We’ve encountered a new situation in our house that has caused me distress and concern: a sleepwalking child.
One night my husband and I were sitting downstairs watching a movie when quietly and suddenly (my children usually walk like elephants) one of my children appeared in the kitchen walking towards us. As he came closer, I could see his eyes were open but were glazed over and distant. We talked to him but he didn’t respond so finally we realized he was sleepwalking.
In all these years of studying and writing about tantrums, I admit I was still finding supporting my own children through their big emotions a challenge. I know the scripts, can do the calm-myself-down techniques, and even mostly exercise my own demons, but I was still sometimes flattened by other’s anger outbursts.
The topic of money is often in the news, but the recent American presidential election has increased the visibility of headlines like: “Is America Divided in to ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-nots’?” Assuming your family is similar to mine, you have likely heard questions like this from the children in your house: “Mom, what’s a ‘Have-not’ – are we poor?”
One of the most painful things to hear our children or students say is: “I’m stupid” or “I’m dumb.” Our first reaction might be to utter something to counter their statement like, “No, you’re not!” but that response may actually not be helpful. Using phrases that show our children how to address their negative core belief thinking and change it will grow their self-confidence and motivation to handle any tough stuff that arises.
I think back to the days when I was a teacher before becoming a parent, which was about twenty years ago. Standing amidst 25 to sometimes 35 students, there were many moments where I just couldn’t think of how to make a student do something he or she was refusing to do.
I admit that sometimes I resorted to punishment rather than positive discipline and all these years later I cringe at those thoughts, wishing I could go back in time to change things. I now have better perspective into the potentially negative effects of that punishment.
If you’ve been following my writing for a while, you’ll be familiar with my “best of” or “favourite resources” posts. I like to survey my readers and colleagues about twice a year to find the parenting resources they find the most helpful.
Welcome back to the A to Z of Taming Tantrums parenting series. This video is for the letter W, and W is for my FAVOURITE parenting tool: “when/ then.”
A “when/ then” is so useful! It encourages children to do something that is necessary while keeping the power struggle out of the task.
Last year, our family went on a big vacation to the Caribbean, which was really an amazing experience. This year, with the drop in the value of the Canadian dollar (compared to the American dollar), we decided to forego a big out-of-country trip and explore the area around us. So we booked a trip to Great Wolf Lodge Niagara.
Welcome back to the A to Z of Taming Tantrums series! This week I cover the letter L, and L is for Letting Go.
What does letting go mean to you? When I think of those two powerful words, I think about giving up control that everything has to be exactly the way I want it. I learned early in my parenting journey that there are many things we cannot control when it comes to raising a young person. Accepting this is part of the process of helping our children and ourselves through emotional upset.
Hi! Andrea Nair here. Welcome back to the A to Z of Taming Tantrums. This episode is about the letter K, and K is for OK.
You might be wondering why OK is linked to tantrums. Our very well meaning hope to check in for our child's understanding by adding an "OK?" at the end of our instructions actually turns that direction into a yes/ no question. At this point, your child could shout, "NO!" which is a fair response to your request.
Hi! Welcome back to the A to Z of Taming Tantrums video series. This week I'll be discussing the letter J, and J is for Jobs.
"Jobs" is the word I like to use instead of "chores." These are the daily tasks that everyone in the household needs to do in order to keep things running smoothly. Getting our young children used to, and involved in daily jobs will help making cleaning up become a regular part of life.