by Susie Windle | Aug 29, 2012 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
When all is going smoothly—meaning the children are happy and the parents are too—it seems easy to be respectful. When kids are doing something they aren’t supposed to be doing, such as pulling on the dog’s tail, knocking over a sibling’s tower of blocks, or avoiding...
by Susie Windle | Aug 22, 2012 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Sensory Information, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
How we all make sense of things and create meaning from our experiences depends on our state of mind. As parents, our state of mind importantly affects how we create the meanings tied to the behaviors exhibited by our children. Specifically, it’s important to notice...
by Susie Windle | May 9, 2012 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Disciplining your son or daughter can actually be an opportunity for enhancing your connection with your child. Discipline is something you and your child can do together. Punishment, on the other hand, is something adults do to children. Punishment creates...
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 | 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 | 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 10, 2011 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
It can be exasperating for parents when children are able to do something independently—such as get dressed, take a shower, or do chores without reminders—yet they don’t. There is a reason for this. As children take steps toward independence, they need to balance...
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...
