One of the most common requests I get from parents is, "I've tried everything and my child still won't listen. What can I do?" There are several factors involved in a child's willingness to cooperate. A child not doing what she is told is less about "not listening" and more about how able she feels [...]
Even if you have filled your child's ALIVE tanks and have made sure to avoid situations that might compromise your child (hungry, tired, over-stimulated, overwhelmed), tantrums happen. This is normal. Here are suggestions to try preventing tantrums from escalating while protecting the secure attachment you have built with your child. Acknowledge that your child is angry—that alone [...]
Most toddlers do some biting, and this behaviour is well within the normal, yet painful, things that toddlers do. Although a common phenomenon, it is still important to nip biting in the bud. There are four main reasons that toddlers bite. I will list those below with suggestions to help in each case. 1. It [...]
The relationship between a parent and their child's teachers is important for that child's development and fostering a life-long love of learning. It helps children relax when they know the various people they spend all day with are on the same page. Also, you don't want to be known as a rude, absent or obnoxious [...]
Here’s a little sleep quiz: 1) Do you know the number of hours of sleep that teens need to function properly and for good health? 2) Do you know the number of hours of sleep most teens are actually getting? 3) Do you know why most teens are sleep deprived? Answers: 1) 9 2) 7 [...]
A common challenge parents have is what to do when two partners cannot agree on things like discipline styles, communication methods or co-sleeping. The most stark difference I have seen is when one parent does not spank the children, but the other does. Regardless of my opinion on spanking, which you can read about here, [...]
We hear the term “Positive Discipline” used frequently, but many parents are unsure exactly what this means, and why this form of discipline is the best for our kids. The word discipline has origins in the Latin word disciplina, which means, “to teach.” Adapting this concept to raising children, I believe positive discipline means guiding, [...]
Sometimes when I watch my child crumple into a screeching, sobbing mess at my feet, all I hear in my head is, You have got to be kidding me! I don't have time for this! I can't feel his pain, I can't understand his mind and I can't find empathy for him. The thing is, [...]
I believe that being able to calm ourselves in the throes of emotional intensity is one of the most valuable parenting skills to develop. The wild behaviour that can happen when our rage hijacks us can seriously damage the relationship with our children, grow negative core beliefs in their minds, and inadvertently teach our kids [...]
I am going to take my parenting "expert" hat off and put my mom of a three-year-old hat on. I've been feeling under the weather, and although I'm a glass-half-full kind of gal, started to write these to make myself laugh. I hope you have some chuckles too. And, yes, these did actually happen. -Murphy'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.
