wonderful parenting book that has already helped me to enjoy being at home with my kids more. I came upon “Playful Parenting” by Lawrence J. Cohen the other day when I remembered that I had seen the book mentioned a while ago on one of the parenting websites that I visit regularly. I wondered whether the book could help me with an issue that I have been having lately. It is an issue that I am sure I am not alone in experiencing, although not that many people talk about it. It can … Continue reading →

In Defense of Dirty Hands

Today I had an interesting experience at a local gas station convenience store. I was on the way home from a play date at the park with my boys, and the boys were thirsty. They had both had full cups of water when we went to the park, but they played hard and drank all of their water. When Dylan asked if we could stop and get a drink, I said that we could because there was a store on the way home. At the gas station, I got the boys out of the car and went inside. We took … Continue reading →

Parents Needed More Than Ever

I used to think the ideal years for being a stay-at-home mom was when the kids are very young, before they ventured off to school.  These are the years where so much forming and shaping of their lives takes place. Yet I have come to see another stage in life to be just as important.  It is during the teen years.  So often parents see this as their time…after all, teens are independent and don’t seem to need mom and dad as much as they used to. Whether the issue is staying home or just being available, too many parents … Continue reading →