Lying. What a difficult, negative thing to think about. The word liar drums up so many emotions, and none of them feel very good. But lies from children are more complicated than you might think….
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“I’m just not smart enough.” “I’ll never be able to do that.” “I wish I was different.” Is there anything more gut-wrenching than hearing your child question their own intelligence, abilities, or worth? You know…
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You’ve used them. Your parents used them. Their parents used them. I’m talking about classic mealtime parenting phrases. Let’s see how many we can name: “Don’t play with your food.” “Chew with your mouth closed!”…
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Everyone makes mistakes, and nobody wants to feel guilt or shame when it happens. When we’re overwhelmed by the negative feelings associated with being blamed, it makes feeling motivated to learn or change super hard….
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Persistence. Grit. Self-motivation. All good things, right? Things we want our kids to have innately. And when they don’t show those qualities, when they want to give up on a new hobby, or project, or…
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Ever have a bad day? Do you ever feel, well, not quite right, and like your fuse is a little shorter than usual? How about when things don’t go your way; does that frustrate you?…
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As parents, we’ve all been there: watching our little one teeter around the edge of the playground or party, unsure of whether they’re going to take the leap to join the other kids. “Oh no!”…
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Whether you’re in your living room or the middle of the grocery store, you know how tough it is to pull your child out of a tantrum. You’ve tried talking in a calm voice, you’ve…
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