Self Regulation Comes First
Contributed by Jody McVittie, MD. You can probably remember the last time you were talking to your child knowing that your child was not taking in everything you said. Sometimes we adults just say too much. Why? Probably because we care. We want to make sure our children are well-behaved, don’t hurt others and we…
Tips and Resources for Talking to Children/Students About Awful Things
What makes events like the shootings in Newtown so terrifying is that is impossible to make sense of them. It is even worse when it seems like it should be preventable. It is hard for all of us. It is harder for children and adults who have been exposed to trauma.
Ghosts in our Closets
As we enter the time of year when the days get shorter and nights get longer one of the traditions that many of us share in the United States is Halloween. Ghosts, goblins, witches (and now zombies) are part of the ambience and excitement of the tradition. This is the night when goblins roam the…
Parents: Trapped by Our Fears
The real question for all of us is: What invites us to respond in drastic ways to our childrens’ misbehavior and mistakes? My hunch is that is fear. Many of the parents I work with are afraid when their children lie, steal, are mean to their siblings, swear, wear sexually provocative clothing, investigate pornography online,…
Are we there yet???
Contributed by Jody McVittie, MD Part of my memory of early family vacations include very annoying choruses of, “Are we there yet?” from the back seat. In my more sarcastic moments my internal voice was saying, “Are we stopped yet?” “Does it look like it?” and other variations of maternal snarkiness. I’m not proud of…
Parenting with the Body in Mind
We sure hear a lot these days about the brain – and brain science. When we hear the word “brain” most of us think of the soft stuff that is inside our skull. That is, in fact, our “brain.” But it turns out that our body is not just the thing that carries our brain…
Now Listen here Young Lady !!!!!!
Contributed by Melanie Miller, M.Ed., Certified Positive Discipline Trainer and School Counselor Back talk, eye rolling, the glare, the, “Oh mom how can you be so stupid look”…. As our children grow older, their vocabulary has grown and their words, attitude and eye rolling can dig a little deeper. The next time the disrespect comes…
