Easter Sunday, 1985: Out into the woods we went to be in nature’s array of scents and scenes, picnic, hide-and-seek eggs with my sister’s family. My niece, Aliah (sometimes known as Ms. Papaya in my book), was 4. My daughter was 8. They were playing near a gurgling stream. Between
Read MoreThis week I was speaking with Brittany, who has a baby and a 5 yr. old. She and her husband are in the midst of moving to a new home and both have jobs. With young children, moving to a new location always has its stress factors. Parenting young children
Read MoreA fun time was being had by 2 1/2 year old grandson, Grayson, and myself, Grandma Boom, this weekend. Playing with Thomas the Train and friends, we were traveling to many fun places and getting into lots of train car jams, not to mention picking up a cowboy and zebra
Read MoreWe’ve all seen them….tantrums on the playground, in the grocery store, in a car, at someone’s house…..they make their mark and stand out in their own boisterous way. Tantrums frighten and anger those who don’t understand that young children will experiment with tantrums to figure out if they’re a tool
Read MoreIt was dusk but in the Kansas basement there was less light than outside the garage door where Dad was doing the bar-b-que. In 1959 I was ten years old, happily playing outside in the sultry summer evening when I ran into the basement to get a jump rope. Without
Read MoreLast Friday morning I took some food over to a neighbor, Renae, who is a mother-in-waiting, hosting an occasional conctraction. She’s the loving Mom of Jayden, who turns 2 this week. Playing with Jayden on the floor, at his level, was a hoot. Balloons, hopping chick, drumming and more. I
Read MoreLots of hubba-bubba about the new generation in Hollywood have minds reeling and judgments spinning out of control. Fame and wealth draw attention, it is true. But they do not give the stamp of guaranteed intrinsic happiness to the children of movie stars, regardless of how many toys, fancy clothes,
Read MoreLots of hubba-bubba about the new generation in Hollywood have minds reeling and judgments spinning out of control. Fame and wealth draw attention, it is true. But they do not give the stamp of guaranteed intrinsic happiness to the children of movie stars, regardless of how many toys, fancy clothes,
Read MoreRemember when you were a young child? Remember when somebody noticed what you were doing and gave you a compliment? Remember when you really liked something that happened? Remember when you got to do something extra special because you were ‘older now?’ Remember when you suggested an idea or did
Read MoreTwo ends of the parental spectrum blared out at the grocery store. A frustrated mom yanked her preschooler, screaming wildly at him to leave things on the shelf, slapping his bottom and dragging him as he wailed to the cashier stand. Calming techniques for kids and parents would be a
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