by Susie Windle | Oct 19, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
When children regress—that is, when they act younger and less mature than they really are—their behavior can trigger annoyance in parents. Usually, regression happens when children (and parents) are feeling stressed, as when a new sibling has arrived to join the...
by Susie Windle | Oct 7, 2015 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
When babies reach six to eight months of age, separation distress kicks in . . . and it often continues in some form until children are well over five years old. Understand that your child is not being “needy” or “clingy” when he or she can tell you’re about to leave...
by Susie Windle | Aug 12, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
In favorable conditions, a child learns how to manage feelings of anxiety by being exposed to just the right amount of distress. The optimal amount of anxiety to be experienced by a child will depend on his or her age as well as temperament. No mathematical formula is...
by Susie Windle | Jun 10, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Experiencing manageable amounts of anxiety can help a child build coping resources. Excessive amounts of anxiety are another story. When toddlers are routinely exposed to excessive amounts of anxiety, they cannot learn from the stressful situations or tune in to their...
by Susie Windle | Oct 9, 2013 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Whining, that fussy tone of voice between talking and crying, is commonly heard from toddlers, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a spoiled child. Often, children whine when they can’t truly express their feelings. You are most likely to hear whining when...
by Susie Windle | Aug 7, 2013 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Children can be, and most often are, quite resilient. That does not mean they are immune to stress, however, or to the resulting responses in the brain and body. In fact, children are highly vulnerable to stress during the first few years of life. As a parent, you can...
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 | Feb 11, 2009 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Anxiety is fear that is stuck. Physically, it seems to uncomfortably occupy the throat, chest, or gut. All sorts of things can make children anxious: a change of schools, a change of grade in a school, a new teacher, a friend moving, a friend mad, divorce, and death...
