Many parents find themselves struggling to inspire their teens to get off the couch and start exercising; being physically active may be the last way a teen want to unwind after a day at school, work, or extracurricular activities. Teens who aren't active, however are at risk of developing poor [...]Continue Reading
6 Super Games that Teach Social Skills (for 6-12 year olds)
When it comes to teaching my kids about social skills and graces, I know I could do with a little help! It can seem like a daunting task, but remember what the wise and famous Mary Poppins said: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and - SNAP - the job's a [...]Continue Reading
How to Encourage Resilience – phrases and quotes for parents that help kids build resilience
At the beginning of my parenting journey I unknowingly passed by hundreds of opportunities for me and my kids to develop resilience. In my book Bounceback Parenting I explain that I made the mistake of thinking that my job was to make everything easy or comfortable for my kids. I often offered help [...]Continue Reading
The Emotions Bowl – teaching kids about emotions and how to regulate them
My brother was seeking a way to stay close to his kids during a very tumultuous time in his life and he asked the advice of a family counselor. She suggested the emotions bowl - this is a wonderful tool for teaching kids about emotions and helping families grow closer. Since then he and I [...]Continue Reading
What to do when your kid hits another child – How to teach the skill of self-motivated self-regulation (SMSR)
Today's article is about how to handle situations where one kid is hitting another. Author Vivek Patel shares how to handle this situation from a self-motivated, self-regulation standpoint rather than from a a fear-based self-regulation standpoint. How to teach the skill of self-motivated [...]Continue Reading
The First Step to Getting Out of Survival Mode – I Had to Let Go of the Fantasy
This post is an excerpt from my book Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection not Perfection. To enjoy my kids I had to come to grips with the fact that parenting would be nothing like I imagined and, in fact, many sweet, memorable moments often happen at the same time as the [...]Continue Reading