As parents, we know we need to talk to our children about strangers, but it is hard to know how to talk to our children without scaring them. Start by helping your children understand what a stranger is. A stranger is anyone that your family doesn’t know very well. They don’t have to look mean and evil like TV portrays. When I was explaining strangers to our daughter, she said, “but we don’t...
Children are very quick to point out differences. With their limited experiences and understanding, it is hard to explain that differences are a wonderful part of life. Talking to our children about diversity can be tricky. We don’t want to compromise our family values, but we want to cultivate a true respect for everyone. There are a few key conversations we can have, that will help. Have a “diversity”...
Bedtime is hard for many families. Everyone is tired, worn out, and short on patience. As parents, if we stick to a routine and change the way we think about putting our kids to bed, it will really help with the bedtime battles. It can be a great time of day when we relax, connect, listen, talk and teach. Remember, sleep breeds sleep. The more your child sleeps, the more your child will sleep. We need...
Research shows us that adults who are grateful report having more energy, fewer health problems, and a greater feeling of well-being than those who complain. Most studies show that the more gratitude we show the healthier and happier we are. The same goes for children. Children who express gratitude are more appreciative, more empathetic, kinder, more enthusiastic and generally happier. Grateful children...
Mistakes are part of life. Learning from our mistakes is a vital part of growing up. In fact, research shows us that kids learn more from making mistakes, then taking the easy route and getting everything correct all the time. So how do we talk to our kids about their mistakes? Don’t sigh or scoff when your children make mistakes or when discussing their mistakes. Don’t talk about how the mistake...
As parents, we will have numerous opportunities to talk to our children about tough subjects. Topics like death, drugs, bullying and sex…it can be intimidating to know how to engage in these types of conversations. To make it even more challenging – talking to your children about drugs is a very different conversation than talking to your kids about death. That’s why we created the “How...
