Parenting Blog
A Guest Post from Amanda Salzhauer & Dr. Dale Atkins
Do you ever remember hearing a friend or relative complain that their kids are too kind?
No, neither do we.
Kindness is one of those qualities that we can never have enough of.
There are so many reasons that kindness is important. At its essence, kindness allows us to develop awareness of and sensitivity to others. Having concern for others and being able to show that concern through our thoughts and actions helps us feel connected to the people and world around us.
When we use the word kindness, we are referring to several, specific behaviors. Let’s think of them as the “kindness-ecities”:
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We’ve all seen it. Experienced it. Sometimes painfully – a complete display of obnoxious behavior by someone else’s kid.
Maybe in a checkout line. Or the candy aisle. Or at a school event or party.
For most of us, it takes a lot of willpower to not take over and manage the situation. Divvy out some discipline. Give that child a piece of your mind.
Of course, you don’t. Because that would be inappropriate and awkward. There are boundaries to respect, after all.
However, there are two scenarios in which it is appropriate to intervene:
Read More →A Guest Post from Katie Hurley, LCSW
A thirteen-year-old girl comes to me week after week with a litany of complaints about social media. She doesn’t like the
way her friends act on Instagram. She doesn’t like it when people unfollow her because they’re mad about something,
only to follow her again a few hours later. She’s hurt when she isn’t called out as part of the group, and she hates
it when she sees the group photos from weekend plans she wasn’t invited to.
Mean comments maker her uncomfortable.The truth is, she doesn’t like who she is or how she acts on social media. She wishes it didn’t exist.
Read More →Helping Parents Keep Their Wits on Long Winter Days
For parents with little ones, winter days can feel like an eternity.
Cold temperatures, weather hazards, the dreaded cold and flu season, and the onset of cabin fever can lead to a frustrating loop of, “I’m bored” and “What are we going to do NOW?”
How do you keep your kids healthy, happy, and help everyone keep their wits?
Read More →A Guest Post from Jessica Braider, CEO of The Six O’Clock Scramble
A few months ago, my family started a new tradition: making dinner together on Sunday evenings. We don’t do it every Sunday, but we do it quite often and the reminder for us to make it happen almost always comes from one of our two boys.
I wish I could say their desire to cook is due to their passion for cooking (they both like it fine, but Legos, playing outside, and drawing are definitely preferred) or because of my Mary Poppins-like ability to make every activity fun. But, to be totally honest, I think it’s due to a combination of a natural curiosity about food on their part and a lot of hard work and letting go on mine.
Read More →From Childhood Sexuality Expert, Amy Lang, MA
With all that’s in the news lately about sexual harassment, we know it’s a tricky topic for a lot of parents to discuss
with their kids. To help you with the scripts and tips, we’ve asked our favorite Childhood Sexuality Expert, Amy
Lang, to share her wisdom…
Suddenly the news is full of stories about sexual harassment and your kids may hear this phrase regularly over the next several months. Even if you have been very careful about your child’s media exposure, not every parent is, and kids may talk to each other – especially about something with the word “sex” in it.
Is it possible to talk to a child about sexual harassment when they may not even know about sex? Sure. However, the longer you avoid the topic of sex in general, the higher the likelihood your child will hit up the internet for information.
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