Using
Guided Imagery With Your Child
Guided
imagery is a dynamic way to increase a child’s chances for
successful development of inner talents and personal resources.
Parents, teachers and other service providers can use imagery with
confidence to increase a child’s mental focus, help clarify
values, increase study efficiency or instill other successful traits.
Meditating
Mamas
If
we want to enjoy our daily lives, it is exceptionally helpful
to slow down for part of the day and focus on your breath. Research
has shown that periods of meditation — of focusing on your
breath — helps us transcend worries, lowers our anxiety,
diminishes depression and increases clarity. Meditation balances
our moods and enhances our ability to connect fully with who we
are.
Parent
Better Than Your Own Parents Did
Your parents undoubtedly failed you as parents.
All parents fail. No parent is ever adequate enough to provide
one child — let alone two or more — with enough love,
caring, support, wisdom or whatever to completely meet his or
her needs. Therefore, parents naturally fall short when it comes
to parenting. It is impossible to be a perfect parent. We teach
our children almost all the skills they need to become doctors,
engineers, plumbers, architects, truck drivers or any one of the
millions of jobs in the world. We usually don’t teach parenting.
Stressed,
Every Day
As
I came through the door after a challenging day of work, the tornado
began. "Daddy's home!" My kids wanted to share their
day and their artwork, and my wife wanted to share how difficult
her day had been. I wanted to lie down on the couch and be left
alone. And this same scenario is happening all over the country
with fathers (or mothers) and their families. Families are converging
on each other at the end of the day with wildly different needs
and moods. The result can be hurt feelings and distance between
family members.
Top
10 Ways to Be a Better Father
The
expectations for fathers are increasing both at work and at home.
Here are 10 ways for fathers to be more effective in the most
important job they'll ever have. See your kids as capable. The
Achilles’ heel of many fathers is to see their kids as "not
good enough." Your kids will feel this, and they'll live
up to these expectations. The more you approve of them, the greater
they'll be!
Fathers,
Sons and Masculinity
My
5-year-old son had a quirky smile that showed a mixture of pride
and anticipation. He'd shown me his art project from school, and
he was waiting for his mom. "Come on over and look at what
Michael made," I shouted to my wife. Michael ran out of the
room crying. I was filled with visions of a son who was incapable
of dealing with the challenges and frustrations of daily living.
And I felt the responsibility of showing him how to be "tough
enough" to live in a world that delivers plenty of tough
times. At the moment, I felt like I was failing badly.
Look
At It From A Kid’s-Eye View
It's
quite easy for most fathers to look at their kids with a critical
eye. And why not? There's a lot riding on the outcome of your
kids' development. There's the nagging worry that you're not doing
your job well enough and that your child will develop "problems."
There's also the fear of being judged as an incompetent or uninvolved
father by others. And there's the relentless presence of your
children, making mistakes by the truckload while you watch.
Eight
Sleep Tips for Every Child
The following ideas are
of value to almost any sleeper of any age. These tips can bring
improvement not only in your child’s sleep but also in
her daytime mood — and last, but not least, improvements
in your own sleep and outlook as well.
Nightmares,
Night Terrors and Fears
The lack
of adequate, restful sleep can affect your child’s
mood, behavior, health, memory and growth. If there is
anything standing in the way of a good night’s
sleep, it’s important to address the issue and
solve the problem. Following is a list of typical sleep
disrupters and possible solutions.
Moving
from Crib to Bed
When your child moves from
crib to bed, it’s a milestone in his life as
well as yours. There is no precise time for making
this move, though typically it’s between the
first and third birthday. The key to success is to
be patient and allow your child time to adjust to
the change.
The
Night Visitor: Trips to the Parent’s Bed
If your house echoes with the sound
of pat-pat-pat down the hallway when your child leaves
his room to climb into your bed in the middle of the night,
rest assured that you are not alone. It’s perfectly natural
for a toddler or preschooler to search out his parents for
comfort and security — it’s a sign of his trust
and his deep love for you. And it’s perfectly normal
for parents to provide that comfort and security by bringing
their child into their bed or by lying with him in his own
bed.
The
Family That Eats Together Stays Together
You often hear that families
should eat together. What evidence is there that this is a good
thing? A recent study suggests that family meals might increase
adolescents’ well-being. Middle school (n=1608) and high
school (n=3074) students, ages 11 to 18, completed surveys. The
frequency of family meals, level of family connectedness, academic
performance, substance use, self-esteem, depressions, suicidal
thoughts and suicidal attempts were assessed.
Get
more Time, Energy and Money!
Time, energy and money are chronically lacking
in parents’ lives. They are too tired because their children
keep them up at night, they are strapped for time between juggling
work and family, and they spend all their resources on their kids,
the house, the car and the mortgage. Everybody
has a dream. Whether you know it or not, at one time you dreamed
all the time. As children grow, their imaginations grow with them.
Then they become adults, and the reality of the world sets in.
Have you forgotten how to dream? Do you feel as if you have no
time to breath, much less make your dreams reality?
Yoga
for Kids and Parents
“Baby yoga! Baby yoga!” This
is my daughter’s chant any time she reaches over to place
her hands in front of her toes, in essence doing the toddler version
of downward facing dog. I fantasized about doing yoga with my children
before becoming pregnant, but I never pictured it like this.
Redefining "Grounding" for
Your Teens
I invite you to ground yourself
in love and compassion. For thousands of years, great, grounded
teachers have exemplified the power of love and compassion to
generate happiness and to feel the joy of being alive. Ground
yourself in love and compassion, and you will feel that same joy.
Remembering
the Past as a Family
November has
always seemed to me a month that revolves around tradition, beginning
as it does with the Days of the Dead, celebrated in Mexico by
welcoming back the spirits of the ancestors, and ending with Thanksgiving,
when families gather around a table to share a late harvest feast.
And this meal often contains traditional elements.
Natural
Fathering: Saving Memories of Your Children
It also occurred to me that this was a time in our lives that
would be extremely short-lived. This time of innocence and the
magical moments that make up a three-year-old’s life would
soon be gone forever.
A
Mother's Guide to Dealing with Parental Guilt
To some degree,
every mother wants her children to be perfectly comfortable, perfectly
protected, perfectly happy -- no matter what sacrifices she might
have to make. When we as mothers inevitably fall short of this
ideal, guilt sets in.
Are
You Addicted to Your Children?
Anything that we use to get love, avoid pain and fill up inner
emptiness can become an addiction – even our children! You
might be using your children to fill an empty place within you.
Tips
for Creating Fulfilling and Struggle-Free Days
Regardless of whether you are a stay-at-home parent,
work out of the home or some combination of the two, days can
often be run by places we “should be.” Many of these
places we actually need to be. Many are “omniscient-parent-have-to’s,”
outings we go on for the benefit of the child: the library, playgroups,
music classes and community activities.
What
is Attachment Parenting?
Attachment
Parenting: Is It For You?
What
is Attachment Parenting?
The
Science of Attachment
The Chemistry of Attachment
Long Term Attachment Parenting
What exactly is “attachment parenting”
as it applies to all ages?
Natural Parenting
Pitching In: Simple
Ways to Get Your Family Involved
When
Your Parenting Comes Under Fire
Should
Both Parents Work? Should One Stay at Home?
Playdates for Parents
Is
it ok to spoil your kids?
Unplugging
your family
Others...
Articles
on Getting Kids To Sleep
My 6-month-old baby
wakes up almost every hour to breastfeed.
My baby won't nap! She fights sleep but gets fussier and fussier
as the day progresses.
Using White Noise While Babies Sleep
Write a Family Bestseller: “My Sleep Book”
Why Isn't She Sleeping at Night?
Others...
Your
Child's Feelings and Emotional Intelligence
Build Your Child’s
Emotional Toolkit
What You Say and What Your Children Hear
Helping Kids Cope With
News of War
Top Ten Ways to Raise Emotionally Intelligent
Kids
Be Smart With Your Children’s Feelings
How You Can Teach Your Child Respect
Teaching
Responsibility - Responsible Children
The Hidden Messages
of Parenting
Others...
Natural
Fathering Articles
10 Reasons to Tell
Your Kids Stories
Help Your Hubby Support Breastfeeding
Help
For Overwhelmed Fathers
Natural Fathering
- Save Memories of Your Children
Fathers,
Tell Your Stories
Top 10 Common Sense Rules
for Fathers
Parenting Stress
How to Help Your Marriage Survive
a New Baby
When It’s More Than the “Baby
Blues”
I Yelled at My Kids
My Kids Are Driving Me Crazy!
Others ....
Positive Parenting Articles
10 Reasons to Tell Your Kids
Stories
Getting Kids to Organize Themselves
Top 10 Ways to Keep Your
Kids From Fighting
10
Ways to Get Your Kids to Talk to You
Give Your Kids Household Chores!
Encourage Children to Play Naturally
Getting
Your Kids to Cooperate
Others..
Gentle Discipline Articles
Redefining "Grounding"
for Your Teens
Give Your Kids the “N” Word
Keep
Your Kids From Fighting - Fighting Kids - Fighting Siblings
Of Conflict and
Control - Kid Discipline
To Spank Your Child or Not to Spank?
Get Your Toddler to Cooperate - Parenting
Toddlers
Others ...
Attachment Parenting Articles
Create a Peaceful
Home Sanctuary
Long Term Attachment Parenting
Can There Be Too Much? - Attachment Parenting
Parenting Style Differences
Caring vs. Caring Too Much
Learning All Day Long
Falling off the AP Wagon
more...
