Because your child spends many of his waking hours in school and in school-related activities, time spent in school plays a big part in his life and significantly impacts his development as a person. He probably spends more time at school than he does with you. Because of this, it is important you use the time you have with him to the maximum benefit and focus your attention on nurturing his...
Self-confidence means different things to different people. Some believe self-confidence is a "can-do" attitude that shows no vulnerability, uncertainty, or self-doubt. They believe one simply goes out and gets things done without regard to how she feels. Others say true self-confidence means you can be honest and show your vulnerability and still be confident. They believe that if you're truly...
One of the most important tools you need as a parent or educator is to understand who children are and what they need from you in order to be happy and successful. Most likely the tools you have are based on the conventional wisdom of our culture and how you were raised. You may want to do what your parents did or be determined not to repeat some of their mistakes.
You may believe you will...
One of the complaints I often hear from parents and educators is children who whine. There seems to be something about the sound of a whiny voice that is like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Most parents and educators simply tolerate this behavior, not knowing what to do that will make a difference. You may believe whining is your child's way of expressing herself. You may feel that...
Parents and educators who come to me for coaching feel unclear how to handle repetitive troubling behaviors and challenges with their child. They don't know how to effectively respond to these situations in order to best help their child. They feel confused about how to evaluate their child's behavior. What behaviors are warning signs of a child in trouble and what are simply part of a child...
Are there areas in your relationship with the children in your life where you feel powerless to change the situation? Times when "the kids" seem out of control and no matter what you've done to get them to change, they keep being uncooperative.
For whatever comfort this is--you are not alone. Most parents, teachers, and grandparents struggle with some aspect of their relationship with...
I often see parents and educators struggle to know the right way to handle a challenging situation. They look at me and ask, "What's the right thing to do?"
Every parent and educator knows this question, and we often turn to others or to books to learn the right thing. We think there is a right answer, and we feel compelled to find it so we can do the right thing.
What if I were to tell...
Recently a mom said to me, "I realize I've trained my daughter to be afraid of me. Now I want to train her to trust me." Have you ever wished you could change how your child perceives and reacts to you? It can be painful to see the results of your actions and words mirrored back to you in your child.
Since getting my horse Destiny, I've often thought about the difference between training a...
We seldom want to look at the statistics about suicide in children and young people, but they are important to consider. As parents and educators we tend to ignore this subject, pretending it doesn't happen in "good" families. The belief is that suicide happens only
in troubled families to troubled children.
At the ChildSpirit Conference I attended in November, Joseph Chilton Pearce,...
Everyone struggles with how to respond to behavior they experience as difficult in other people. Even though we don't usually think of it, all of our difficulties with behavior are about emotions. They are about all of the emotions involved--ours and the other person's.
In our society, we don't pay much attention to our emotions, and as a result, we can feel pretty lost when situations...
