It’s not likely that your car arrived factory equipped with a chauffeur’s screen, the one you flip up at the touch of a button. So, what the heck is a parent to do when the kids’ fighting in the back seat drives you nuts. To your kids, the back seat of a car is home sweet home. Just like they misbehave more, when they are at home, so do they squabble more in the car. ..when you are there! I am quite sure that your fellow carpool driver never complains that your child bickers with the other … [Read more...] about Backseat Battlefield
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Talking to Children About Haiti
There is no debate that the disaster in Haiti is just that, a disaster. But there are differing opinions about whether young children should be exposed to this news. While I suggest that you have a look at chapter 11 (Is the Fire Going to Come to Our House?" Answering questinos about Natural Disasters, Terrorism, and War) in my book, Just Tell me What to Say, I offer a few pointers in the meantime. Of course it is wholly up to you whether and what you tell your children about the … [Read more...] about Talking to Children About Haiti
Lousy Local Conditions
While I cannot take credit for inventing the expression, "lousy local conditions," I use it all the time. It’s just so right-on-the-button. Lousy Local Conditions refers to those times when a child’s less than perfect behaviors are magnified or even created by the conditions of his environment. Children who went to sleep late or work up too early, who have missed a nap or a meal, who have been dragged on too many errands, who have attended one birthday party too many, will reflect those … [Read more...] about Lousy Local Conditions
Cultivating a Love of Books and Reading
Home is the first school house. And children’s attitudes about books and reading begin at home at the earliest ages. Pretty much all children start out loving books. Young children display their love of books in all kinds of ways: piling them high to make towers; pulling them off the shelf; carrying them around in a wheel barrow; organizing them according to size, color, shape; turning the pages, or just chewing on them! All of these are early ways of experiencing books. Most children … [Read more...] about Cultivating a Love of Books and Reading
New Year, New Morning Routine
I often hear from parents how difficult their mornings are. Getting the kids up, dressed, fed, brushed, (loved!), and out the door to school can really be challenging. It’s especially tricky when you, too, are trying to pull yourself together, get ready for your day, whether you work in or out of the house. This is especially true after a vacation or even after a weekend. Most families happily and easily fall into a pattern of hanging out in the morning, chilling at home in p.j’s., taking all … [Read more...] about New Year, New Morning Routine
“Is Santa Real, Mommy?”
One of the signs (sometimes laced with a bit of sadness) that your child is growing up is when the inevitable question comes, Is Santa real? While it seems so simple, it is one that puts many a parent into a tail spin. What should I say? Should I tell him the truth? Should I lie? Won’t he be so disappointed? What if he accuses me of having lied to him when he finds out the truth? Let me put your mind at ease. You have not been lying to your child if you have allowed Santa Claus to be part … [Read more...] about “Is Santa Real, Mommy?”