Teaching children to get along with others, resolve conflicts easily, pick up on social cues, and understand the complex dance of human interaction is important for many parents. Indeed, there has been an ever-increasing focus on socializing children at younger and younger ages. This has resulted in a culture that does not find it peculiar to […]
As parents and other big people, we want to protect our children from being overwhelmed by life. Life, however, often has another plan. Canada is grieving as we try to make sense of the terrible tragedy that has taken 15 lives of the Humboldt Broncos Junior B hockey team. And our kids are watching and […]
“Parents are often held up as either “good” or “bad” based on whether the behaviour of their child is “good” or “bad.” The focus on children’s behaviour is thus central in the minds of most big people – parents, teachers, caregivers, and other adults responsible for the raising of children. With this in mind, it […]
Along with the New Year comes some time for reflecting on self-improvement. Since child development that is going really well is messy and crazy and loud, most of our “success” in growing our children up in the best possible way actually needs to be measured by our own behaviour, rather than our children’s. That is, […]
Friends, I’m so excited about these printables! The fabulous Colleen of Lemon Thistle hand lettered some of my favourite quotes about childhood and development, and now I’m offering them as a free download for my readers! Print them out for your wall, your desk, or even on your fridge. Use them as a reminder for yourself: […]
I am thrilled to be hosting Teacher Tom on the blog today! Tom Hobson is a parenting and child development expert and is the author of Teacher Tom’s Blog, where he shares his experiences as a preschool teacher at the Woodland Park Cooperative School. He has also recently launched his latest project, Teacher Tom’s […]
You know how you feel when you have been away from your kids? Maybe it was a long day at the office, or a trip out of town, or even a hospital stay. Your mind becomes full of the thought of what it will be like to reunite with your little one. You imagine the […]
Every parent wants their child to grow into a kind, caring, empathetic human being. And so, it comes as no surprise that we can be overly focused on seeking evidence of this developing trait in our youngsters. As part of this, we can often demand that they apologize and might even be overheard in more […]
I am thrilled to have Nicole Schwarz, parenting coach and writer of Imperfect Families.com, as a guest poster on my blog today. I often share Nicole’s articles on my social media channels, as so much of what she writes truly resonates with me. In today’s post, she explores reasons behind challenging behaviour, and appropriate ways to […]
Oh, the Elf on the Shelf. When I first heard about this little creature, I will admit I immediately declared myself a non-elfer. The Elf on the Shelf official website describes the elves as “…magical helpers that help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists by reporting back to him at the North Pole […]