Young children first start communicating their needs by making statements like, “I’m hungry,” or, “I was playing with that!” We often jump in to help before realizing that they actually haven’t asked us to do that. If kids receive help without asking for it, they may carry on expecting people to consider and address their [...]
I remember very clearly the day a neighbour saw me outside with my then three and one-year-olds and remarked, “Wow, I miss those days so much.” I felt like hitting him! That reaction freaked me out and really told me there was something off in my world. I believe I smiled weakly and replied, “Yeah, [...]
I’m a bit of an introvert, but certainly not as much as one of my children. If he had his way, he’d be happy to read all day! This in some ways is beneficial because he is independent and I can actually have long, hot showers; in many ways, it is quite challenging: transitions can be [...]
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. Positive and negative core beliefs happen as a result of decisions or interpretations we make about situations we encounter. For example, when a child tries to build a [...]
Do you let your kids help when you're in the kitchen? They can make a pretty big mess, but there's great lessons to be learned there for kids. In fact, the kitchen can still teach us adults a few things, too! My youngest son loves to help in the kitchen. I stared at my sister [...]
A parent submitted a question about a child who lies, and I will answer it here in case any other parents have a similar one. Q: My eight-year-old continues to lie. For example, if I ask if she has eaten breakfast, she says “yes” when she really hasn’t. When I ask if her homework is done, [...]
I have been considering getting a trampoline for years, but my physician husband told me that they were just too dangerous and preferred not to get one. In fact, the official position from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is that they advise against the use of recreational/ backyard trampolines. They created a policy statement [...]
One day I just sat down on the sofa and cried — a lot — for no reason. Instead of doing what I typically do as a psychotherapist, which is to jump into solving mode to “get myself out of this,” I just allowed myself time to cry. I did this because I had faith [...]
Having children brought out the worst in me (at first). I expected parenting to be more joyful than it actually was. My reality, however, was that I spent a lot of time crying when my children were born. I don’t think we do a good enough job of admitting how hard parenting can be sometimes. [...]
Years ago, each time I posted pictures of my children on Facebook, I felt joy knowing my family members and friends could see my boys' smiling faces. I had put my privacy settings on the highest settings, feeling secure that I could safely post pictures of my children and know they would not meet stranger's [...]
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.
