Distracted Parenting…
Distracted Parenting… Can We Be More Present? By: Giselle Armantrout Is your phone a distraction? We see this scenario played out everyday everywhere! Mothers & fathers looking down at their iPhones… swiping, scrolling, texting, working, posting, shopping, while their son or daughter sits across the table on their tablets. Not much interaction going on… sound […]
6 ingredients that help KIDS become successful ADULTS
Want your kids to have an edge? Want them to become successful? Here’s a checklist BASED ON RESEARCH – how many are you doing? So you’re a loving, present, empathetic, compassionate parent. You hug your kids, try to avoid shaming them, and lovingly attend to their needs. Great! That’s a wonderful start. But if that’s […]
Summer Parenting Challenge
Summer Parenting Challenge Ahhhh, Summer is in the air! The trees have budded, the grass is growing, the thunderstorms are rolling, and the kids are getting antsy. For parents, this time of year is filled with anxious exams, field trips, and school parties. It’s that time of year when kids transition from their school schedules […]
Kids’ Chores
Age Appropriate Chores for Your Kids It takes a lot of work to run a home! And remembering that one goal of parenting is to raise competent, responsible, working adults, the first work place for all of usshould be the home. The family home is the place to begin learning WORK ETHIC, along with responsibility, […]
Parents… we’re driving ourselves crazy
Our parenting today is making us nuts! As parents we’re trying to do more than ever with and for our kids. We are busy shuttling kids to activities, preparing healthy meals, pouring over homework, entertaining kids with events, supervising play dates, and we’re working outside of the home more than ever. We’re driving ourselves crazy trying to parent perfectly while providing […]
5 Keys to Reducing Co-Parenting Conflict
Co-Parenting is hard… really hard. Co-Parenting = parents continuing to parent cooperatively together, from 2 different homes, after they have separated or divorced. Remaining effective parents after the marriage ends (or the romantic relationship dissolves) is really difficult and complicated. In my counseling experience I’ve watched many families be torn apart by the challenges of […]
Talking to your kids about…
Race, Culture, and Ethnicity Kids notice differences in other people. They are not “colorblind” as some adults like to pretend, and thank God, since all of our many differences are such an important part of our individual and cultural identities. Kids recognize all kinds of differences – from height, to ability (or disability), to skin […]
Toddlers & iPads
How much is too much? Studies show that over 50% of US kids now have access to an iPad or similar touch-screen device. That means millions of kids are spending millions of minutes interacting with apps and games and watching videos. And no matter how cool the app, every parent at some point wonders “is […]
Day 1… We got rid of TV
Our family reluctantly decided to give up TV for 1 month. This is part 2 of the story. For this family experiment, the rules were simple: we would watch no TV shows, no movies, no Netflix, no nothing for 1 month (Feb 2012). We all love TV and watch several hours daily, so this was a […]
We got rid of TV…
NOTE: This is the first installment of a 4-part series. To follow the series, make sure to “LIKE” my Facebook page. I know what you’re thinking: “here’s another hippy, stick-eating family trying to force their do-gooder, no TV, “let’s play board game” crap on the rest of us.” We’re really none of that. We’re a […]