Let’s face it, parenting is exhausting at times. For this reason, parents need to give themselves a “grown-up” break. When I say a break, I mean two things: A break can be time away from your child with the help of a caregiver, friend or family member. Even a video. This time allows you to recoup your patience and energy, refresh Read More
Talking to Young Children About Death
Let me start by saying, I’ve had this post ready to publish for months. I’ve held on to it waiting for the “right” time to make it public. The bottom line, is that this is a sad, difficult, personal topic, and there is no “right”time. The way one explains death to a child is a very personal decision. Read More
Love Is In The Air
Happy Valentine’s Day! February 14th is a day when we think about love and our connections to others. If those thoughts don’t lead directly to our feelings about children and our families, I don’t know what would. Three months ago upon the birth of my nephew, my father told my brother (the new daddy), “all Read More
Teaching Children To Problem Solve
Learning to problem solve begins at a very young age, and is a lifelong skill that helps us as we make our way through the world. Infants learn to problem solve as they track a toy with their eyes and slowly begin to reach out to grasp it. Babies problem solve when they have a toy Read More
To Put A Smile On Your Face
I just heard something that put a smile on my face. I hope it does the same for you. I was walking home from a client thinking about the paperwork that needed to be done when I got home, when I heard an intermittent “MEOW.” As I approached a small boy and the woman I Read More
My Favorite Things: Discount School Supply
Parents, grandparents, educators, caregivers……get out your pad and pen, or bookmark this site, now! Discount School Supply is a find! This fantastic website has everything from games to art supplies, infant toys to bikes to products for children with special needs (many of which I use with typically developing children as well). The prices are right and Read More
Baby, It’s Cold Outside! (Part 2)
Ok, here it is. The long awaited list of my favorite activities to do with children when its just too cold to go out. There are many more, but this is a great start. Here we go… Baby Drag: Place your small child or baby (should have good neck and core strength) on a large Read More
Post Script to Review: “No More Mrs. Nice Mom”
As I read and reread my post, I thought it was important to add that I have not read Amy Chua’s book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.” I’d also like to note that in one of the news stories I recently saw, she did say that one of her daughters rebelled against her techniques Read More
Review: “No More Mrs. Nice Mom”
Please take a look at the article “No More Mrs. Nice Mom” in the NY Times. I’ve read the article and watched the news report and I’ll respond to them the way I do to so many others…what happened to the middle ground?! We have certainly had a trend in parenting where grown-ups want to Read More
From the NY Times: An Article on the Importance of Play
Take a look at this article about the importance of play and the movement to bring it back into the daily lives of children. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=tptw