As parents, we control many aspects of our children’s lives—the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the kind of education they receive and even the values we impart. Then there are the other facets of life that remain completely out of our control, from their temperament, their health and well-being, and the darker days [...]
Category: emotions
Some parenting lessons you learn from books. Others from first-hand experience. And still others from family and friends. Yet parenting lessons come from all sorts of places. This is a story of how an event in high school—over a decade ago—helped shed some light on how I parent today. I was a member of the [...]
While my toddler has been doing wonderfully with potty-training, one aspect that remains an obstacle is his fear of public bathrooms. He was hardly the fan even as an infant, when he would wail and cry as I changed his diaper on the changing table. As a toddler, changing his diaper became more a struggle, [...]
It’s one thing to have a bad day because of kids (or rather, because we’re parenting kids)—from tantrums to sleep deprivation to picky eating. It’s a whole other ballgame when you’re having a bad day that has nothing to do with kids… yet you still have to deal with them. That’s what happened to us [...]
The other day, my husband made one of our usual breakfasts—oatmeal and fruit—with a little extra treat for our toddler: a peanut butter sandwich. LO practically shoved aside the oatmeal in lieu of the sandwich and gobbled it up in record speed. Once his hands were empty though, he cried for more. “It’s all gone,” [...]
I’ve mentioned the importance of addressing our kids’ emotions rather than brushing them off, but what happens if the emotion isn’t so apparent? My toddler has been randomly asking, “Where’s Daddy?” throughout the day, and I always respond truthfully: “He’s at the office.” I even describe what his dad is doing so that “office” doesn’t [...]
My two-year-old looks stunning. I can look at his face and fall in love each time. Yet considering that being his mom gives me automatic permission to be over-the-top biased and that I can brag about him to everyone… I don’t. I not only refrain from telling others how handsome he is, I hardly tell [...]
I recently came across the book The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. that discussed how parents can better understand how the brain functions in order to survive daily struggles while helping our kids thrive. Most of us have heard that our brains are divided into separate areas, with [...]
This past weekend, our toddler kindly reminded us that the terrible-twos have yet to go away. In the blink of an eye he would go from yelling at the top of his lungs to happily singing and talking. For instance, we went to the market, and he wanted more bread to eat (what’s new?). When [...]
