I find it so valuable to look back at the posts throughout the year, which really resonated with parents. There were some amazing articles published in 2015!
I asked my parenting educator colleagues to send along their most shared posts and was delighted to be looking through incredible, well-written information. I suggest book-marking these posts and reading them as you have time. The content here will certainly help you to be at your parenting best.
Here is a roundup of some of the great parenting articles written this year.
Kelly Flannigan Bos, MSW is an individual, marriage, and family therapist. As a mom of two very active children, she knows to find moments of calm amidst the busy-ness. Kelly wrote a very helpful post: 24 Clever Activities to Keep Busy Toddlers Happy.
One day, the daughter of Ariadne Brill, founder of Positive Parenting Connection, yelled, “You are an IDIOT, Mama.” Ariadne’s response shows great awareness: instead of yelling back, she realized her daughter wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, she was expressing the disconnect between the two of them. In this post, Positive Parenting: Punishing Misbehavior Doesn’t Have to be the Answer, Ariadne shares how to handle this kind of situation while strengthen the relationship at the same time.
Alice Callahan, PhD is a trained research scientist with a doctorate in nutrition. Alice shared that her most-read post of 2015 answers a common question mothers of babies have: What is your opinion of starting solids at four months versus six months? You can read Alice’s answer to that question in her post, Starting Solids: 4 months, 6 months, or Somewhere in Between? Alice’s book The Science of Mom: A Research-Based Guide to Your Baby’s First Year is also my suggested reading for all parents with babies—she does more thoroughly address this question and more here.
Tracy Cutchlow, a former editor at the Seattle Times and author of Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based On Science, wrote about a great sleep tip to help keep your child in his or her bed at bedtime. The technique is called: “Excuse me.” Read more here: ‘Excuse me’: A sleep doc’s secret for getting kids to sleep on their own.
Children who have more heightened sensitivity to their environment can end up releasing this irritation as tantrums—sometimes many of them. Mona Delahooke, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist who writes about children with special needs. In her popular post, When the Tantrums Won’t Stop: Understanding the Impact of Sensory Triggers, Mona shares what parents can do to address this situation.
Joanne Foster, EdD, author of Beyond Intelligence: Secrets for Raising Happily Productive Kids, wrote a popular post about why fostering creativity in children is key. Joanne writes, “Whatever the circumstances, creativity is an important foundation for learning, productivity, and success.” Read the full article here: Why Should Creativity Matter to Kids? What’s the Big Deal?
This article is wonderful; it helps us understand how to increase our children’s happiness: 4 Ways to Raise Happy Kids in Times of Stress. I’m not surprised it was shared widely, because the writer of this post, Katie Hurley, LCSW, also wrote the successful book The Happy Kid Handbook. As a parenting educator, I receive and read many parenting books each year; this has become one of my favourites!
I’m not sure if this was the writer’s intention, but I laughed my way through this article. Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure, and contributor to The Atlantic and The New York Times Motherlode, wrote this hilarious and very helpful post about being clear with instructions: Special Care Instructions.
Sarah MacLaughlin, LSW, has been studying about and working with children for twenty years. In those years, she has learned that one of the most “potent” bits of parenting information received is that punishment does not work. Sarah wrote a post about why punishment won’t help increase cooperation, improve relationships, or positively change behaviour: 4 Reasons Punishment is For the Birds. I suggest passing along this article to your children’s caregivers who are still using punishment and you would prefer they didn’t.
A concern that parents share with me is they want to avoid raising an “entitled” child. This is certainly a valid concern because we can inadvertently turn our intention to be very helpful into over-parenting. Thankfully, Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, released a book to address this topic called, The Me, Me, Me Epidemic. Amy shares some of the key messages of her book in this popular article from Maria Shriver’s website: 6 Tips for Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in a Self-Absorbed World.
Alanna McGinn, founder of Good Night Sleep Site, and one of my favourite sleep educators, wrote this helpful post about setting bedtime limits with toddlers: Four C’s of Setting Limits—Banish Toddler Bedtime Sleep Struggles. It is so important that parents and their children get enough sleep. We are all better when we feel rested.
Susan Newman, PhD, a social psychologist, wrote this very interesting post addressing the issue of bullying—of parents. Based on an interview with psychotherapist Sean Grover about his book When Kids Call The Shots, Susan explains what parenting styles are more likely to trigger bullying and what can be done: The 3 Types of Parents Who Get Bullied By Their Own Children
Casey O’Roarty, founder of Joyful Courage, passed along her most shared post. The article, Three Tools for Taking Back Bedtime gives parents tools to reducing defiance at bedtime. The end of the day can certainly be a tricky time when everyone is tired and desperately needing rest.
Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, author of Tomorrow’s Change Makers wrote a beautiful post about how to increase the happiness and well-being of every child. Through the story of a boy who lost his life in the Boston marathon bombings, she explains how parents can teach children about kindness. Martin Richard was the boy’s name, and he inspired many with his poster: “No more hurting people.” Read more in Marilyn’s post: Acts of Kindness: Teaching Children to Care.
Sarah Remmer, RD, wrote this very popular post about a bad habit parents can inadvertently get into (me included!): How This Well-Meaning Habit is Enabling Your Picky Eater. What is that bad habit? It’s grazing! Thankfully Sarah sets us on the right eating path.
Nicole Schwarz, MA, LMFT, author of Positive Parenting for Imperfect Families, addressed a question I often receive by parents: what do you do when your child back-talks your requests: “No! I don’t want to go! You never let me do anything fun!” In Nicole’s post, How to Respond When Your Child is Disrespectful, she shares tips for responding to this kind of remark.
There are many aspects to life that our children learn just by watching us. Empathy, communication, and manners are some of those big concepts that are absorbed by our children less through teachable moments and more through how we act. Licensed social worker, Andy Smithson, LMSW, wrote this article to inspire us to think about what we are teaching our children in those non-teachable moments: What are we teaching our kids when they’re not listening?
I have had the fortune of co-hosting book events for New York Times bestselling author, Rachel Macy Stafford, founder of Hands Free Mama. I just love chatting with her—she is so genuine and inspirational! It isn’t surprising to me that Rachel’s most shared post this year was this one: The Conversation I Almost Missed & the Future It Could’ve Cost. Rachel has a real gift for turning tough parenting moments into moments of change.
And lastly, I’d like to contribute my most shared post of the year: 32 Phrases to Use With 3 and 4 Year-Olds. It has been shared over a quarter of a million times! Parents were contacting me with comments like, “I need to tattoo these phrases on my arm!” and, “Wow! These are life-savers.” I took these comments to heart and developed an app for that! The Taming Tantrums app is now available for iPhone & Android. I’m so grateful the app has actually reached the #1 spot on the worldwide iTunes education chart.
Happy reading! The books I have mentioned above are all excellent: I recommend reading those, too. Very best wishes for a wonderful 2016!
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