Teenage Depression Facts Are you aware of the basic facts about teenage depression? If you don’t, you need to arm yourself with them ASAP. Although depression is a serious mental illness, it is often overlooked in teens and passed off as erratic hormones which they will soon outgrow. According to research by JAMA, depression and …
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3 Dangerous & Poisonous Plants for Kids Some of the most beautiful indoor and outdoor plants are actually poisonous and dangerous to children. While consuming a single bite of some plants may not always produce symptoms worse than a stomachache, other plants can have much more serious effects. Poisoning can occur from more than just …
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Keep Your Kids Safe in Summer The school bell has rung, the pencils and notebooks have been packed, and the kids are ready for some summer fun! Children enjoy the hot summer months because they allow them to spend a lot of time outside. Swimming in the pool, hiking through the woods, long walks, or …
Helping Your Children to Learn to be Organized Teaching good habits is one of the things for which we as parents are responsible. In order to help our children to keep their own space well organized, we’re also responsible for providing the tools with which to accomplish that task. It’s normal that your child isn’t …
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Organizing Toys Recently over on Facebook, we asked our community what questions they most need answering when it comes to organizing toys in the home. I felt like some of my answers may end up too long for an Instagram story, so here they are in full… Toy rotation seems like a lot of effort. …
Toddlers love to help out around the house. One area that is easy for them to help with is laundry. Laundry can be one of those tasks that can feel quite mundane. However, with the help of a toddler it can go from a chore to an exciting new adventure. Below are 6 ways your …
Here are some ways to help teach compassion Compassion and kindness are traits that all parents wish to cultivate in their children. When you tell a child that compassion is “a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress combined with a desire to alleviate it,” their eyes will probably glaze over in confusion. Compassion can be difficult …
How to safely co-sleep with your baby For many years, co-sleeping has been shunned by mainstream parenting advisors for being dangerous, creating needy children, and having bad marriages. However, times are changing, which can only be a good thing. Co-sleeping is defined as sharing a sleeping space with your infant – whether they are in …
Ways for Baby And Toddler To Play I don’t know if it was because we miscarried before having Joy or if it was because my children were almost three years older than the last time we had a baby, but my children were very excited about Joy being born. Very excited. Once she was born, …
Teaching Siblings How to Play With Baby: 0-6 Months Read More »
Fine Motor Activity & Sensory Play with LEGO My children love playing with Lego. As you can probably tell by looking at my house. Imagine this scene: The children are gathered around their newest creation. Happily oblivious to the destruction in their future. A child looks up. “No! Stay away!” What could it be? What …
As a mom, I think of everything I need to remember and do. No wonder I have a hard time thinking! There’s too much to remember. Creating routines in my day helps to free up my mind for more important things. I believe everyone needs automatic routines in their life. But there is no doubt …
15+ Must Have Activities for A Mom’s Daily Routine and Some for Kids Too Read More »
Napping is essential – for me. I have to have a nap every day. One of my favorite saying is, I take back every nap I ever refused as a child. I need a nap. My children? Not so much. At least, they don’t seem to think so. Even when they sleep well they still …
Quiet Time: Help Your Kids to Relax and Re-energize Read More »
Teaching a child to ride without stabilizers I learned how to ride a bike the traditional way. My father ran next to me until I got going. After letting me go, I panicked and ran into a bush. I then refused to learn until my sister (who is three years younger than me) learned before …
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Need some suggestions of great, fun games for teaching skills? In my work experience of teaching skills to families, I have learned the importance of fun games that also teach those crucial skills for social development, coping skills, and life skills! I learned quickly that fun games can build rapport, promote family-bonding, teach skills, and …
7 Great Games for Teaching Social, Coping, & Life Skills Read More »
Positive & Effective Ways to Discipline Your Children It’s so very easy to get overwhelmed with parenting – especially if we don’t have a plan. Finding simple tips for parenting that really work would definitely be win! So I will share with you that for my employment, I have done a lot of research into …
When You Hurt Someone I’m a big movie fan in addition to being a mental health counselor and wellness advocate. I was watching an old Alfred Hitchcock film called “Rich and Strange” one day when I was struck by what one of the characters said about love and relationships: This quote, I believe, encapsulates so …
Q: I have a one-month-old baby. All she wants to do is eat or be held. Is it normal for a child to need such constant attention? Your new baby is making a big adjustment to her new world. What a different world it is than the one she was in for the last nine …
The first week of breastfeeding is tough. Really tough, but so very worth it! I honestly believe that so many more women would breastfeed if they knew just how much better breastfeeding life gets once you just get through the first seven days. Your body (and boobs!) go through so much in the first week …
Panic Attacks in Children at Night I must admit that bedtime around here is usually met with the whines and whimpers of “but it’s not time yet?” or “Oh, I didn’t tell you about this” and most commonly, “I don’t want to go to bed because I don’t want to go to school tomorrow?”. Anxiety …
Date Ideas for Mother-Daughter. This past year, you probably spent more time with your children than you’ve ever had in your life. But is it always some good one-on-one quality time, or is it more something like “you go play while I do my work” kinda time? Having occasional mother-daughter, or dad-daughter date is a …
You’re not my mom! Have you ever heard that one? While my kids may not have said those words exactly, the message was there in other things they said or in ways they acted. When my husband, Tony and I first married, we were really conscientious of reinforcing with them that I was not replacing …
Challenges Fathers Face Raising A Daughter Every father faces psychological and cultural barriers on the way to full engagement in a daughter’s life. We must understand these hurdles to be effective fathers and stepfathers—or to work effectively with fathers and families. These hurdles may seem silly, unnecessary, or insignificant to others. But they are not …
Temper Tantrum Survival My 2 year old daughter is going through the typical stage of throwing tantrums on a regular basis. Whether she is frustrated with me, herself, or even and object she begins to throw out tantrums. I have been down this road 3 times before and probably due up again in another 2 …
The Fundamental Dynamics of Tantrums and How to Avoid Them Read More »
As parents, we sometimes struggle to understand our children’s perceived lack of motivation for the really important things in life, such as school work or physical fitness. Leaving you exasperated with what appears to be your lazy child. In fact, by pushing them into doing those things, you are likely to be met with resistance, …
As a internet professional, I am concerned when I hear about parents allowing their children unsupervised access to social media. It is critical that we, as parents, not only understand our children’s digital footprints, but also understand how each of these platforms works. Don’t be embarrassed to enroll in a class to learn the ins …
A List Of Basic Baby Bath Essentials Who doesn’t find a chubby cheek baby laughing and splashing in a bath full of bubbles too cute for words. When it comes to bathing your baby you only need a handful of baby bath items. Bathing techniques, accessories, and safety precautions evolve as infants progress through developmental …
How to Keep a Baby Cool in the Summer Summer is on it’s way and the last thing you want is for your baby to get too warm and become dehydrated. Herewith are 7 tips on how to keep your baby cool in summer. 1. A Cool Bedroom Sleeps Better If your baby’s room is …
3 Best Resources for Teaching Kids Geography My daughter has been interested in US geography for a couple of years now, but as we’re wrapping up Kinder (OMG how is that possible?) it’s becoming a bigger and bigger enjoyment for him, and we take every opportunity to encourage her love of learning. Last week, we …
I feel guilty because my child always cries when I leave for work. What should I do? I remember one Monday morning when my daughter was about five years old. We had just finished a wonderful weekend and just like any family, we all had the Monday blues. I had a business trip planned and …
Respect Your Child – Positive Parenting Respecting our children is the heart of positive parenting, but how do you maintain that respect through challenging behavior? I received an email from a kind mother asking how she should handle her child’s sudden upset during bath time. Her toddler developed a sudden aversion to bath time, crying …
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12-month-old not sleeping through the night? Mary emailed me last week, at her wit’s end with chronic sleep deprivation and I pounded out a quick response. She’s given me permission to reprint our exchange (edited a bit for readability and extra things I thought of since) in case it can help anyone else out there! …
I’m a sensitive person. I was the kind of kid who cried over things that probably seemed minor to others. I was in tune with emotions — both my own and those of the people around me. Words hurt. A lot. I remember retreating to the safety of my bedroom after a harsh comment left …
Is Your Kid a Little Liar? A mom of a four-year-old tracked me down with concerns about what she feared might be considered “pathological” lying. Her daughter could weave a tale like no other, and mom was worried that this behavior, left unchecked, would become a problem. The problem, however, was that her daughter was …
There’s nothing tougher than convincing a toddler or preschooler to wait a minute before jumping into the pool, nothing harder, that is, than convincing them to wait a minute so you can lather them up with sunscreen. If you’ve got a wiggly, wild little one who doesn’t love the feel or experience of putting on …
Sunscreen Struggles: How To Get Your Toddler Allow It Read More »
My son is fiercely, fiercely attached to me. To say he’s a momma’s boy would be an understatement. That’s not saying he won’t willingly leave me when he needs to, but for most things, he wants me by his side. He’d rather sit in my lap than his own chair; he’d rather play with me than by …
My eyes opened, dutifully obeying the stirs of the newborn who’d recently moved in to the white wicker bassinet at my bedside. I reached for my cell phone. 3:06 a.m. Unreal. He’d last eaten at 2:02. His meal lasted about… thirty… inefficient…. minutes. I burped him, rocked him, and placed him back in his bassinet …
Best Smoothies for Kids The best smoothie recipes for kids can be hard to come around. It can also be just as challenging to get our kids to eat a healthy diet. With the current pace, most of us, our children included, are lucky to get one good meal a day. That is why juicing …
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I am a horrible mother. At least that’s the phrase that reverberates in my brain when I think about the amount of time my daughter spends on technology. OK, I guess I am not THAT horrible, since I am mindful of this sad fact and that I care. I would be a far more sucky …
30 Screen-Free Activities Your Kids Will Actually Want to Do Read More »
You can’t take care of that little one if you’re not taking care of yourself. Before the baby arrives, be sure to ask yourself a few important questions. These answers will help you set personal goals for feeling happy and healthy, says Shelly Slocum, Los Angeles-based childbirth educator, certified doula, and mom. Start with these: …
Birthday Party Plan with an Art Theme Get a little creative with your child’s next birthday party and add some artistic flair to the food, decor, and activities. You’ll surely have a work of art on your hands when you throw this awe-inspiring Art Party. Below, we have everything planned out for you from the …
