When I work with parents I always ask how often their child cries sad tears. And almost always they look off into the distance and admit they don’t recall or admit it’s a rare occurrence. Kids get really difficult to parent when they don’t express their sadness regularly.
So a natural question I get is, how do I help my child cry?
Read MoreI’ll admit, that’s a bit of a clickbait title. And yet, I mean it. Because most of the parents I work with have been in this scenario:
You have curated a pretty-near-perfect day
Your child has had a proper night's rest
You’ve provided regular balanced meals and snacks
You’ve engaged in quality 1:1 time and play
You’ve offered age-appropriate choices
You’ve ensured your child has had adequate movement and outside time
And yet…
Read MoreRemember when summer weekends meant sleeping in and late leisurely brunches? Or perhaps hopping in the car for an adventure without packing a thing?!
Now we have our natural alarm clock waking us up at the first light of day with their constant refrain, “Will you play with me? “
As much as we love our kids, it’s hard not to groan at times. It’s a struggle to feel playful when you’re tired and your mind is already racing with the unending list of to-dos.
Last month I had the pleasure of being a guest on the CHCH morning show where I chatted with the incredible host, Tim Bolen and answered the question, “How can I play when I’m exhausted?”
Read MoreThree years ago, my daughter moved out of our crib and our bedtime routine turned upside down. Suddenly she needed me specifically to lie down with her until she fell asleep. While I was happy to do this, I also had a baby in need of my attention and both my husband and I wanted to more flexibility with our evening.
Read MoreBad habits - that’s the fear lurking in the back of parents’ minds when putting their kids to bed. The message that we must teach our children to be independent sleepers or suffer the consequences is a hard one to ignore, especially when it’s all around us and we are so very tired.
That advice (and guilt) is pretty useless when you’ve just had a new baby and your toddler is now sleeping worse than your newborn. Or you’ve just moved and your 3-year-old is scared of their new room. Or after a separation, your 4-year-old is determined to cosleep.
For us, it has been our 3-year-old starting daycare.
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