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Statement, Question, or Request: Teaching Kids How to Ask For Help

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 [...]

April 2nd, 2017|Techniques & Tips|0 Comments

Dear Parents of Toddlers, Please Learn from My Regrets

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, [...]

Quiet Children Need Their Buckets Filled in a Different Way

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 [...]

Choosing Words that Help Our Children Grow Positive Core Beliefs

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 [...]

  • One day he asked if he could stir the spaghetti sauce on the stove. She calmly responded: “Sure. Be low and slow.” He smiled, and did just that.

How Spaghetti Sauce Gave me My New Parenting Mantra

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 [...]

How to Deal With a Child Who Lies

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, [...]

Are backyard trampolines safe? I hunted for information to answer this question.

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 [...]

July 26th, 2016|Experiences in Action|0 Comments

How to Help Children Through Your Big Feelings

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 [...]

  • How to Get Help as a Parent with Postpartum Mood Disorder

What You Should Know as a Parent with Postpartum Mood Disorder

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. [...]

How to Keep Your Kids Safe in the Age of Social Media

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 [...]