by Susie Windle | Mar 18, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Language is an important part of communicating, but words have limitations. Words seldom tell the whole story in an emotional situation. Nuances are inherent in subjective experiences. Because of the limitations of language, using only words can cut off important,...
by Susie Windle | Mar 11, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Why questions are tough questions for young children to answer because they require examination of less-than-obvious origins to wishes, desires, or feelings. Three- or four-year-olds will usually answer why questions in a concrete manner. “Why did you throw your pizza...
by Susie Windle | Mar 4, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Infants are capable of wonderful conversations through touch and eye contact. When an infant begins to engage actively with the eyes as you hold him or her, the mutual gaze is a conversation with your child. In fact, the ability to light you up in this process is the...
by Susie Windle | Feb 25, 2015 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Words are powerful. Words can build up or break down your child’s confidence, shape her identity, and affect her emotions. And words are never just words. Words are voiced with tone and volume. When you speak to your child, the tone and volume of your voice are...
by Susie Windle | Feb 18, 2015 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Tall tales and lying are two different things. Tall tales are stories that a child makes up or true stories that he or she exaggerates. Lying, on the other hand, is a willful attempt to deceive as a way to get positive results or avoid negative consequences. Preschool...
by Susie Windle | Feb 11, 2015 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
If we can instill good judgment in children, they will be more likely to make healthy choices when we are not around. Simply getting them to be obedient lasts only as long as we are in the room because it doesn’t help them understand what to do in new, novel...
by Susie Windle | Feb 4, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
If you have a child who has reached toddlerhood, it won’t be long before she puts your hat on her head, grabs your purse, prances around with a grin, and waits for your captivated laughter. Your toddler has recognized and is imitating a grown-up pattern of behavior,...
by Susie Windle | Jan 21, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
As a parent, you can’t prevent stressful events from entering your child’s life. You can, however, teach your child what to do to control reactions to stress. Here are a few quick tips that you can teach your child to use in the face of stressful situations. Talk it...
by Susie Windle | Jan 14, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
When children and parents spend time apart during the day, adjustments are necessary when reconnection takes place. This reentry into each others’ lives can create some missteps because everyone is full of feelings remaining from their time apart. Everyone also has...
by Susie Windle | Dec 31, 2014 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Parents: Practice Self Care, Your Child's Brain
Scientists believe a negativity bias is wired into the brain as protection against all the dangers faced over the millions of years of evolution. Our brains are alert to potential threats that might have an impact on our survival. In effect, the brain is like sticky...
