The sit down lecture. Nobody likes it. Whether you’re called into a room, have a table between you or sitting side by side, it’s with a head hung low we all approach the sit down lecture. Well that’s how it was in our house. I don’t know how we got into the rut of lecturing but I guess we have… View Post
There’s a lot of hustle in the mornings to get the kids up and out. We have our morning routines. We try not to nag and fuss. It’s great when each child can get up and move through the morning without us but it’s not every day, not all the time and maybe we’re not there yet. So morning runs… View Post
New choices to make with the new school year for everyone. What will happen in your family this year? It’s really easy to just fall into a routine with back to school but our family is different each and every year. We made different priorities depending on our stage, where we live and what’s going on with work. Do… View Post
What would happen if you started with a definite mindset about what you would do and will not do? This year I set the challenge to my three sons to make a list of what they really needed for school by looking at their school resource list for their upcoming class. Immediately they printed and wrote a long list of… View Post
Family meetings help children and families learn how to negotiate and resolve issues, this was the first post in the series. Last time we looked at how family roundtables or gatherings reduce tension by releasing that pressure valve that builds.Today we’re looking at the importance that everyone has a voice at a session. Just because you’re the oldest or the… View Post
There are lots of benefits to starting family meetings while a young family. In the first of this family meeting series we talked about the earlier they learn to negotiate and resolve issues the better it is for everyone. Today we’re talking about reducing tension by releasing that pressure value that builds. Siblings want what they want. They don’t come preprogrammed… View Post
Many young families love the idea of a family meeting or what we call a family roundtable. But just can’t see how it will work with young children. Often parents say that family meeting will be a good future event when the children are older. This certainly misses a fantastic opportunity to get started on the intercommunication skills. The early we… View Post
I’m excited to share a special guest post by Rebecca Eanes celebrating her newly released book: Positive Parenting: an essential guide Building and maintaining a strong connection with our children takes focus and work, but the benefits are worth the effort. When children are securely connected with us, they have higher self-esteem, behave better, are more cooperative, and are happier… View Post
Families should gather together over a meal. Yeah yeah yeah! We’ve heard that before. Tried it before and it didn’t really work out. This week we we focus less on the why and more on the how we create a meal ritual so that family times run smoothly. ( For the family and us!) Leave a comment below or on… View Post
Take out the trash may only be four little words but when you unpack what you’re asking your child to do it involves many steps. It is a process like the morning routine or cleaning your teeth, emptying your backpack or getting ready for a trip. Here’s the tip that’s often missed with contributions and chores and that’s teaching and… View Post
