by Susie Windle | Dec 28, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Sometimes children start to define themselves by momentary feelings. If children feel frustrated or lonely, for example, they can be tempted to generalize this temporary feeling. Instead of saying “I feel frustrated,” they say “I am frustrated.” Instead of saying “I...
by Susie Windle | Nov 30, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Remember “connect and redirect”? Connect to the emotion your child is feeling, and then redirect your child in a way that helps him or her tap a developing ability to think rationally. Connect and redirect is a very helpful strategy for many of those delicate moments...
by Susie Windle | Nov 16, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
It can be tempting to make decisions for our kids so they do the right thing, but it is important to let them make decisions for themselves so they get a chance to practice. During the decision-making process, the thinking brain weighs different, competing...
by Susie Windle | Oct 26, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
The regulation of emotions is one of many developmental processes that children go through. It is interesting to watch children use new strategies as they learn to control their emotions. Language is one of the contributors to improved emotional self-regulation. As...
by Susie Windle | Oct 19, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Last week we discussed how understanding the development of the right and left sides of the brain could be beneficial in making choices as a parent. This week, we will discuss the vertical aspect. The lower areas of the brain include the brain stem and the limbic...
by Susie Windle | Oct 12, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
The brain, as you probably already know, has two hemispheres. The strength and function of the left side of the brain is organization. The left side is logical and literal, and the left side likes words and putting things in a sequence. The right side of the brain is...
by Susie Windle | Oct 5, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Why not learn to manage stress effectively? Then we—parents and other adults—can teach and model stress management to and for our children. Managing stress is something we do every day, yet learning to manage it well is omitted from the more formal training we all...
by Susie Windle | Sep 21, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
In March 2011, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel concluded that not enough evidence exists to prove that artificial food colorings contribute to hyperactivity, distractibility, and other behavioral concerns exhibited by children. The panel did conclude,...
by Susie Windle | Sep 14, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Children are much more likely to follow through on your expectations when your requests are stated clearly. Actually, we all are more likely to follow through on expectations that are clearly stated. Here are some thoughts about being clear: Watch your timing. Most of...
by Susie Windle | Aug 31, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
When parents have conversations with their children, it is important for them to reflect on what may be going on in the minds of those involved. Conversations that include attention to mental processes respect each person’s subjective reality. If mental processes are...
