Mindful Moments Blog

What is neurodiversity and how do we move from awareness to acceptance to advocating for in small everyday moments?

When a parent habitually removes affection or acceptance from a child as a means of coercing compliance, the child is forced into codependency or rebellion. The child has to work for attachment and forfeit authenticity, or fight for authenticity and forfeit attachment. Here are 3 ways to meet both vital emotional needs. 

A public tantrum doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker, but rather a learning moment in the broad scope of a day together. We can let children know with our words and actions that, wherever we are, emotions are safe to feel. Sometimes we can decrease the likelihood of a meltdown. Here are six helpful factors to consider:

A public tantrum doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker, but rather a learning moment in the broad scope of a day together. We can let children know with our words and actions that, wherever we are, emotions are safe to feel. Sometimes we can decrease the likelihood of a meltdown. Here are six helpful factors to consider:

For so long, us mothers have lived as if she who disappears the most, loves the most. We have been conditioned to prove our love by slowly ceasing to exist. But we don't have to. Here are 5 ways to nurture yourself in small, manageable ways. Because, mama, you matter, too.  

Is there a way to play an improv game that encourages a productive conversation about bullying behavior? The answer is yes. We have it for you here. 

We created this three-page printable bundle to help you and your family set mindful, empowering, and FUN intentions that stick... together: It's our gift to you. Happy New Year! All of these intention setting activities can be done by yourself, with one child at a time, or as a family. Your word of the year can be placed in a prominent place as a reminder (e.g. the refrigerator or on a bathroom mirror) or if you prefer, you can place your word in a private place just for you. Remember, mindful living is a journey, not a destination. Go slow, be gentle with yourself, and celebrate the gift that you are to the world every step of the way. Elizabeth A. Sautter, MA, CCC, is a licensed speech and language pathologist, blogger, author, presenter, certified mindfulness teacher. | See expert's full bio >> _____________ For a free set of printable calming strategies and video on how to use time-ins, join our mailing list. Generation Mindful creates educational tools, toys, and programs that nurture emotional intelligence through play and positive discipline. Join us and receive positive parenting tools and support in your inbox each week.  

Last March, school districts across the country closed due to COVID, and more than 55 million children were sent home to finish their school year.

You can actually be yelling at your child and be mindful. If you notice that you're yelling... pause, and celebrate. You say to yourself, 'I'm yelling, and I noticed I'm yelling' and then take a deep breath. Now you have some power. to do something different, but not if you're busy beating yourself up.

Looking to decrease power struggles, meltdowns, and "defiance"? These are the three words that your child needs to hear.

In a time of social distancing, tension can elevate between siblings. These 7 tips can help to tame sibling rivalry during quarantine.

Remember, there is a little one wanting to be parented inside of you, too.  

Andrew answers today's question: My husband is on the spectrum and refuses to seek professional assistance. I suspect that my 4-year-old son is also on the spectrum and isn’t getting the support he needs from my husband. How can I address this without my husband thinking that all I do is tell him what he doesn’t do “right” or “good enough”?

Determination isn't a bad emotion. It is an informative one. And while determination isn’t necessarily a pleasant sensation in the body, it is an important edge that brings about resilience and grit.

Time-Ins are for all the children in the home and that includes the one that lives within us. We think that parenting is about our kids - something we do to them to make them kind, smart, "good," responsible, etc.  But truly, parenting is something we have with our children. It's a relationship, and that relationship starts with the one we have with ourselves. The way we parent our children is directly related to our childhood. The things that trigger us now tend to be the same things denied or suppressed in us as children. It can make parenting our kids incredibly challenging. Their development often charges our emotions, and we yell, lecture, threaten, or do things that we later cry about in the bathroom. (Anyone else?)  Interested in learning more about reparenting? Check out our Reparent Yourself Online Summit and get lifetime access to 15+ incredible resources from top parenting experts.  Re-Parenting Our Triggers Take a moment to think of a current-day trigger with your child - a moment when your emotional response was disproportionate to what was actually happening. As you reflect, ask yourself these questions and write down your answers.  What was I feeling in my body when this happened? What thoughts were running through my mind?  What goal did I have for my child at that moment?  If I canceled that goal for my child, what new goal could I set for myself that involves my thoughts, words, feelings, and actions?  When we understand the answers to these questions, 1) we create a gap between what our children do and who they are, 2) we take responsibility for our own responses, and 3) we move outside control-based parenting and into connection-based parenting.  Re-Parenting Our Inner Child If you desire to take it a step further, you can move beyond the surface of your reactivity and into a deeper awareness of your inner child. You may choose to explore these questions, writing down your answers.  What did I learn in those earliest years of wiring my body about whatever it is that my child is doing and that I am reacting to?  What did I have to deny, suppress, or minimize in myself to fit into my family system as a child?  What did I need as a child?  How could I meet those needs now as an adult?  I know it seems like a lot of work for us when most of the time, we are focused on tools for our kids, but it starts here.  How we know ourselves directly affects how we see and relate to our children.  Re-parenting With Time-Ins A tangible way to bring all of this re-parenting into your home to include your children is to take a family Time-In. Often, it's thought that Time-Ins are for our kids, which is true, but that is only part of the puzzle.  Create small daily rituals with your family to share how you feel, process hard moments and playfully explore calming strategies. During a Time-In, you may choose to ask your child:  What happened? What were you feeling?  Where did you feel that feeling in your body?  How big was it? Why does that feeling make sense in your body? (What did you want and need?) Just as you would for your kids, take a Time-In during your heightened, unpleasant emotions too. This is a form of re-parenting. This is how we model emotional regulation and invite healing inward.  In short, Time-Ins are for all the children in the home, including the child that lives deep inside us.  Interested in learning more about reparenting? Check out our FREE 3-Day Reparent Yourself Online Summit and get lifetime access to incredible resources from top parenting experts.  💚 Break generational patterns 💚 Let go of conflict avoidance and perfectionism 💚 Replace codependent behaviors with self-care