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- Teaching Children Response-Ability - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2009 from Forrest SamnikAs parents, most of us feel it our duty to protect our children from harm. We can, and should, take all precautionary measures to prevent injury to our children and teach them safety practices and self care. However, protecting them from the natural ebb and flow of life can leave them ill ...
Views: 2056(5 votes) - "That Didn't Happen": The Importance of Validating Children's Experiences - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI was raised by Cleopatra, the Queen of Denial. Now I love this woman dearly and she has a myriad of good qualities. But dealing with reality is not one of them. But then reality is not always easy to deal with, especially when children are involved. There's a very fine balance between not ...
Views: 613(1 vote) - Crisis in Our Lives: Healing Our Children, Healing Ourselves - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Intent.com Authors"I dreamed that we were all asleep and then someone put our apartment on fire. I was scared. We got all our papers and went out but we couldn’t leave because they put the cars on fire. Some people were calling the police but the phone was cut. They were calling HELP POLICE but they didn’t come. ...
Views: 603(1 vote) - Why Don’t You Ever Praise Me? - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2009 from Patrick WanisWhy don’t you ever praise me? The dictionary defines praise as the act of expressing approval, admiration or commendation. Every one of us desires praise at some level, and in one form or another. Praise is a member of the family of emotional needs: validation, recognition, approval, ...
Views: 963(1 vote) - Can Parenting Be a Spiritual Path? - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIn the months after giving birth to my daughter, I often lamented that I didn’t have time for traditional spiritual practice. Between nursing, changing, bathing, laundry, dishes and keeping up with my job, spiritual practice has slipped out of my life. Most days, I wonder how I’ll ever find ...
Views: 539(1 vote) - A Prescription for Energy-Deprived Parents - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMy Review of a Two-Day Energy Medicine Workshop with Donna Eden and David Feinstein Here is something to consider for your conscious parenting toolkit: Energy Medicine, by Donna Eden. By following Donna’s suggestions and working with your body’s meridians, chakras and other subtle energies, ...
Views: 592(1 vote) - 3 Parenting Tips for Building Character in Your Angry Kids - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2009 from Jean TracyIf 3 character tips could stop your angry child from exploding, would you use them? If so, look inside for 3 parenting ideas that are sure to help. Temper can be a volcano blazing out of control. It blows its top without thinking. It demands what it wants or else. There’s no room for reason. ...
Views: 1388(7 votes) - The Effective Parent - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2009 from Susan HaidHere are Ten Principles of the Effective Parent: 1) Offer your children committed love. Let your children know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you love them and you will always love them no matter what. Make this a clear and consistent message. 2) Become the best educator of your ...
Views: 1544(3 votes) - May I See Your Glasses? - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMy daughter has decided to move out. She has reached a time in her life when conforming to the parental guidelines of our house has become too stifling, the impractical responsibilities of our household holding her back. She even informed me that I am the “worst mom in the world.” The ...
Views: 621(1 vote) - Motherhood Brings Meaning, But Not How You Thought It Would - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIt's long been assumed that motherhood brings meaning to our lives. We guide, love, nurture and support our offspring and sometimes feel appreciated in return -- all elements that can fuel our connectedness and satisfaction in the world. It's easy to find meaningful moments as a mom, but it's ...
Views: 602(1 vote) - Me and My Mandalas - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsApril showers may very well bring May flowers, but what to do with the kids in the meantime? Here is a conscious parenting tip for rainy days and other occasions. Having a little rain, are we? Yes, I know it is still March, but “April showers” are here. Today. What to do with the kids when ...
Views: 584(1 vote) - Seven Powerful Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsWith childhood obesity, autism and other childhood disorders on the rise, everyone from doctors to teachers and parents are seeking solutions for better health. At the most basic level, everyone can agree that kids can benefit from eating healthier. Truth is, with all the glitzy candy and ...
Views: 1353(16 votes) - Is Getting Mad Bad? - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2009 from Forrest SamnikI have asked countless number of children “Is getting mad bad?” Very close to 100% answered yes. This has made me very curious as to the message we are presenting to children about anger. It has made me wonder how we adults express our anger and how that affects our children’s perspective ...
Views: 4566(8 votes) - Good Business Attitude Comes from Consequences - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2009 from Kevin BurnsConsequences are the guideposts of your moral compass. If there were no consequences, people would run roughshod over each other. Items in your garage would be stolen by your neighbors. Police forces would become irrelevant. You would leave the doors unlocked because, what’s the point? Business ...
Views: 1650(1 vote) - Seeds: An Essay on the Importance of Little Things - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2009 from Susie Cortright“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson When our tee ball team gets tired, they lose all focus. Some of them can’t muster the energy to stand so they sit smack down on the base. Some of them droop their torsos and let their arms ...
Views: 3168(1 vote) - How Emotional Attitudes Effect Your Parenting - by Submitted on Jun 23, 2009 from Jard DeVilleThe attitudes we hold play a crucial part in the way children think of themselves and others, as well as what they plan on achieving in life. THE SUPERIORITY ATTITUDE (I'm all right but you are not.) The first assumption that parents are superior and that children are inferior beings, is ...
Views: 1864(1 vote) - Do Your Children Get Enough Creative Play Time? - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsEnrichment programs and organized sports can play an important role in your child’s development; but don’t forget the value – and joy – of good, old-fashioned play time! It’s getting harder and harder to get my children inside at the end of the day. As the weather gets warmer, they’re ...
Views: 777(1 vote) - Four Ways to Help Reverse Your Teen’s Habitual Patterns of Displaying Borderline Personality Traits - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2009 from Ugochukwu UcheIn the field of behavioral health, there is a reason persons under the age of eighteen cannot be diagnosed with a personality disorder, (Axis II). The reason is, with intensive psychotherapy and familial support; young persons have been known to make significant changes to detrimental aspects of ...
Views: 2544(1 vote) - Five Actions to take to prevent your teen from using drugs - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2009 from Ugochukwu UcheDrug use is an epidemic; then again the term epidemic might be misleading considering that mind altering substances have been around since the dawn of mankind. As a Professional Counselor, who has spent a significant portion of his career working with teens that have developed a dependency for ...
Views: 1457(1 vote) - Three Ways to Handle Your Child Throwing a Tantrum in Public - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2009 from Ugochukwu UchePicture this: A ubiquitous cashier’s counter at a grocery store. A mother and her young child (let’s go with five years of age), have pulled up with their shopping cart by the cashier’s counter. As the cashier begins ringing up the mother’s items, the child spots an assortment of candy bars on ...
Views: 1619(2 votes) - Three Lessons to Teach Your Teen About Sex - by Submitted on Jun 21, 2009 from Ugochukwu UcheIn a sad way, I find it somewhat amusing when mass media and some parents routinely propose or actually go ahead in giving their teens leniency in regards to breaking universal rules and values around dating and sex. I find this amusing because I routinely have young girls come in to see me or ...
Views: 1786(3 votes) - Ten Gifts for Dads from Daughters - by Submitted on Jun 19, 2009 from brian spilnerFathers and daughters have a very special relationship. We’ve all heard the expression “Daddy’s Little Girl” and we all know daughters who have their dads “wrapped around their fingers.” This special relationship deserves acknowledgment, particularly around the time of Father’s Day. If you’re ...
Views: 16101(3 votes) - How Much Media Is Too Much? - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2009 from Kathy SlattengrenWhen parents discuss how much media they allow their children, the answers vary wildly. Some parents have very strict time restrictions on their children's media viewing while others give their children more control over the time they spend on media. How do you know when your child is ...
Views: 1378(1 vote) - How to Create a Father's Day Vision Board - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2009 from JOYCE SCHWARZThis article will show you how to create in 5 easy steps a Father's Day Vision Board that really enhances your relationship with your father no matter what is happening in his or your life or even if he has passed on! Father's Day is coming up and for many fathers and sons it is a time of ...
Views: 2816(8 votes) - What of Our Fathers? - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2009 from Jan DeniseWe can be quick to judge our parents. There are so many things they could have done better. That is, if they had been better trained. We tend to compare our parents -- at least during some stage in our lives -- with an ideal that virtually no parent measures up to. If we must compare them, ...
Views: 1063(2 votes) - When the Kids Gang Up - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2010 from Shaya KassI have good friends who have three kids that are very close in age. The other night I was over at their house and the parents, let’s call them Randi and Mason, were telling my wife and I that they feel like there is a mob mentality in the house. They felt that the kids gang up on them to get ...
Views: 4284(1 vote) - HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHILD INTO A READER – PART TWO - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2010 from Shaya KassIn part one of this article, I wrote about the reading environment you should create to help your child become a better reader. But what about how you should actually be reading? First, some good news, DON’T WORRY, you cannot do it wrong. As long as you read to your child, it’s good. You cannot ...
Views: 1337(1 vote) - How to Make Your Child Into a Reader – Part One - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2010 from Shaya KassMost of us know that our children will need to know how to read when they grow older. Reading will lead to some of life’s greatest pleasures. Do you remember reading the beautiful love letter your spouse sent you? Do you remember reading your favorite novel? You certainly realize that you ...
Views: 1286(1 vote) - How to Deal with Temper Tantrums - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Menno SpijkstraWhen children reach the age of one, they begin to be more aware of their feelings and emotions. They know that they want things but when they know they’re not in control your toddler would start throwing temper tantrums. They want to be in control and what better way to let their mommy know that ...
Views: 1082(1 vote) - Motherhood and Alcohol: When is it Il Fino on the Vino? - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThere is a growing body of research that shows that women who are stay at home moms are drinking more alcohol than their working mom counterparts who juggle multiple roles. So I found myself asking, “why is that so?” Why isn’t the stress of being so overly committed to both home and career ...
Views: 969(1 vote) - Is Your Family Getting Enough Vitamin D? - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsDear Friends, I originally wrote this post back in February. Still, whether it is the bitter winds of winter or spring's April showers that are keeping you indoors, it pays to make sure that you and your family are getting enough of the sunshine vitamin. Enjoy! Who knew that a week at Disney ...
Views: 1035(1 vote) - A New Vision of Parenting - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIt's an honor for me to be a new Intent voice for parenting and family issues along with Barbara Nicholson, my friend and co-author, who will post separately. My passion is centered on the parent/child connection, that most sacred and spiritual bond. For over fifteen years we have been working ...
Views: 677(1 vote) - Time Passing - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Michelle GottliebI am the mother of a junior high student and a high school senior. Even as I write that sentence, I find it difficult to believe. All parents are amazed at the rapidity of time. Wasn’t it yesterday that I was pregnant with my babies? How can one be talking about college now? This is a ...
Views: 935(1 vote) - My Mother's Bed - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsThe bed is already crowded when I crawl into it. The cats have arranged themselves neatly around my mother and they are not happy when I climb aboard and upset their cozy set-up. I fit easily into my father's mattress indentation, he's begun his day but the covers have kept his spot warm. ...
Views: 640(1 vote) - Turning One: A Critical Milestone for Parent & Child - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsIt didn’t hit me until I was sitting in the café above Loblaws (a grocery store in Toronto) that something big was happening inside. The stroller was wet from the rain and filled with party food I had just bought—frozen hors d’oeuvres, expensive cheese, sparkling water. The only thing that ...
Views: 1762(1 vote) - Teaching Our Sons to Love Reading - by Submitted on Jun 16, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsAre you raising boys who love to read? Congratulations! For the rest of us, here are some conscious parenting tips to get our boys reading more. Fifth grade was a tough year for us. We’d been warned about it – how we would be transitioning from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” – but ...
Views: 585(1 vote) - Parents Unaware Their Children are the Target of the Number One Crime in America - Identity Theft - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2009 from Dianne CutterChildren are increasingly falling victim to the identity theft epidemic (78% increase rate) and families are largely unaware their children have been offended. Children continue to be victimized for years until as a young adult, they are denied services when seeking credit to pay for college or ...
Views: 2076(3 votes) - The Heart of Discipline - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsAn enraged mom pulls her son into my office. At her wits end with her 10-year-old's acting out behavior at school, she demanded to come into his private counseling session without notice. Across town his dad had a different reaction - on his son's weekend visit, while staying very calm, he put ...
Views: 535(1 vote) - Learned Self-Reliance: The Negative Effects of Spoiling Children - by Submitted on Jun 14, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsParents are moved by instinct to love, nurture, and provide for their offspring. Because our children are so much a part of us, we want to see them blissfully happy. Also, our own desire to be liked, materialist pressures, and a fervent wish that our children have everything we lacked as ...
Views: 909(1 vote) - Chocolate and Boundaries (It's Not What You Think) - by Submitted on Jun 14, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsLast night, my children and I were chatting at bedtime and the topic of boundaries came up. "Do you know what a boundary is?" I asked my 6-year-old son. He answered that it was like a fence and people can't touch you when you don't want them to. I thought that sounded pretty good for a ...
Views: 555(1 vote) - Tame Your Angry Child with This Power Tool! - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2009 from Jean TracyDo you have an angry child? Does he growl like a pit-bull to get his way? Look inside for 5 parenting tips. They’ll give you a power tool for turning your angry kid into a rational child. To get what they want, kids learn to holler at an early age. Babies cry. Toddlers scream, bite, and kick. ...
Views: 1265(3 votes) - Children Need Help During Difficult Allergy Season - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2009 from Leah FriedmanWhile other kids enjoyed summer vacations with their grandparents, Neil Adams was in the emergency room—once again fighting to breathe. For Neil there was no possibility of visiting his grandparent’s farm; he had asthma and a severe allergy to horses. For children like Neil, summer heralds the ...
Views: 901(1 vote) - The Embarrassed Daughter - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsNo one likes to feel embarrassed and avoiding embarrassment is one of the strongest social motivations people have. Embarrassment has its positive side by keeping us from doing something that would harm us or others. But over-avoidance of embarrassment can stifle a girl's development of her ...
Views: 525(1 vote) - Strengthening Our Family Bonds - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsOur families are our lifelines. They are our primary source of love and strength. They are our first intimate human connections before friends and romantic relationships, and they are the most important connections one can possibly have. Yet when the chaos of our daily lives take over, we ...
Views: 707(1 vote) - Modern Day Parenting: Praise the Positive - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMany parents I work with are stressed, and with good reason. With the current economic situation and the state of the world in general life can be very stressful. We are working longer for less. We are also a culture which is constantly on the "go". Squeezing good parenting habits into busy, ...
Views: 602(1 vote) - Making Family Time Count - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsJoe has soccer practice at 5:30. Sarah has a soccer game at 6:00. Susie has band practice at 4:30. Mom has a meeting until 6:00 and Dad can't leave the office until 5:00. Yikes! Does this schedule sound familiar to you? Many families in the US face hectic schedules like this on a daily ...
Views: 610(1 vote) - Children's Meditation: Many ways to connect within - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsMallika's post about the TM movement and children's meditation touched my heart and reminded me how I've been quietly helping children meditate for the past 25 years, not calling it "meditation." At least not till recently. Because when I started in the inner city schools in Los Angeles, it was ...
Views: 723(1 vote) - Mommy Are We Poor? Is There an Upside to the Recession for Families? - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI have to say, this recession thing is taking me back to my youth. Growing up in the 70's, the era of inflation, oil embargo's and doing without was central to my foundation. We grew up in a middle class family, struggling to make ends meet. With both parents working, my brother and I grew up as ...
Views: 922(1 vote) - When Mom is Just Too Busy - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2009 from Intent.com AuthorsI received an email from a dear friend this morning, asking why I haven’t posted recently. What can I say, I’ve been busy. Lots of stuff going on. It hasn’t all been bad stuff... some of it was really good. Still, I have once again fallen prey to the over-scheduled, over-stressed lifestyle that ...
Views: 561(1 vote) - Medications: Addressing Parental Fears and Concerns - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2009 from Terry MatlenRecently, a parent came to me, conflicted over whether to follow her pediatrician's recommendation of placing her young son on medication. His difficult behaviors had escalated in recent years and after trying behavioral strategies and food elimination diets, there simply hadn't been much ...
Views: 1897(1 vote)