Parenting: Say What You See™
Bully-proofing with STRENGTHs
Even big kids get picked on. A 10-year old boy recently told me about his embarrassment when a smaller boy threw something and hit him. At first he said, “Stop that! It hurts!” But when another boy said, “That shouldn’t hurt you. He’s smaller than you!” he didn’t know what to do except walk away. As expected, they laughed. What can you tell a child that...
Read MoreSeeing Kids With “New Eyes”
A first-grader gets overwrought at a school party and starts to have a melt-down. Instead of telling her to settle down, the teacher says, “Seems like you’ve had enough. If you’d like, you can hide under the table with me for a little while.” According to the parent who shared this with me, it only took a couple of minutes of hiding before the child was ready to rejoin the...
Read MoreNPR – What’s Behind A Temper Tantrum?
In an NPR interview this week, researchers James A. Green and Michael Potegal revealed their findings about the patterns of children’s temper tantrums. By studying audio recordings of over 100 toddler tantrums, Green, Potegal and Pamela Whitney found that the old idea that tantrums have two distinct stages, anger then sadness, was incorrect. Instead they found the two overlap: sadness continues...
Read MoreWhy Kids Wail
Stress can build up in a child’s life, especially during the holidays. Could wailing actually help? I was volunteering in a preschool room last week when a reluctant three-year old was dropped off. She’d fallen asleep in the car, and the next thing she knew she was ushered into her classroom, and Mommy was saying goodbye. I got down beside the child and put my arm around her waist. As...
Read MorePlayful CAN DOs
“Uppy! Uppy!” From the time they can talk, kids beg to be held. Physical contact with the added element of play can continue to meet your child’s needs for experience, connection and power throughout childhood. Contact is the perfect addition to almost any CAN DO you offer your child. Here are two parent stories from Dr. Lawrence Cohen’s Playful Parenting newsletter,...
Read MoreRelief for Overwhelmed Kids
Does your child come home from school too overwhelmed for homework or even for “fun” structured after-school activities? Consider that your child may be right. Remember the Language of Listening® premise: Children set the right level of challenge for growth. Children who won’t get off the couch, or if they do, seem to drag themselves to the homework table or after-school...
Read MoreSay What You See Book
