Posted on February 23, 2017
A friend of mine relayed a story that got me thinking: Some years ago a man and his brother went to visit their grandfather in Kansas. They were helping him with his farm chores when a UPS truck pulled up with a mail order he had placed. One of the young men said, “Isn’t this amazing? Having delivery to your door! I remember when we were teenagers, you would leave early in the morning and drive six hours into…
Posted on February 14, 2017
The Hug Store – by Shana and Rick Morrison. There couldn’t be a more appropriate day, Valentine’s Day, to share this beautiful story about family and the magic of hugs. As adults, we take hugs for granted. We expect that we’ll always have them at the ready for our loved ones, to comfort a friend in need, to show that we are happy to see someone arrive or show we’re sad that they are leaving. This is the true story of…
Posted on February 7, 2017
We’ve previously talked why emotional intelligence is so incredibly important as a parenting tool and how it can be used in the home to minimize everyday struggles. But what if emotional intelligence is also the key to academic success? One of the most cherished dreams of a parent, whether the child is 16 years old, starting kindergarten, or yet to be born, is seeing that child succeed academically. We all want our children to be intelligent, to love learning, to…
Posted on January 30, 2017
The answers hidden behind a calm and kind Why? – or sometimes a What? or a How? – open the doors to communication. These simple questioning words have the potential to open the minds of both sender and receiver. When parents ask Why? they clearly and directly prompt the child to offer a reason for the behavior. Reason-able Parenting, as the word suggests, relies on a parent’s ability to reason. Prompting reason, discussion, or logical thinking engages the intellect and helps parents gather and understand…
Posted on January 16, 2017
“It wasn’t like that for us.” Why do we so often tell our stories in a way that our children end up feeling guilty or burdened? I’ve seen this in action in the three generations that have coexisted in our home: my mother-in-law, who is now in her 80s; my husband and me in our 50s; and my children, who are in their late 20s. “You were born with a golden spoon in your mouth,” my mother-in-law often says…
“We’re excited that The ‘Perfect’ Parent is joining this year’s list of award-winning products,” says Julie Kertes, NAPPA General Manager.