by Susie Windle | Mar 19, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
At times, a child’s challenging behaviors are fueled by his or her need for emotional contact with you, rather than a desire for attention. The need for emotional contact is genetically programmed, so if a child feels that connection is lost, he or she may act...
by Susie Windle | Mar 5, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
As our children become more independent, it is easy to stop paying close attention to them—but then we can miss their cues about what they need. It is important for children to develop a sense of independence, and at the same time it is still important for parents to...
by Susie Windle | Feb 26, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
We all have to wait from time to time—in supermarket lines and traffic, at restaurants and doctors’ offices—and sometimes we must wait with our children. Successfully managing waiting time with a young child starts with adjusting everyone’s expectations—yours and your...
by Susie Windle | Feb 5, 2014 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Bullying is a big problem. It affects millions of kids—including victims, the bullies, and bystanders—and can have long-term damaging effects on the brain. Bullying is an issue to be taken seriously by parents, teachers, and caregivers. Some bullies use physical...
by Susie Windle | Jan 22, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Parents are often concerned when they catch a child willfully trying to be deceptive. If that situation crops up for you, first consider your child’s developmental stage. Preschool children, for example, may not always tell the truth, but this age group cannot always...
by Susie Windle | Jan 15, 2014 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
As we have discussed before in Parenting Playbook, it is important for children to learn about, understand, and have words for their feelings. It is also important for children to understand that feelings are temporary. This temporary state means that emotions are...
by Susie Windle | Jan 8, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Morning routines can create stress in a family. Time pressures and moods can evolve into an emotional storm, with voices rising and good-bye hugs forgotten. Who wants to start the day like that? As a parent, you can help mornings move along more smoothly by planning,...
by Susie Windle | Dec 4, 2013 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Temper tantrums typically occur because connections in a child’s brain have not yet developed in a way that allows for powerful feelings to be managed in socially acceptable ways. This week, we will look at distress tantrums, temper tantrums that are the result of...
by Susie Windle | Oct 30, 2013 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Structured activities for and with your child can be fun . . . some of the time. For example, it might be fun for you and your child to enjoy an art, gymnastics, or Kindermusik class. Just be sure to balance structured activities within the context of your already...
by Susie Windle | Oct 23, 2013 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Board games provide a great way to spend time together as a family, and playing games as a family is one way to practice social skills—particularly around developing a healthy attitude toward winning and losing. In order to teach how to win and lose gracefully, a few...
