by Susie Windle | Jul 9, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Sensory Information, The Importance of Emotions
Change is a part of life, but for some people any little change can cause distress. Change can be less stressful depending on how it is perceived and managed, so it is important for children to learn how to skillfully manage change. One way to help children learn...
by Susie Windle | Apr 16, 2014 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Real benefits come along with smiling. As parents, the positive signals that come with a simple smile are worth considering, practicing, and teaching to our kids. Here are a few of the benefits: When you think of things that make you smile, you feel better...
by Susie Windle | Feb 12, 2014 | Parenting Playbook, Parents: Practice Self Care
Parenting is a stressful job. To be a calm, loving, empathetic parent, you need to make time to take good care of yourself. Recharging your emotional battery is required when your job includes broken sleep patterns and tests of patience. If you keep going without a...
by Susie Windle | Jan 8, 2014 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Morning routines can create stress in a family. Time pressures and moods can evolve into an emotional storm, with voices rising and good-bye hugs forgotten. Who wants to start the day like that? As a parent, you can help mornings move along more smoothly by planning,...
by Susie Windle | Dec 4, 2013 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Temper tantrums typically occur because connections in a child’s brain have not yet developed in a way that allows for powerful feelings to be managed in socially acceptable ways. This week, we will look at distress tantrums, temper tantrums that are the result of...
by Susie Windle | Oct 30, 2013 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Structured activities for and with your child can be fun . . . some of the time. For example, it might be fun for you and your child to enjoy an art, gymnastics, or Kindermusik class. Just be sure to balance structured activities within the context of your already...
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 | Jan 16, 2013 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Parents: Practice Self Care
If you find yourself too often thinking or saying to your children, “Hurry up! We are running out of time!” it may be time to make some time to evaluate commitments. Otherwise, it is too easy to slip into a mode of continual acceleration and nonstop doing, resulting...
by Susie Windle | Jan 9, 2013 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Falling into the feeling that there just isn’t enough time in twenty-four hours is easy, and this attitude may be particularly true for parents who are managing multiple schedules. Whether we feel pressed for time or driven by a lack of time, we can find ourselves...
by Susie Windle | Dec 26, 2012 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Most parents tell their children, “Talk to us if you are upset or have a problem.” Yet sometimes that statement can be more accurately translated as, “Talk to us if you are upset or have a problem, when it is convenient for us.” A child can find it hard to believe...
