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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Welcome to the April Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they advocate for healthy, gentle parenting choices compassionately. Please read to the end to find a list... Continue Reading →
I often come across the question from others about what to do when you haven't parented according to your ideals. When posted on a parenting forum, there seems to be an overwhelming urge for others to tell the original poster that, "It's okay." They regal everyone with posts about their less than stellar moments and... Continue Reading →
When asked one time about sleeping arrangements with subsequent children, I shared with a group about our sleeping arrangements. We have a family bed, which at this time, includes two adults and four children. A young mother exclaimed how she would never have that many children in her bed. That is her perogative. It works... Continue Reading →
We don't have a bedtime at our house. For us, bedtime is literally just the time someone goes to bed. There is no arbitrary time for us. We've encouraged our children to listen to their bodies and point out cues that we notice in order to help them recognize those signs that their bodies are... Continue Reading →
Though conflict, we learn to establish healthy boundaries between ourselves and other people. Conflict provides an opportunity for growth and learning. This is true not only for children, but also for ourselves.
living peacefully with children 