What Co-Regulation Looks Like
A young child is so frustrated and overwhelmed that she just hit her big sister. As the adult responsible for managing this moment, how can you navigate this? Will co-regulation fix this?
Make Connection a Habit
emotional intelligence
When Your Child or Toddler Won't Stop Crying!
When your toddler won't stop crying ... Why is this happening and what can you do?
Two Men and a Tantruming Toddler
Kids can break into full-on tantrums at the drop of a hat, and nearly every parent has been where actor Justin Baldoni found himself on Father's Day. How can we release fear of judgement and be with our tantruming toddler during their time of need?
Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement: A Guide for Parents
I almost stopped bringing them to the playground. With two children under the age of 4, playgrounds had been a place of respite for me. I could sit on the bench and catch up with some parent friends while my littles jumped, slid, and climbed to their heart's content in...
The Trauma-Aware Classroom: We All Need Compassion
I am a teacher. I notice the glassy eyes of the student who recently faced a death in the family. I see the student who wears the same dirty shirt all week. I hear the anger in the voice of the student who is swapped back and forth between impatient parents......
Six Benefits of Using Child-Led Learning
Child-led learning. The thought of it can seem downright scary. Here are six benefits of using child-led learning with your young children...
An open letter to you, my toddler: "I get It."
I get it. I get all of it. The screams, the tears, the tantrums. Your bottom lip drops and your eyes brim with emotions. Sometimes you even turn away from me.
That one rips my heart in two. Then the sun will peek through and the smiles will come...
Spanking Children Is Still Common and Still Harmful
A spanking. That moment where a child receives a swat on their backside for doing or saying something that an adult in their world did not approve of or felt was unsafe. It's likely that you've either received, given, or witnessed a spanking at least once in your lifetime.
Juggling Big Emotions
As a seven-year-old girl, I remember my grandpa coming over for the holidays and juggling whatever fruit he could find in our kitchen. He taught me to juggle using not lemons, but just three tissues. The fruit was too big for my little-girl hands, but like a set of training...
Behavior Charts: I’m Totally Over It
My friend Katie called me in tears last week. Her three-year-old son Max started having these new, long, weepy temper tantrums every day at preschool drop-off. Katie had the mamma guilt blues. Why was Max getting so upset? He loved school. How could she keep leaving him like this each...
Foster Families Are Making It Safe For Kids to Feel
One foster family shares how they are managing emotions on a daily basis in raising their five children.
What Two Young Boys Taught Their Grandma About Anger
I gave SnuggleBuddies to my grandsons while they were visiting for Christmas to help them learn about feelings, but what happened next surprised me. You see, that Christmas morning, we had a situation, one that caused my dog to get very, very sick. My dog had gotten into some chocolate candy. ...
