Posts Tagged "middle school"

Fostering Resiliency after a Soul-Crushing Event

Fostering Resiliency after a Soul-Crushing Event

Disappointments can be hard to handle, especially if they are your child's. It's even harder if you have the automatic urge to protect him or her from disappointment and make things all better. Here is a masterful and touching example written by Rachel Macy Stafford of what happens when you use Language of Listening® coaching skills to follow the child's lead instead.  I didn’t know my...

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Motivation Formula & How to Use It – Part 1

Motivation Formula & How to Use It – Part 1

When my daughter Betsy was in middle school, she told me through a flood of tears that she was sure she had no self-motivation. She couldn't make herself do things she didn't want to do. Yep, that's the message I'd inadvertently been sending: making yourself do things you don't want to do IS self-motivation. Of course, I was applying it to myself as well, and it led to a lot of anger and...

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Pranks Aren’t All Bad

Pranks Aren’t All Bad

Some people love pranks and others hate them. Mixed feelings are common. How should you respond? I overheard some parents talking about their middle school daughters playing pranks on strangers like ringing the doorbell and running away, and making prank phone calls. The parents didn't want to come down too hard on them for fear that the girls would turn to something worse, and were wondering if...

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“Parenting done right” or “Child done wrong”?

“Parenting done right” or “Child done wrong”?

An image of a return receipt with the caption "Parenting done right" was posted on a social media site after the holidays. The reason for the return of the Wii game was included on the receipt: "Son was put on the naughty list, had to watch it being returned." That receipt inspired a Yahoo Parenting post that set off a storm of comments defending rewards and punishment (even to the point of...

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SAY WHAT YOU SEE® with Older Kids and Teens

SAY WHAT YOU SEE® with Older Kids and Teens

It's actually not as different as you might think to SAY WHAT YOU SEE® (SWYS) with kids in upper elementary, middle school, high school and beyond. There is usually less of a focus on the details of what they are doing at any moment, and more on what they're saying, feeling, and thinking about what they are doing. That means taking them at their word and being on the same team. For example,...

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