After a day racing from one career task to another, throwing food at children while driving in the van from one activity to the next, I sat down to my crock-pot dinner on a Wednesday and cracked open a bottle of wine. I could feel my shoulders relax as the glass touched my lips. At [...]
Have you had moments when something happens where you aren’t sure what to do and look for direction from someone else? Or have you made decisions in a hurry without taking the time to mull it over? Or perhaps you’ve been pulled by your emotions to react in a certain way because you’re so full [...]
When you meet Jeff and Laura Sandefer, you first notice how warm both of their smiles are. Laura in particular is someone you just want to sit beside but you’re not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the hint of a southern lilt in her voice or that she looks at you so intently you feel [...]
Are you looking to buy a gift or do something special for a woman who has young children? Consider these ideas suggested by mothers themselves. For those close to moms of young ones, please know that many of these mamas are often short on energy, sleep, free time, fun, validation, feeling sexy, and stimulating adult [...]
My youngest son loves to help in the kitchen. One day when he asked my sister if he could stir the spaghetti sauce on the stove, I shuddered at the thought of red sauce being flicked out of the pot, but she calmly responded: “Sure. Be low and slow.” He looked at her, smiled, and [...]
Have you heard of positive and negative core beliefs before? These are the beliefs we hold of ourselves, other people, and the world based on our life experiences. These beliefs happen as a result of decisions or interpretations we make about situations we encounter. For example, when a child continually tries to build a tower, [...]
Growing up in a small, isolated mining community far away from large cities in my childhood and teenaged years, I don’t recall really being aware of death. In our isolation, likely also do to the absence of the Internet at that time, we didn’t hear that much about death. Sure, if you watched one of the two [...]
One of the most painful things to hear our children or students say is: “I’m stupid” or “I’m dumb.” Our first reaction might be to utter something to counter their statement like, “No, you’re not!” but that response may actually not be helpful. Using phrases that show our children how to address their negative core [...]
I walked up my stairwell the other day, past the pictures of my children when they were one and three, and suddenly froze. I trot past those pictures many times a day, but for some reason I stopped this time and stared deeply into their young eyes. My own eyes started to water, as feelings [...]
Be prepared! Your child might come home after school or daycare and fall apart at your feet. I call this “After School Restraint Collapse.” It’s a thing! Actually, you might see this in your partner or even yourself. You conduct, orchestrate, produce, think, smile, keep things in your inside brain that you wish you could say [...]
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.
