Mindful Moments Blog

Behavior charts have been widely used over the past thirty years and while they may achieve the short-term goal of obedience, they miss the long-term goal of building the brain for life-long skills.

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.

  When I decided to back the Generation Mindful Kickstarter campaign for PeaceMakers, I had no idea that this choice would change the course of my family in an instant. This might sound like hyperbole, but I’m being completely serious. This card game has[...] Read More _____________ Generation Mindful creates tools, toys, and programs that nurture emotional intelligence through play and positive discipline. Join us and receive joy in your inbox each week.

Sometimes the desire to avoid setting boundaries is a control strategy based on our own discomfort with conflict. When we blast through the assumption that being a good parent means avoiding conflict, we gift our children the ability to know who they are, what they want, and how to ask for it - something that was not always safe or allowed for our child-selves.

Sesame Street leads the pack on educating children about inclusion, social issues, and kindness, and now, with their newest special, “The Power of We,” they will teach children how to stand up against racism.

Without a village, parenthood can feel pretty isolating and lonely. Not being seen and connected often feels like a threat to our emotional and psychological well-being. Emotions Researcher Brené Brown inspires an unusual way out of loneliness and into self-acceptance. 

Parenting is like a perpetual garden of personal growth, where the seeds of learning and development continue to flourish without end. Our parenting and family dynamic plays a major role in the future of our children.

Practice these three intentions in the new year to rebuild or strengthen your parent-child bond and enjoy the fruits of a healthy relationship.

By: Suzanne Tucker Have you ever worried that your feelings are too big or "too much" to be acknowledged... much less shared out loud with another human being? Today I'm sharing a personal story and a practice I use for sharing my emotions despite this fear so many of us adopted in childhood that our feelings are not valid and thus, not worthy of being shared.  I call BS. The truth is that our feelings are data. They are not "right" or "wrong" so much as they are information -- a glimpse into our inner world.  So many of us grew up having emotions like sadness, grief, confusion, jealousy, and rage dismissed or denied by often well-intended but misguided adults who were never taught how to listen to, empathize with, and/or regulate emotions themselves.  Like the majority of adults on the planet, the friend I wanted to share my emotions with was raised in a family system that believed emotions were: weak not valid in and of themselves  and thus, NOT safe to feel In this video, I share my experience of having my adult friend dismiss and deny my emotions when I shared my feelings, and how I responded. In the above 12-minute video, I walk you through: A short centering exercise (1-3:00 min) My experience of being dismissed (3-4 min) How this tied to my childhood (5-6 min)  Feelings as sacred (6-6:45 min) How I "permitted" myself to feel (6:45 min) A mantra to help us hold space for our kids (8:45 min)  We can learn to acknowledge ourselves and validate our own emotions. And, in modeling these things, we can teach others how to affirm and validate emotions as well --- making it safe for the next generation and for ourselves to feel. JOIN THE REPARENT YOURSELF MEMBERSHIP We don't control the people in our lives or how they react to our sharing --- but we DO control our thoughts, words, and actions.  I hope my experience helps you feel more confident in expressing your feelings regardless of how they will be met. Because this numbed-out world needs more sensitive people.  If you believe every child deserves to learn about their emotions, please check out our Reparent Yourself Membership, a community for change-makers like you, where we do not view the past as our destiny, but rather, our curriculum!  Join us! About the author Suzanne Tucker is the founder of Generation Mindful, a physical therapist, a parent educator of 30 years, and a mom of 4 (including twins!). Suzanne has been studying the art and the science of connection-based parenting for decades. Her life's work is to help families around the world find more joy and connection in their relationships.   Why Being a Sensitive Parent is a Good Thing 5 Ways To Nurture Emotional Intelligence For Kids 10 Simple Mindfulness Activities For Kids To Build Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence is More Than Naming Emotions The Ultimate Guide To Building A Calming Corner And Using Time-Ins At Home How do you say goodbye to time-outs and introduce time-ins? This is the ultimate guide on the do's and don'ts for building and using a Calming Corner. "Ready-To-Hang" Time-In ToolKit 0 Reviews $99.00 The Time-In ToolKit® playfully teaches kids 2-9+ how to navigate big emotions through social emotional skill-building games. Created by child-develo... View Product trauma-informed co-parenting Break Shame Cycles model to learn Triggers boundaries self love Communication emotional regulation emotions Breaking Generational Cycles positive self talk emotional intelligence mental health regulation self-compassion self-love

Post-pandemic children have a lot to adjust to. And there is no cookie-cutter response because the mental health of our children is not one-dimensional. There is a spectrum of feelings and emotional stress taking a seat in the classroom this year. Here are some tools for nurturing social-emotional learning (SEL). 

Behavior charts track behavior, but do they work in actually reforming it? Parents and educators can use this instead to nurture children's social-emotional skills and guide behaviors. Read more.

Understand the principles of trauma-informed coaching and its role in promoting effective communication and client well-being.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. As a mother who has experienced this type of loss, I share my experience with fellow parents and offer gentle advise to supportive friends and family. 

This year, as parents we have had to level up our game as we navigate a global pandemic, racial injustices being brought to the forefront, civil unrest and so much more. At any one given moment, it’s hard to know whether I am thriving or just getting by. My daughter’s kindness came on a day where I was just skating by.

Rosemarie Lawton is the Director of Professional Development at The Child Care Council of Orange County and longtime GENM advocate. Her company works diligently with families and childcare providers, with their primary purpose being to coordinate, assist, strengthen, and expand child care in Orange County for all children.

Students who have stronger relationships with their teachers invest more time in academics, earn better grades, report being more satisfied, and behave in more prosocial ways as they transition from childhood into adolescence.

One mama went into the shadows of her youth to heal the wounds of emotional neglect. And in doing so, she reparented herself, and transformed the connection with her daughter.

“Mommy, will you lay with me?” The back of my son’s jammie shirt lay slightly spotted as it caught my silent tears. The most precious gift we have is the accumulation of seconds with our children. And this is what they need us to know. 

My own emotional capacity is on E, and it makes it super hard to be emotionally available for my child during his big emotions. What do I do?