Mindful Moments Blog

Teaching Your Child How To Be Mad

Mindful Moments Blog

Teaching Your Child How To Be Mad

by Ashley Patek on Jul 15 2021
It’s not about teaching our children not to be mad, sad, or frustrated. It’s about teaching them how to be mad, sad, and frustrated. Rather than teaching them to suppress or bottle their emotions, we can empower our children to move through them in healthy ways. Here's how. 
Speaking Your Child's Meltdown Language

Mindful Moments Blog

Speaking Your Child's Meltdown Language

by Ashley Patek on Jul 14 2021
Understand the biology of a meltdown and how to speak your child's unique meltdown language.
Ask Andrew: Grandparenting

Mindful Moments Blog

Ask Andrew: Grandparenting

by Andrew Patterson on Jul 12 2021
Andrew answers today's question: How can I, as the grandmother of a diagnosed five-year-old grandson be a solid support to him and his parents? I live in CA and they live in AZ.
3 Ways Parenting Can Heal Your Childhood Wounds

Mindful Moments Blog

3 Ways Parenting Can Heal Your Childhood Wounds

by Guest Author on Jul 07 2021
When our own childhood contained stress and trauma, the developmentally-appropriate behaviors of our children can be a big trigger. Here are 3 ways to heal your childhood wounds through parenting. 
What Happens When We Say, “You Hurt My Feelings” To Our Kids

Mindful Moments Blog

What Happens When We Say, “You Hurt My Feelings” To Our Kids

by Ashley Patek on Jun 29 2021
When we say things like "You hurt my feelings" or "You make me so mad", we send messages to our children that they are responsible for our feelings. Learn the truth about feelings, how to overcome childhood adaptations, and what to say instead.
Ask Andrew: Navigating Responses To Stimming

Mindful Moments Blog

Ask Andrew: Navigating Responses To Stimming

by Andrew Patterson on Jun 28 2021
Andrew answers today's question: How do you deal with people making fun of stims? Especially loud vocal ones?
Woman Finds Self-Love After Childhood Accident Through Emotional Education

Mindful Moments Blog

Emotional Education Helps Woman Finds Self-Love After Childhood Accident

by Guest Author on Jun 21 2021
After being in a traumatic accident, I viewed the world differently than every other eleven-year-old. My brain didn’t adapt as well as my body, and I wondered, "What's wrong with me?" Then, I found the one thing that was lacking in my childhood: emotional education. Here's my journey. 
Ten Ways To Help Your Child Make Friends

Mindful Moments Blog

Ten Ways To Help Your Child Make Friends

by Ashley Patek on Jun 11 2021
Not only is having friends fun, but it also has a positive developmental influence on social-emotional skills. While parents can’t make friends for their children, decades of research suggest that parents play a big role in teaching children the skills required to make friends. Here are 10 ways.
Healing From A Childhood You Don't Remember

Mindful Moments Blog

Healing From A Childhood You Don't Remember

by Ashley Patek on Jun 02 2021
While we may not remember our childhood with our mind and verbal words, our body keeps the score and stores the information it receives from our formative years, namely which parts of us to grow and which to shrink. These downloads show up as patterns in adulthood and in our parenting. Read more. 
Supporting Emotional-Intelligence for Neurodiverse Children Through Play

Mindful Moments Blog

Building Emotional-Intelligence Through Play

by Ashley Patek on May 27 2021
As parents we tend to put pressure on ourselves and our kids when it comes to play and learning. But when we step back and let nature and biology take over, we actually see that children are wired to learn through play. Learn how to use unstructured (free) play to teach children the emotional intelligence necessary for an enhanced academic quota down the road. Plus FREE Activity Calendar printable!  
Resilient-Informed Care Removes Stigma From Trauma

Mindful Moments Blog

Resilient-Informed Care Removes Stigma From Trauma

by Ashley Patek on May 25 2021
When we label those with adverse experiences as “traumatized” we can create a stigma that there is something to fix, which shadows the wholeness of the individual. The resilience-informed approach is a strength-based framework that shifts the question of “What happened to you?” as seen in a trauma-informed approach to “What is right within you?” Here are 3 ways to mindfully become more resilient after trauma. 
Using A Feelings Chart To Teach Emotions

Mindful Moments Blog

Using A Feelings Chart To Teach Emotions

by Ashley Patek on May 19 2021
If you feel like you are learning about emotional regulation right alongside your child, it’s because, very likely, you are. Here's how to use a feelings chart to teach your kids (and yourself) about emotions and calming strategies to decrease tantrums and nurture emotional intelligence.
Building Resilience Through Connection

Mindful Moments Blog

Building Resilience Through Connection

by Ashley Patek on May 17 2021
Children are wired to bounce back from trauma when they have protective factors in place. Through connection with a supportive adult, and through increasing their social-emotional skills, a child's health and development can tip towards positive outcomes.
Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys

Mindful Moments Blog

Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys

by Guest Author on May 12 2021
Forcing boys to repress their emotions is quite literally killing them, leaving lasting mental and physical health implications. Here are 4 things we can do to free our boys and men from social constructs of man up, toughen up, and dry up. 
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Outcomes

Mindful Moments Blog

How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Outcomes

by Ashley Patek on May 10 2021
Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect, and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.
The Battle Between Positive and Negative Reinforcement

Mindful Moments Blog

The Battle Between Positive and Negative Reinforcement

by Traci Esposito on May 10 2021
We parents have long searched for a solution when it comes to behavior modification, asking ourselves, which is more effective, positive or negative reinforcement? We have the scoop here.
5 Ways To Use Positive Affirmations With Kids

Mindful Moments Blog

5 Ways To Use Positive Affirmations With Kids

by Ashley Patek on May 03 2021
Positive affirmations help build a child's learning brain to nurture self-awareness, self-esteem, problem-solving, and emotional regulation. Here are 5 ways to use affirmations with kids so they'll stick.
Sixteen-Year-Old's Poem on Being A Man Challenges Definitions of Masculinity

Mindful Moments Blog

Sixteen-Year-Old's Poem on Being A Man Challenges Definitions of Masculinity

by Ashley Patek on May 03 2021
Sixteen-year-old Simar Singh shares his poem "How To Be A Man" to shine light on what happens when we tell young boys it is wrong, unsafe, and weak to feel. He challenges the socially constructed notions attached to manhood to change the narrative while raising awareness about mental disorders, especially depression.
Mom Of Two Advocates For Her Neurodiverse Daughters

Mindful Moments Blog

Mom Of Two Advocates For Her Neurodiverse Daughters

by Ashley Patek on Apr 28 2021
Natasha is a mama of two neurodiverse daughters and she has one big focus: teaching her girls social-emotional skills, not only to help them express themselves but to advocate for themselves.
I Can't Remember My Childhood, And Here's Why

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Can't I Remember My Childhood? Here’s Why

by Ashley Patek on Apr 21 2021
Stress and trauma suppress and actually shrink the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation and memory, making it hard for us to recall our youth. As we teach and guide our children and nurture their emotional intelligence, we regenerate our hippocampus so we can remember, feel and share, too.