Young children aged 2 to 6 are nothing like us, but this doesn’t stop us from expecting them to be behave better. Their unique personality is characteristically brazen, obsessive, impulsive, hysterical, aggressive, resistant, compulsive, and unpredictable. Fairness for the preschooler means getting what they want, and getting along is overrated. Sharing is not caring according [...]
One of the most liked comments on my Facebook page was, "Wow. Three-year-olds can be crazy making." It can be very hard to be kind to a child who continually pushes our buttons. I know; I’ve been in the “parenting trenches.” I’ve spent hours trying to calm myself when my youngest son woke me up [...]
Have you ever felt like saying, “I’ve tried everything and my child still won’t listen!”? There are several factors involved in a child’s willingness to cooperate. What you should know is that a child not doing what she is told is less about “not listening” and more about how able she feels to do what [...]
We all have parenting moments we regret. The other day I was hard on my son and felt very badly about my behaviour. Even though we may have the tools to do so, calming down when our kids are melting down, sometimes for the most ridiculous reasons, can feel impossible to do. It is important to [...]
It can be incredibly hard to stay calm when our own children hit us. Both our instinctual physical defense system and intense emotions can get triggered in a flash! I remember the period when one of my children hit me almost every day; I became scared of him, trying to steer clear of where he [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I received this note from a female client, which I’d like to share with you (with her permission). I believe what she experienced is so helpful for parents. These are her words, which I have edited: Andrea, the most amazing thing just happened. As you know, I’ve been struggling with my oldest boy’s behaviour: so [...]
My phone has been ringing with requests from frustrated parents of four-year-olds—“Help! My child keeps freaking out and nothing I’m doing is working.” To answer this request, I enlisted the help of parenting educator colleagues, Kelly Bartlett and Andy Smithson. There are many factors which conspire to make parenting children of this age particularly challenging: [...]
The story of Lisa Gibson, aged 32, of Winnipeg, MB and the death of her two young children is back in my mind. This mother of two young children drowned them in a bathtub then killed herself by swimming out into the Red River. In addition to the tragic loss of these three people, my concern [...]
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.
