by Susie Windle | Jul 20, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
When the excitement and novelty of having a new brother or sister wears off, the older child may begin to feel painful emotions. The older child can feel left out, second best, and invisible. These painful feelings are very real—real for the child on an emotional...
by Susie Windle | May 11, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
As parents, we often miss making a connection with our children by responding to them only from our own point of view. Doing so leaves children feeling denied and all alone. One of the keys to connecting with children is to really listen to them and try to understand...
by Susie Windle | May 4, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
As a child learns to connect ideas and concepts, certain accompanying emotions may cause him or her to suddenly become disorganized. The child may become anxious or withdrawn or actually feel disorganized. You can help your child by tuning in to the specific emotions...
by Susie Windle | Apr 13, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
Children learn to manage anxiety through play. In the safe space of play, children can suspend the rules and restrictions of reality. When a child plays, he or she has the option of becoming the master rather than being the subject. A child can make decisions during...
by Susie Windle | Mar 30, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
To “feel felt,” children need parents to tune in to their primary emotions. In any given situation, these are the emotions children feel first, such as happy, sad, mad, or scared. When parents connect with a child’s primary emotional experience, a special kind of...
by Susie Windle | Mar 16, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
When parents use constructive and effective forms of discipline, they are teaching their children how to use inner controls. The effective techniques for doing this depend upon a child’s developmental level. Toddlers, for example, need help as they learn to moderate,...
by Susie Windle | Feb 3, 2010 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Imagine a mother holding and gazing at her baby, perhaps pursing her lips to make a kissing motion. At that, her baby’s lips move inward. Mother then widens her mouth and lips into a slight smile, to which baby responds by relaxing his or her lips, hinting at a grin....
by Susie Windle | Nov 18, 2009 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Some children go to sleep easily. They are happy to be tucked in their own bed, feeling a sense of comfort and security that all is well in the world as they drift off. For many other children, bedtime and falling asleep do not come easily because bedtime activates...
by Susie Windle | Sep 9, 2009 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Children often communicate through behaviors, so parents, to be effective, need to look underneath a child’s behavior before responding with disciplinary action. What need does your child have that is not being met? What feeling does your child have that he or she...
by Susie Windle | Jul 15, 2009 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Sensory Information, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Children’s temper tantrums seem to invite one of two responses: caving in or never budging—neither of which leads children to becoming tantrum-less. In the case of caving in, the problem may not actually be the tantrum. It may more likely be a habit of saying “no”...
