Hunger for Touch
Perhaps the most effective way to determine the value of an idea is to determine the negative effects that occur when that concept is missing.
Let’s examine the power of human touch regarding children and the accompanying effects that can result from insufficient physical contact.
Recent ...
Are You Spoiling Your Kid?
From the very first infant feeding to college tuition, parents are constantly giving to their children.
Some parents give more, and others less; yet we all wonder at some point, “Am I spoiling my daughter?” or, “Is buying this item for my son truly a ...
How To Make Bedtime Go Smoothly!
No other time of the day in our child’s life is as emotionally charged as bedtime!
Bedtime can be considered a significant ‘trunk’ of your child’s ‘tree’- from where many other ‘branches’ - or issues - emerge.
Well-rested children will perform better scholastically, be in a ...
Preventing Sexual Abuse
Last week I was privileged to attend a lecture on the subject of preventing sexual abuse among children by Dr. D. Pelcovitz, professor of education and psychology at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education in New York.
There is a theory ...
Yell at Your Kids in the Afteroon… but Not in the Mornings!
Yell at your kids in the afternoon, but…
… NOT in the mornings!
This week, we are going to incorporate a new habit into our lives. The purpose of this particular habit is to make our children’s living more pleasant and to give them the ...
Don’t Worry!
It was one of those dull, gray Monday mornings earlier this week when I was sitting in my doctor’s office being administered a medication via IV for several hours. Unfortunately, I had neglected to find a good book to accompany me on this ...
Progress, not Perfection
Progress, not Perfection
Yesterday I noticed a bumper sticker in my dentist’s parking lot which read, “Progress, not perfection.”
Hundreds of examples of how to apply that motto to childrearing rushed through my head as I made my way past that shiny sedan....
Pursuit of Comfort
One of the greatest fallacies of our time is the mistaken social rule that “happiness means being comfortable”.
When was the last time that you saw modern-day movie where the hero or heroine was happy to be in an impoverished and uncomfortable state?...
You Can’t Teach It If You Don’t Know It!
If you were asked to deliver a lecture about marine biology in thirty minutes, would you be able to give a terrific speech?
Probably not. And neither would I.
How about if the subject was antique marble collecting? Or ancient Chinese ...
Mom Song
Go ahead... you deserve a laugh!
“Who wants to be an emotional millionaire?”
Happy. Sad.
Most youngsters can recognize these feelings from a very early age.
However, what about the myriad of other feelings that pop up within ...
Protecting Our Children
Protecting our children
By Wade Meszaros, Mental Health Child & Youth Therapist
I have been involved in counselling families and children for the past 15 years.
One of the most devastating experiences a person can go through is ...
Reclaiming the Lost Art of Listening
{Order reprint rights for this article here - #1044}
My good friend Sarah recently repeated this conversation to us, and we laughed until we could laugh no longer.
"Hi, how are you?" the ...
I Want To Scream!
Dear Ellen,
Sometimes I get so mad at my kids! Yesterday, we were getting ready for a family reunion that our family will be hosting next week. My thirteen-year-old daughter suggested that we create place cards and matching centerpieces for the ...
Put Yourself in His Shoes!
A wise educator once compared a child's distress over a lost toy to the anguish that an entrepreneur feels regarding a failed investment.
He specified that taking away a block of wood that a child is floating in the bathtub as a ...
Modeling as a Way of Life
“Do as I say and not as I do.”
That hypocritical concept is unquestionably one of the most ineffective methods of education.
Children see, and children do.
Children instinctively model the behavior of those around them, thereby developing physical, emotional, and mental skills.
On occasion, it can be ...
Five Tips to Kick Start Your Child’s Self Esteem
If there is one attribute that can change the outcome of a child’s life, I would have to define that as self-esteem.
Low self-esteem can take a youngster to unsavory relationships and ...
Touch Hunger
Perhaps the most effective way to determine the value of an idea is to determine the negative effects that occur when that concept is missing.
Let's examine the power of human touch regarding children and ...
My Buddy and Me
Perhaps it all began in the latter half of the 20th century when a new trend in parenting spread amongst those who were fairly new in their “careers” as parents. Establishing one’s role as a parental figure in the early stages of ...
Smoother Transitions
Pretend for a moment that it is midnight. Or is it?
Suddenly, all of the clocks in your home have become dysfunctional. Every timepiece has broken; even your computer and cell phone are displaying error messages instead of the correct time.
Minutes and hours are marching ...
Everything Versus Something
It happens at the most surprising moments. A flash of inspiration bolts into our heart, and like Nike, the energy shouts, "Just do it!"
Perhaps it was a sidelong glance at well-mannered children in another family, or even one of the articles on this ...
6 Steps to Problem Solving
It could be early in the morning, late evening, or anytime in between when a problem crops up. The only consistency is that the challenging issue always rears its head at the wrong time- no matter what the clock is reading!
From a lost ...
NDL- Nonverbal Learning Disorder
NLD: Nonverbal Learning Disorder
You know him. He’s the one that sits at his desk during recess, reading rather than going outside to play ball with his classmates.
She’s ...
I’m Bored!
You have just settled yourself in front of the computer to read an interesting article (perhaps one of mine!) and then you hear the two words which grate on your nerves: "I'm bored!"
It ...
Should Parents Snoop on Their Kids?
Should Parents Snoop on Their Kids?
By: Mona R. Spiegel, Ph.D.
The Question
Our primary job as parents is to keep our children safe. Are we permitted to ...
Family Celebrations
A Personal Story
By: Mona R. Spiegel, Ph.D.
My birthday is November 28th. This date has influenced my view of family celebrations. As you may realize, November 28th occurs in close proximity to ...
Choices
Choices!
If I had to summarize the moral of RaisingSmallSouls.com’s popular ‘Animal School’ movie, I would borrow the words of King Solomon: "Educate a lad according to his way; even in old age he will not depart ...
Eating With Children
EATING WITH CHILDREN
by: Mona R. Spiegel, Ph.D.
"My Family Coach"
Helping Women and Their Families
http://www.myfamilycoach.com
Introduction: What’s for Supper?...
Is Your Child a Mini-Adult?
Are children mini-adults? Can we simply soften our manner of adult dialogue and converse successfully with our children?
In order to have effective communication between with our children, we must understand the ...
Recommended Reading…
In case you haven't heard from me in a while, no, I wasn't ignoring you! However, I had emergency surgery and was in the hospital for several days last week, and now I'm starting to get back to myself. (Nothing life-threatening, thankfully, ...
Avoiding Confrontations!
"How many times have I told you to do such-and-such?"
It's the familiar prelude to a power struggle between parent and child.
One of the most common complaints heard from parents is that their children don't listen to ...
Giving Your Child Effective Attention!
As an Early Childhood educator, I have learned that ATTENTION is a survival need- not a manipulation of adults.
After World War II, orphans living in a clean, hygienic and basically attentive facility did not thrive. In fact, almost ...
Bedtime!
No other time of the day in our child's life is as emotionally charged as bedtime!
Bedtime can be considered a significant 'trunk' of your child's 'tree'- from where many other 'branches' - or issues - emerge....
Reflecting Versus Reacting
Imagine with me for a moment that you have just arrived home from a party.
"Honey, I'm so hungry, do we have anything good to eat?" you ask your spouse.
"Hungry!" Spouse exclaims, "How could you possibly ...
Getting Through the Tough Times
So, you've spent an enjoyable afternoon on a pleasant trip with your son or daughter who is going through a challenging period. (See www.raisingsmallsouls.com/tough-times for more information about creating a pleasant outing during a stressful time.)
What else can ...
Advice for the Tough Times
Lately I've been getting more requests for advice geared towards teenagers.
This article is most applicable to teens, yet can be tailored to any age child.
What do you do when really tough challenges arise with your ...
Mommy-Guilt!
There's Daddy-Guilt as well, however since the majority of my subscribers are women, for the sake of simplicity I'll stick to the feminine gender in this article:)
How often does Mommy-Guilt hit upon you? For some of us, it's only a few times a month, ...
How To Engrave ‘Say-No-To-Drugs’ on Your Child’s Mind- Starting when They’re Young!
Let’s face it; drugs and alcohol have the ability to rob you of your children. Access to illegal substances is absurdly simple for teenagers. Clearly, young lives are being ruined by the thousands as a result of these harmful addictions....
Quality Time with Your Child
What is "quality time" and why has it reached paramount importance in parenting magazines?
Quality time is when you spend time focused on your child. It is not the time that you pay the bills, clean the house, or run errands. It ...
Parenting in the Fast Lane
Today my nearly-seven-year-old son showed me his first loose tooth. For one short second tears came unwillingly to my eyes as I recalled the time a spoon clinked against his first tooth when he was a baby. That was just yesterday, wasn't ...
Less is More!
When communicating with children of any age bracket, less is more. Strive for simplicity in your instructions and teachings.
Kids do not have the acquired ability to "cut to the chase" of an idea; they have not yet gained the maturity to ...
Praise What They Did, Not Who They Are!
How to harness the power of praise to build your children's self-esteem
Raising kids with a healthy dose of self-esteem is one of the main goals parents have. In addition to a favorable attitude toward spending time with your child, which is the key ...
A typical day… is pretty sad
I once read an account of the typical conversations that occur between parent and child in the course of an average day.
If a recording were to be made of the interaction between a parent and their child, it would look something like this:
"Take your ...
A Scream-Free Zone
Night has fallen, and a quiet and relaxing evening is approaching. At least, that's what we had imagined.
The reality is that sounds of, "I need to go to the bathroom," and "my blanket fell down," and "We forgot to brush my teeth," are ...
Kids with healthy self-esteem: The ingredient that cannot be left out of the recipe!
The other day, I was at an interesting parenting seminar.
The psychologist giving the lecture opened the session by asking us what the single most important aspect of parenting is, regarding raising children with a healthy self-esteem.
Assorted answers rang through the crowd.
"Give 'em lots of ...
“You hate me!” my child said.
All normal and healthy parents naturally love their children. Loving our children is an instinctive parental response. We brought the child into the world, and do so much for the kid, obviously we love them. Well, most of the time, that ...
Positive Disciplining
Recently, I was at the home of a dear friend, and I heard her say to her son, “Sweetheart, if you don’t sit straight I am not going to give you any soda.”
Since it was not in my own home, it was very simple ...
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