Posted on August 27, 2018
Too often we label the toddler years and the teenage years as difficult periods of growth, when we should be embracing them as learning experiences—both for our kids and ourselves. In my last post, I wrote about toddlers; this week let’s talk about teenagers. The Teenage Years Just as we tend to roll our eyes over toddlers’ actions, we do the same once our kids reach their teenage years. It’s really not very different for them. Teens are also…
Posted on August 20, 2018
Let’s face it, toddlers and teens get a bad rap. You can’t read anything about parenting without a focus on the “terrible twos” or difficult teenagers. When you tell people you have a 3-year-old or a 15-year-old, you’ll most likely get a sympathetic look and “I’m so sorry.” We are doing a disservice to our children by labeling toddler and teen years as difficult. There are joys and challenges at every stage of child development, and we should be embracing…
Posted on August 2, 2018
My last post focused on two important topics that we rarely share with our children—money and time. Our conditioning around these subjects is poor at best. I hope you thought about the negative impact that the lack of discussion on these topics can have on your kids. I also hope that your own perspective on talks about money and time has shifted. Here are two more important themes that every parent needs to discuss: EMOTIONAL HONESTY: Emotional Intelligence, or EI,…
Posted on July 19, 2018
“Don’t be selfish. Share your toys with your sister, please.” “Why won’t you share your candy with your brother? It’s not nice to keep it to yourself.” “You need to share the iPad with Jeffrey. It’s his turn.” “If you don’t share your things, no one will want to play with you. Let Cathy take a ride on your bike.” We are constantly nudging our kids to share. When they don’t, we are quick to remind them that their behavior…
Posted on July 11, 2018
This post was first published on Masalamommas.com. As a mother of young adults, I have been noticing more and more how my generation is caught up in thinking that was set by our parents’ societal influences. We seem to expect that the children that we have raised here in the modern Western world should abide by the norms of society as it was when we were growing up. When it comes to education and our children’s “successful” careers, we have…
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