Peering in

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by Thoughts from a Mindful Mom on February 9, 2010

Yesterday I watched the Superbowl.

This doesn’t sound like a big deal—me and millions of other Americans, right?  Wrong.  I have hated watching sports for most of my life.  As a kid, I whined so much on Sundays that there was nothing to watch it’s a wonder I don’t recall upsetting my parents.  In those pre-cable, pre-VCR days, Sunday TV was pure torture.  I could never fathom the appeal of televised sports.  I was an athlete, but TV sports were like canned peas, which I also detested.  And football was the worst.

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A child’s ‘big emotions’

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by New York Times Family Column on February 8, 2010

Question: How do I help an almost-6-year-old learn to handle disappointment and frustration?

This is a child with big emotions, both positive and negative. Nearly every time he doesn’t get his way, he instantly gives in to his impulse to stomp, throw something, cry, scream, and sometimes hit and push.

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Mindful Food Selection

February 5, 2010
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As mindful parents, I imagine that you have tried to decipher a nutrition label on a food package in order to determine if the product was healthy or not.  Odds are that after studying this label you were still unsure.  You may be unsure because most consumers in the United States don’t have a visual [...]

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Learning to walk

January 29, 2010
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At about 12 months, as a child focuses her energy on the big developmental step of learning to walk, her emotional controls may be disrupted.
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The writing is on the wall

January 28, 2010
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Today was ‘one of those days’.  The children were home from school and my two year old decided that he didn’t need a nap.  I willed his sleep to come.  I sat by his door – I walked away.  The sleep did not come.  After some time I gave up and let him come out.  [...]

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A toddlers verbal challenges

January 22, 2010
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By T. BERRY BRAZELTON, M.D., and JOSHUA SPARROW, M.D. from The New York Times Syndicate’s FAMILIES TODAY column.
Question: My son is two and a half.  He speaks in sentences but his verbal exchanges are more descriptive than interactive — almost like a running commentary. 
He also has problems “naming” things. He doesn’t seem to grasp the concept. [...]

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Character Corner: Generosity–weekly musings, quotes, and parenting tips from WisdomCommons.org

January 20, 2010
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Whenever Louisa (age eight) and her little sister Jenna are each offered something special, Louisa immediately makes a judgment about which item is most desirable, and lobbies to get that one for herself.  She wants the biggest cookie, the purple bathrobe, and the window seat. 
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A toddlers separation anxiety

January 15, 2010
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By T. BERRY BRAZELTON, M.D., and JOSHUA SPARROW, M.D. from The New York Times Syndicate’s FAMILIES TODAY column.
Question: I am a professional and a married mom with two wonderful boys, ages 3 and 1.
 The 3-year-old struggles with severe separation anxiety every time I go to work. He wants me to be the person who does everything [...]

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Do you lie to your children?

January 14, 2010
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I don’t believe in lying to my children.  I know that plenty of people do though. 
There is the occasional white lie, (I will buy that for you another day)  the ‘magic lie’, (the tooth fairy gave you that money) and even the bold face lie (there is a hidden camera in there and I can see whatever you [...]

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Fattening up babies?

January 13, 2010
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We are so obsessed about weight in this country.  Even babies are targets. 
Babies are supposed to have visible body fat.  It is normal for a baby to have several chins, a neck that is hard to find, and rolls of fat at their thighs, wrists and elbows. 
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Character Corner: Balance — weekly musings, quotes, and parenting tips from WisdomCommons.org

January 13, 2010
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Through 2010, the Community of Mindful Parents will feature weekly articles about character virtues and parenting.  What character qualities are valued across time, religion and culture?  What do our traditions have to say?  How can we nurture them in our children?
Twelve-year-old Annie gets straight A’s– at a cost.  She hurries away from the table [...]

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Don’t hide that squash!

January 9, 2010
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Many parents hide food in order to get their children to eat what they think is healthy.  There are even several cook books that will assist you in these efforts.  What does hiding food accomplish?  On the positive side it allows parents to feel better about the healthy foods their child unknowingly eats.  All other [...]

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A three year old’s ‘potty progress’

January 9, 2010
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By T. BERRY BRAZELTON, M.D., and JOSHUA SPARROW, M.D. from The New York Times Syndicate’s FAMILIES TODAY column.
Question: My 3-year-old daughter is fully potty-trained for urination — no diaper at night or for naps. But she refuses to use the toilet for a bowel movement and asks for a diaper instead (she will sit on the [...]

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Strategies for mastering stress

January 9, 2010
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Life’s myriad of changes often lead to an accumulation of stress. Here is a compendium of simple, common sense strategies for transforming mental and physical tension into energy creatively and effectively expressed. None of these strategies are new. Many will be familiar to you, but we often need to be reminded. Circle the ones you’d [...]

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Downtime – do we really deserve it?

January 8, 2010
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Okay, it’s 4:57.  Somehow you’ve managed to have dinner already prepared and it is warming in the oven.   Your husband is due home in about half an hour at which time, you’re hoping on having a lovely family dining experience.
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Character Corner I: Compassion –musings, quotes, and parenting tips from WisdomCommons.org

January 7, 2010
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 Every week through 2010 the Community of Mindful Parents will feature an article about character virtues and parenting.  What character qualities are valued across time, religion and culture?  What do our traditions have to say?  How can we nurture them in our children? 
We begin with compassion. 
What is compassion?
Tommy is only two, but when [...]

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The Challenge of Single Parenting

January 6, 2010
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By T. BERRY BRAZELTON, M.D., and JOSHUA SPARROW, M.D. from The New York Times Syndicate’s FAMILIES TODAY column.
Between ages 3 and 6, children intensely identify with both of their parents. Yet half of all children spend significant time in a single-parent family, often after a divorce. How can single parents help children develop an identity?
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This Emotional Life

January 5, 2010
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Three part series: This Emotional Life begins tonight on PBS
The program airs today at 9:00 pm and continues for two more nights on KCTS (Channel 9).
 
Funded by Paul Allen this series explores the cutting edge science such as how infants form early attachments that determine life long emotional health.  The project includes on-line tools and [...]

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