As parents, we want our kids to be authentic—to recognize their unique gifts and use them to create a meaningful life for themselves, rather than caving in to peer pressure because they lack confidence or don’t set boundaries. Perfectionism makes it difficult for our children to set boundaries and be their authentic selves because perfectionists …
If you have difficulty settling your child at bedtime because he’s hyperactive or excited, this game will help bring him into a more regulated state conducive to sleep. It can also help calm him after a tantrum, or when he’s emotionally distraught or unable to control his behaviour. This game helps you to tap directly …
Read moreHow to Calm Your Child at Bedtime: One Simple Practice
On days when it feels like your relationship with your child is falling apart, a strong foundational parent-child connection makes your relationship resilient enough to endure the conflict, and enables you to repair with more ease. All parents need a “tool kit” that contains simple regular daily practices for building a deep connection with their …
I read an article* about the new video game, Fortnite, the other day. According to the article, the game has some parents worried because their kids seem to have more difficulty turning it off than other video games. It prompted me to jot down a few tips to support you and your kids as you …
Photo Credit: Rafael Ben-Ari – New Zealand In the last blogpost, I talked about how important it is to be able to regulate ourselves as parents (or teachers), because our children learn to self-regulate through interactions with parents/teachers/caregivers whose nervous systems are balanced. In this post, I’ll share how nervous system regulation affects learning. We often believe …
In this first blogpost of a 4-part series on self-regulation, I’ll cover: how children learn to self-regulate (both bring their intense emotions down, and control their behaviour) Do you struggle with your child’s intense emotions, or your own? Do you wonder if your child will ever learn to control his behaviour? We all want …
Read moreSelf-regulation: When will my child learn? (The real scoop)
A reminder that this free presentation is coming up this Tuesday evening at 7:30pm. Also, I’ve had a few phone calls this week asking if registration is required. It is not, however, I’d love to know if you’re coming so that I know approximately how many handouts to print. If you haven’t already called me, can …
Read moreEnding Self-Criticism, Building Self-Confidence – FREE presentation
It can be heart-breaking to see the following in your child: self-critical, easily discouraged, reluctant to try new activities, or feeling defeated before even trying something new. If this is you and your child, OR, if your child is young and you want to prevent these, I have 2 offerings for you today. Presentation The first …
It’s that time of year again–parent-teacher interviews, soon to be followed by report cards. Traditional (public and most private) education programs use standard evaluations to measure students’ learning and assign grades. But if your children’s greatest gifts and abilities aren’t seen and reflected in those evaluations, they’ll almost certainly disengage and become unmotivated, or at the …
Victoria Parents and Educators – There’s a new school opening this fall in the Greater Victoria area. There’s an information session on Sunday, and I wanted you to be first to know in case it’s something you or your friends/colleagues might be interested in. The vision is to create an education system that honors our children’s …