by Chris Jones | Oct 17, 2018 | Leisure & Vacation
Family and community are extremely important to young children. Celebrating our immediate, extended, and chosen families allows us to appreciate and pass on lore and tradition, while providing children with a fuller sense of themselves and their place in the world....
by Chris Jones | Oct 9, 2018 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Preteens & Teens
How many times have you asked your child, “How was your day?”, only to get the response, “fine”? If your number is too many to count, you are not alone. Many parents struggle with ways to reconnect with their children after a long school day. Here are five alternative...
by Chris Jones | Sep 26, 2018 | Discipline & Behavior, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Preteens & Teens, Toddlers
Life is full of challenging feelings, and kids don’t come pre-programmed with frustration management skills! Fortunately, with a little bit of guidance and a lot of patience, you can help your child develop coping strategies to deal with frustrations both large...
by Chris Jones | Sep 7, 2018 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Preteens & Teens, Technology
It’s not always easy talking about technology, screen-time, and media choices with our children and teens. Read on for suggestions from Mindful Digital Life’s Claudia L’Amoreaux. For many parents, a “Trial and Error” approach is our default,...
by Chris Jones | Aug 13, 2018 | Birth - First Year, Parenting Tips
While early days with a newborn can be exhilarating, they can also be exhausting and unpredictable. Baby’s circadian rhythm is “upside down” —they want to sleep all day and feed all night. This “upside down-ness” can leave newborns too sleepy to eat during the...
by Chris Jones | Jul 31, 2018 | Discipline & Behavior, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Toddlers
Which tools are in your parenting toolbox? Having worked with families for decades, we are familiar with various approaches to parenting, discipline, and guidance. The best approaches derive from our understanding of children’s brain development and either provide...
by Chris Jones | Jul 16, 2018 | Discipline & Behavior, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Toddlers
As parents we wish we could subdue our children’s outbursts with a gentle re-direction. In some cases this works beautifully. But, in other cases it fails miserably, and the behavior we are wishing to stop increases. One important key to stopping unwanted...
by Chris Jones | Jun 11, 2018 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Toddlers
Your 14-month-old is climbing on a chair and you are afraid that she will fall and hurt herself. Your 3-year-old is playing in the sand area at the park, throwing the sand in the air, and showering other kids with sand. Your 6-year-old is running around the house like...
by Chris Jones | Jun 4, 2018 | Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips, Technology
How to Help Your Kids Manage the Pull of Technology The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down what seemed to...
by Chris Jones | May 7, 2018 | Discipline & Behavior, Parenting Skills, Parenting Tips
How often do you find yourself giving your child a compliment in preparation for a criticism? “I love that enthusiasm, but please keep your voice down.” “Thank you for clearing the table, but next time do it the first time I ask.” Beloved family therapist Dr. Sal...
