Mindful Moments Blog

Your Words Affect Your Child’s Brain

Mindful Moments Blog

Your Words Affect Your Child’s Brain

by Rebecca Eanes on Dec 27 2021
Are we collectively destroying the potential of a generation with our mouths?  As parents, we hold many of the keys to our children’s futures. These keys are the words we speak to them. 
Why Does My Teen Do That?!

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Does My Teen Do That?!

by Rebecca Eanes on Dec 27 2021
The teenage years are a critical time period for brain growth. The physiological changes that take place in adolescence cause behaviors that are often misunderstood. We explain them here. 
Helping Teens Cope with Holiday Stress

Mindful Moments Blog

Helping Teens Cope with Holiday Stress

by Rebecca Eanes on Dec 20 2021
As our children grow up and the pure wonder and excitement of the holidays wane, adolescents often experience an uptick in stress and anxiety during the holiday season. What can parents do?
De-escalation Strategies For Jingled Out Kids

Mindful Moments Blog

De-escalation Strategies For Jingled Out Kids

by Rebecca Eanes on Dec 20 2021
December is a sensory-overload kind of month. It’s loud. It’s busy. It’s flashy. For a lot of kids, it can be so overwhelming that they may just jingle all the way to a meltdown. For this reason, it’s good to have a few de-escalation strategies in mind. Here are 5. 
What Can I Do When I Feel Triggered By My Kids?

Mindful Moments Blog

What Can I Do When I Feel Triggered By My Kids?

by Ashley Patek on Dec 15 2021
Why do we feel triggered when our kids do that thing they do, and what tools do we have to keep us from meeting their immaturity with our own? Here are 3 preventive tips and 4 tools for in the heat of the moment. 
Why Do My Kids Trigger Me?

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Do My Kids Trigger Me?

by Ashley Patek on Dec 13 2021
What is a trigger, why do we have them and why are we so dang triggered by our kids?!
Holiday Survival Guide For Parents: Managing Your Child's Meltdowns

Mindful Moments Blog

Holiday Survival Guide For Parents: Managing Your Child's Meltdowns

by Ashley Patek on Dec 06 2021
Here are some reasons why toddlers meltdown more during the holiday season followed by some easy tips to help regulate their environment and their moods.
Acts Of Service Boosts Emotional Intelligence. Here's How.

Mindful Moments Blog

Acts Of Service Boosts Emotional Intelligence. Here's How.

by Ashley Patek on Nov 29 2021
Toddlers and teens alike have brains that are going through major biological transformations and family rituals like volunteering can help nurture their social-emotional intelligence. Here are 10 acts of service to do as a family this holiday season. 
Why Kids Ignore "No" And What You Can Do About It

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Kids Ignore "No" And What You Can Do About It

by Ashley Patek on Nov 15 2021
If no, don’t, and stop are part of your daily parenting language, you are not alone. But if you find that these phrases are not effective in getting your child to listen, use these seven tools instead. 
Is My Child Too Old To Use A Calming Space?

Mindful Moments Blog

Is My Child Too Old To Use A Calming Space?

by Ashley Patek on Nov 08 2021
How do you use a Calming Space with kids beyond the toddler stage? Here are 5 tips.
I Am Not Mad. I Am Feeling Mad. And There Is A Difference.

Mindful Moments Blog

I Am Not Mad. I Am Feeling Mad. And There Is A Difference.

by Ashley Patek on Nov 08 2021
Our identity is not the way we feel. The way we feel is a state of being. Here's why that's important (spoiler alert - it affects your child's brain development), and strategies for adults and children to balance their emotions.
5 Powerful Phrases To Say To Children That Boosts Brain Development

Mindful Moments Blog

5 Powerful Phrases To Say To Children That Boost Brain Development

by Ashley Patek on Nov 05 2021
Our words have the power to build up our children, nurture and guide them. They also have the power to cripple, shrink, and wound. It is these 5 phrases, spoken by well-intended parents, that tend to miss the mark on paving pathways for self-discipline and emotional regulation. Here's what to say instead. 
Friendship: Using Improv Games To Create Peer Connection

Mindful Moments Blog

Friendship: Using Improv Games To Create Peer Connection

by Guest Author on Nov 01 2021
Social skills can be practiced, and the more we teach by actually doing, the more beneficial the approach will be when teaching social skills for friendships and peer engagement. This improv game is designed just for that!  
Rewriting the Narrative On Terrible Twos and Tyrannical Threes

Mindful Moments Blog

Rewriting the Narrative On Terrible Twos and Tyrannical Threes

by Rebecca Eanes on Oct 25 2021
The majority of the “problem behavior” that we see in children is because we are looking through a distorted lens. Tantrums are a developmentally normal emotional release when the child’s brain feels flooded with big feelings. Punishing a tantrum cannot make a brain develop faster, but there are things parents can do.
Parenting: Control Isn't The Goal. Here's What Is.

Mindful Moments Blog

Parenting: Control Isn't The Goal

by Rebecca Eanes on Oct 20 2021
Nothing makes you feel like a failure quite like having a child you can’t control. Until you realize control isn’t the goal. Control starts to slip away as children grow, and you either have to up the ante to maintain that illusion of control or you have to accept the fact that you really don’t have control at all.
Breaking Multi-Generational Shame Cycles

Mindful Moments Blog

Breaking Multi-Generational Shame Cycles

by Ashley Patek on Oct 18 2021
No one is born ashamed. It is a learned, self-conscious emotion. And, often, it is multi-generational. If we aren't aware of our own tendencies to shame, we won't notice when they get triggered. We'll just act them out onto our children, passing shame down to the next generation. This is how we break the cycle. 
Ask Andrew: Flexible Thinking

Mindful Moments Blog

Ask Andrew: Flexible Thinking

by Suzanne Tucker on Oct 18 2021
Andrew answers today's question: How can I help my 5-year-old who is on the spectrum with his rigid thinking? Once he makes his mind up about something there is no changing it!
Why Being a Sensitive Parent is a Good Thing

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Being a Sensitive Parent is a Good Thing

by Rebecca Eanes on Oct 14 2021
I am a highly sensitive parent, and here is why it is a good thing. Plus 5 sanity-saving tips for fellow parents who are sensitive, too.
Quit Pathologizing Children’s Stress

Mindful Moments Blog

Quit Pathologizing Children’s Stress

by Ashley Patek on Oct 07 2021
Research has shown that children who feel unsafe and disconnected cannot learn. Why is this and what can we do as parents and educators? 
The Parenting Fairy Godmother Isn't Coming - Here's Why You Don't Need Her

Mindful Moments Blog

The Parenting Fairy Godmother Isn't Coming - Here's Why You Don't Need Her

by Ashley Patek on Sep 29 2021
Wouldn’t it be amazing if there were a Parenting Fairy Godmother that came to rescue us during tricky parenting moments? Unfortunately, there's not, but you don't need her. You have you. Here are some playful tools to help you boost emotional intelligence in your home.