by Susie Windle | Jun 5, 2013 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Your child will have strong (strong!) feelings from time to time, and strong feelings will get in the way of problem solving if no one is there to listen and help name the feelings. Think about a time you were very upset. Did it help when (or would it have helped if)...
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 | Mar 17, 2010 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
A lot happens during the first half of your baby’s second year of life. You may have already received your baby’s first kisses and hugs or noticed your (now) toddler’s attempts to speak in full phrases. Another developmental accomplishment is also in the making: your...
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 | Dec 31, 2008 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
As Lawrence J. Cohen says, there are a lot of great reasons to choose a “meeting on the couch” over a “time out.”* Whenever a problem of any kind arises, a meeting on the couch will allow parent and child to reconnect. Having “a problem” means that somewhere a...
by Susie Windle | Dec 17, 2008 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Distinguishing between a tantrum for control and a distress tantrum is important so that you can respond in a way that will be most helpful to the development of your child. The two tantrum types require two different reactions in order to nurture essential brain...
