Conflict is a course of life, occurring whenever two parties have different agendas or different perceived agendas. What matters is not the conflict itself but how that conflict is resolved. Parents don't have to resort to win-lose methods with either the parent or child winning while the other loses. When parents work together with their children,... Continue Reading →
Balance
Photo by Murray Barnes Balance is a continual process. In order to stay balanced, we must be constantly shifting and adapting to even small changes in the environment or situation. When something changes, we must also change in order to maintain our balance. If we don't, then not only do we lose our previous balance, but... Continue Reading →
Mitten Strings for God
When I first heard of Katrina Kenison's book, Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry, I mentally brushed it off. With such a title, I expected the book to proselytize religious beliefs. When the book showed up in my mailbox from the publisher, I picked it up with apprehension, and found I was... Continue Reading →
Free Range Learning
If I could only recommend one book about homeschooling to someone, it would be Laura Grace Weldon's Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything. There is something for everyone in this book, whether a homeschooling veteran or someone who is contemplating whether or not to homeschool their children. While the book is unschooling-lite, families of all styles will... Continue Reading →
Band-Aids: Badges of Honor
Photo by Benjamin GrayThere is something magical about band-aids, as any parent can tell you. When our children cut or scrape themselves, a band-aid seems to make it all feel better. It's not really the bandage, of course. The fact that we take the time to listen to our child's woes is what really matters.... Continue Reading →
Good Morning
Photo by Paul AloeWith each new sunrise, we are given a fresh new day. With this renewal comes fresh opportunities to savor ourselves, our loved ones, and the world around house. Morning is a sacred time, as we awaken and ground ourselves in the new day. As such, we can set the tone for the... Continue Reading →
Children’s Play
American parents are running their children to and fro, frazzled themselves by the never-ending car pools and activities. The children, not knowing anything else, long for a simpler lifestyle, one in which they get to be children. It's true that our children benefit from varied experiences. Learning about how other people live and think gives... Continue Reading →
I’m Not Raising Corporate America
Photo by Justin LoweryI've often heard parents rationalizing punishments and rewards by citing the real world. When the kids grow up, they'll be in the real world. In the real world, they'll have to get a job and then, they had better be prepared. Punishments and rewards are everywhere, in the real world. This misses a... Continue Reading →
A Kid’s Guide to Being a Winner
C.D. Shelton attempted to write an inspirational book for children with A Kid's Guide to Being a Winner. I can't help but feel that the author missed the mark with this. Certainly, concepts such as respect, thoughtfulness, gratitude, responsibility, and a positive attitude are beneficial to promoting a peaceful society. However, Shelton has focused on these principles... Continue Reading →
Rewards: the Other Edge of the Sword
Behavioral training uses punishments and rewards in order to extract desired behaviors from the subject in question. Numerous studies support that the use of punishment in children, regardless of whether or not the punishment is physical in nature, has detrimental effects. Besides dissolving the connection between parent and child, punishments do not help the child to do better... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 