Tag Archives: toddler

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 →

Playful Parenting in Action

A while ago, I mentioned that I have been reading (and rereading and rereading) the book “Playful Parenting”, by Lawrence J. Cohen. Not only have I been reading it quite a bit, I have been test – driving some of the material. I am becoming a more playful parent, and I like that a lot. The kids seem to like it, too, and we seem to be having a better overall experience now than we have in the past. Yesterday, I spent the day alternating between fun play sessions with the boys and bits of “Mommy Time” where I worked … Continue reading →

Should You Can Bathroom Humor Or Let It Rip?

Yesterday, I was driving in the car with the kids when something hilarious happened. Dylan had made up a game where he would choose a letter and we would go back and forth naming words that start with that letter. The first letter that he chose happened to be the letter “f”. This humble letter which starts off fabulous words like fun, football, and fruit had me in stitches when I caught myself asking Dylan if he “had any other f – words for me”. Fortunately, despite the fact that I nearly wet my pants while laughing about that, Dylan … Continue reading →

Why The Outdoors is Great for Toddlers

Did you know that your backyard (or just about any other outdoor location) is one of the most intellectually stimulating environments that you can spend time in with your toddler? There are things outside that encourage the development of toddlers in every way, and yet many toddlers spend very little time outdoors. Part of the reason for this is that toddlers must be closely supervised while they are outdoors because of their tendencies to put everything in their mouths and to climb whatever they can find to climb on. Providing constant supervision takes time, and for busy parents it can … Continue reading →

Learning The Hard Lessons

The lives of toddlers and young children are full of learning experiences. Sometimes, the learning is fun and positive, other times the lessons learned are of a more serious yet no less important nature. Today while we were at the park, Dylan, my three year old, learned a few things about playing fair and how to be a good friend. Since it was a holiday, there were quite a few kids at the playground. Most of them were older, but there was one boy who looked to be about Dylan’s age. As I closely supervised Blake, Dylan went to play with … 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 →

Tantrums – As Much of a Toddler Trademark as the Toddling

Tantrums are commonly associated with toddlers, and for good reason. It all makes sense, if you consider what is going on as a child transitions from being an infant to being a toddler. Infants almost always get what they ask for, because the things that they request (with cries and other cues) are usually things like food, drink, sleep, and cuddles, which parents are happy to provide. When a child becomes a toddler, they begin to ask for more and more things, including things that they can not have or are not permitted to do because they are dangerous, inappropriate, or … Continue reading →

Thanks and Wishes for Mother’s Day

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and the internet is abuzz with heartfelt words of thanks to mothers everywhere and hilarious anecdotes about what real moms want for Mother’s Day. Since I not only have a mom but am a mom myself, I would like to address both of those topics. Oh, and I’d also like to add in a little something about my mother – in – law. Don’t worry, it’s nice. I would like to think that when I was a little girl, my mother knew how much I appreciated everything that she did for me. I can only hope … Continue reading →

What Does 14 Months Old Look Like?

Toddler development is a funny thing, isn’t it. As your baby grows into a toddler, it’s anybody’s guess as to what skills he will master first. Some toddlers walk early and speak late while others build a pretty hefty vocabulary before they take their first steps. There are plenty of guidelines in books and online that provide a good estimate of what your toddler might be doing, and when. Today, I realized that I did not keep track of many of Dylan’s milestones and I have not really been keeping track of Blake’s either. I have been taking lots of … Continue reading →