What do you do when older kids refuses to help with younger siblings? Follow these tips to encourage your child to help willingly and on her own. The image of the responsible older child helping with younger siblings? It wasn't happening for SSBE reader, Isabella. She wrote: Hi Nina! I have 3 year old twins, and a 13 year old daughter. My 13-year-old doesn't like helping out with the younger kids and I don't know how to get her to play and interact with them. Hats off to Isabella for reaching out with what can only be a frustrating experience. And here's what I told her: How to get your … [Read more...]
What to Do if Your Child Shows Off to Others
What do you do if your child shows off to others, whether on purpose or not? Discover how to teach your child not to show off to other people. "I read the most pages out of the whole class," my six-year-old's classmate announces to us. She continues with her accomplishments, particularly how far ahead she is compared to everyone else. My son looks to me, unsure how to respond. "That's cool," I say. Later, after she left leaves, I explain to my son about showing off. It got me thinking how I'd want him not only to steer clear from showing off, but to respond maturely as well when he … [Read more...]
How to Stop Your Child from Interrupting and What to Do Instead
Does your child interrupt conversations, whether between adults or children? Learn how to stop your child from interrupting, all without a meltdown. I was sitting across from my husband during family dinner time discussing the next day's schedule. Just as I was trying to get my head straight on what to pack for lunch or what time swim classes start, the kids cut in. "I colored and glued butterflies on paper!" "This broccoli?" "Aaaaahhh!" In most cases, my kids don't know any better about interrupting. They say what's on their mind at that moment, regardless of timing or … [Read more...]
How to Stop Siblings from Fighting and Teach Conflict Resolution Instead
Tired of the constant squabbles between your kids? Learn how to deal with sibling rivalry and teach conflict resolution for kids instead. No parent escapes sibling rivalry. Some days my boys seem to intentionally choose to fight. Even if we offered two of the same fire trucks, one would still want the truck that the other one had. And just when I'd finally convinced one child to play with the "less desirable" truck, the other would grab it, too. Let’s not forget the hitting, the "mine!" and the "being annoying on purpose." It's easy to become referees in our own homes. When my … [Read more...]
7 Effective Ways to Teach Your Kids to Share
Not sharing with other kids and family members is common with children. Learn how to teach a child to share with these 7 tips. Kids are notorious for not sharing. They won't let other kids play with sand toys. They refuse to let go of the steering wheel at the park, and they hold tight to their belongings even if they weren't interested in them a minute ago. Normal it may be, we still want to teach kids to share and interact with other children or siblings. My twins are learning how to share and take turns be default—they're twins, after all. Add in my eldest and you can see why I … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Be Your Child’s Biggest Influence
Fast forward to the future to see a common parent child connection: A child is now a teenager and prefers to hang out with her friends... all the time. She scoffs at the idea of a family day trip and tunes everyone out the entire time. She doesn't value time spent with family and would rather be with her peers. While this may seem like the typical teenage life, it's not the kind I want my kids to have. I want my kids to actually like their parents and have a strong parent child connection. A strong parent child connection It seems I'm not alone. In Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need … [Read more...]
4 Things You Shouldn’t Say about Other People’s Children
Some comments can drive parents crazy. See if you're guilty of saying these 4 things you shouldn't say about other people's children. As parents, we get a ton of comments from others, whether loved ones or strangers, about our kids. Some of these we can laugh it off, such as when we can't help but agree. Others though need to be addressed, perhaps in defense of our kids or for thoughtlessness. The rest just drive us crazy. (Read more about being carefree in parenthood.) 4 things you shouldn't say about other people's children In most cases, people don't say these comments with … [Read more...]
Why Commercial Toys Aren’t as Bad as I Assumed
You always hear how marketing departments spend billions of dollars selling to kids and stocking shelves with recognizable characters, from Elsa to Spiderman. These tactics have led some parents to avoid commercial toys for kids and advertising whenever possible, fearing the repercussions, from obesity to lack of creative play. Yet here I was, actively selecting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles water bottle for my five-year-old. I wasn't always like this. I was the opposite, eschewing commercial toys, clothes and books in favor of their generic counterparts. Any characters that made its … [Read more...]