When couples share their exciting news about having a baby, part of me cheers for them, and part of me sends them a quiet wish. This wish is to hang in there, because life after a baby is incredibly different than before. I see articles about how to increase your connection when babies arrive, or [...]
You may have heard of the parenting technique called when/ then. It's where you encourage cooperation by engaging the front-brain with calm, helpful instructions like this: "When I am finished drying these dishes, then I'll be able to help you with the puzzle." (Instead of "just a second!") There are many variations of the when/ then: [...]
I was listening to a mother tell me how much of a “jerk” her five-year-old was. She explained that he was “out to get her,” and “trying to make her life miserable.” With a deep sigh, she told me she didn’t want to be with her son, which made her very sad. “I mean, I [...]
Here is a parenting technique to try when your child’s body is taken over by his or her fight-or-flight reaction (I call that being run by the “back-brain”). Often when this happens, aggressiveness, shouting, and even violence occur. As with most techniques I suggest, it begins with our ability to stay calm and keep our [...]
I learn a lot about what is most helpful for parents by examining the posts that get shared more widely than others. This year was very interesting, as five of the top most read and most shared posts that I wrote were all about techniques! In particular, posts with tips and tricks to help raise [...]
Frustrated kids can be hard to manage and hard on our sanity. I have had days where I did everything possible to reduce any frustrating experiences for my child, wincing at the first sign of an oncoming tantrum. It turns out that if we are trying to control our children's environment so they don't get [...]
It is easy to feel that our children are selfish or trying to hurt us when they are little. Young children can be quite rough! Did you know that two-year-olds are actually the most aggressive beings on earth? It is helpful to know that children aren’t throwing, hitting or shouting at us because they are [...]
Since telling my friends and family we made the big decision to start homeschooling, a common question I hear is: “So? How’s the homeschooling going?” I’m going to be honest and tell you that up until about a month ago, I was saying, “Sometimes it's rough.” On a few occasions I have hung my head, [...]
Knowing what to do when our children are upset is commonly one of the biggest parenting challenges. Tantrums can feel unrelenting and take all the energy out of us. When my three-year-old was having multiple tantrums every day, I desperately needed to better understand what was going on in the mind and heart of young [...]
My husband, a family doctor, and I have created this one-page parenting resource guide for paediatricians and other primary health care physicians. It would also be helpful for daycares and preschools. I wanted to post it here so you see which resources we recommend for the most common parenting concerns adults ask their physicians regarding: [...]
Andrea Loewen Nair is a counsellor, parenting educator and international media parenting expert based in London, Ontario, Canada. Her therapy background helps parents to understand at a deeper level what to do when kids drift away, behaviour goes wild, buttons are pushed and old negative self-talk gets too loud.
Her goal is to let parents know they are not alone in their struggles and to provide practical help that makes big positive changes. Parenting can be very hard—and Andrea wants to help.
