Phrases Teenagers Should Hear From Their Parents I like the simplicity of this brief article. The author has come up with 6 phrases for parents to say to their teenagers on a regular basis. The phrases are: “I’m proud of you, I’m wrong, You’re wrong,......
Ending Screen Time Without The Struggle I’m fond of this article because most parents can relate to it and it offers practical and easy-to-follow advice. (It even gives a summary of the main points at the end.) The author explains the source of the struggle......
Toddler Not Listening This parent worked as a critical care nurse for years but found that parenting her toddler was tougher! She then concluded that her 2-year old’s thoughts were not logical. So, the next time her son didn’t listen, she tried something new: instead......
How To Stop Yelling The author of this brief article was a school teacher for over a decade. She’s taken some of her experience from the classroom and applied it to the living room. She observed that when she would yell at her own children,......
Change The Mood I think this is a very useful article for all parents of young children. We’ve all been there: it’s time to go, but they don’t want to leave! The practical and easy tips provided here could make all the difference. The author suggests......
You’ll Remember Next Time They say that an elephant never forgets. Well, I don’t know about elephants, but children do forget. This clever article suggests using a simple phrase after dealing with a child’s misbehaviour: “You’ll remember next time”. In so doing, you’re reassuring them that......
Give Short Explanations I think this brief article could be valuable for parents. Sometimes, as parents, we feel the need to justify our decisions by providing reasons. However, this is only helpful when our children are receptive– when they’re ready to listen and learn. So,......
Jedi Mind Tricks To Help An Anxious Child As a parent (and Star Wars fan), I found this article to be very relatable. The author cleverly uses some of the ideas behind ‘the force’ to explain a few practical approaches to support children with anxiety.......
Don’t Shoot The Second Arrow! The idea of ‘control’ comes up a lot with the parents I work with. By focusing on what we can change and what we’re responsible for, we’re empowered to take meaningful action. Here’s a brief parable that reminds us that......
Repetitive Reading This short article focuses on repetitive reading with children- reading the same book over and over and over. The benefits of repetitive reading include: vocabulary & word recognition, pattern & rhythm, fluency, comprehension and confidence. It may feel like the film Groundhog Day......
Child Development This could be a helpful resource for parents who want to get a handle on what behaviour is typical for what age. The author rightly acknowledges that every child is unique and that there are many factors which influence behaviour. I must say I......
Discipline Through Play This brief article provides 4 practical and easy ideas for teaching children through play: games, puppet shows, role-playing and story-telling. Skills and lessons such as patience, manners, what to do when your feelings are hurt, making friends, showing gratitude and cause &......
Really Didn’t Expect Motherhood To Be This Hard In this article, the author gives a very personal account of the trials and tribulations of being a mother. She touches on everything from sleep and energy, to self-care and worry. The author describes the relentless nature......
BOYS! I remember my mother used to have a small sign near her desk which read: “Boy: a noise with some dirt on it”. She had two boys, my brother and I, and she loved us both dearly, even when we brought snakes into the......
Active Listening When working with a client, I always do my best to be an active listener. This brief article does a great job of explaining how a coach tries to ‘hear’ with their eyes (expression), their mind (assumptions), their heart (empathy), and their body......
How To Give Effective Instructions This brief article provides 7 useful strategies for giving instructions to children in an effective way. I particularly appreciated the last one which highlights the importance of giving children ‘time to process’. Have a look and see if there are......
A Simple Phrase to Eliminate Tattling ‘Tattling’ or ‘telling tales’ is very common and can become a behaviour that we, as parents, would like to see reduced. This article correctly outlines the importance of looking at things from the child’s perspective and determining the possible......
Want Your Kids To Tell You About Their Day? I enjoyed this article—it’s short & sweet and makes a good point. Sometimes, asking children about their day can quickly turn into the Spanish Inquisition! This parent tried various tips and strategies, all without success. However,......
5 Phrases to Avoid Saying to an Anxious Child I recommend this article for everyone, not just parents. It does a great job of explaining worry and who doesn’t ever worry? It’s an easy read as well because of the way it’s broken down into......
The Message Behind “Be Good” and What to Say Instead This article touches on the important point of our choice of language when talking to our children. It focuses on one phrase, one which I definitely use a lot. Now, I don’t believe that saying......
Simple Tips for Setting Effective Screen Time Limits I think about this a lot — mostly in relation to my wife — but also when it comes to my kids. I don’t want them to watch too much TV or play too many video games.......