Parenting is an opportunity for personal growth. Self reflection helps us be gentle with ourselves and forgiving. When your children “misbehave” they still love you. Please do not equate love with obedience. Children coming into our world love when loved yet they do not necessarily believe that pleasing their parents is a form of love.…
DetailsHere is a Parent Success Story told by an amazing mom of a 13 year-old boy. I started parenting coaching with Cynthia because I wanted to learn how to modify my communication style with my 13 year-old son. I wanted us to be able to communicate on a more harmonious level. He is very sensitive…
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Teens are at the developmental stage where their life focus is moving away from their family of origin to creating their own family in the future. Their prefrontal cortex, their thinking and analyzing brain, won’t be fully developed until the mid-20’s. So, as parents, we watch this process with often feelings of concern, fear, and…
DetailsWith Torrey Mandell Freeman, MS. Torrey, a certified parent educator, has a Master’s Degree in Counseling. She has co-taught paren/child activity groups at Parents Place and currently teaches the Toddler Social Club classes. The Birds and The Bees 101: Know What You’ll Say Before They Ask (5 – 10 years) Learn more about the most effective ways…
DetailsWhat was her experience with the human world? Pretty unpleasant. Her reaction was to cry, as if to say, “Leave me alone!” These difficulties played out at every stage of her development. As she got older, she was at times inattentive and easily distracted because she was so sensitive to the array of sounds, sights,…
DetailsChildren need to first know they are loved and accepted for who they are. Then, with this as a base, their natural impulse is to take that love and learn to contribute it to the world in constructive ways. Self-esteem is the best gift you can give your child. Below are example qualities of a…
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Here is a blog post from Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, on how to change. To change the habit we must first bring it into consciousness again. That takes self-awareness, a fundamental of emotional intelligence. When that leader became mindful of his self-defeating habit, he realized that it was his own fear of failure that made…
DetailsThe Strong-Willed Child Common beliefs about self and others I can be a powerful, magnanimous leader OR I can control and intimidate others. I deserve to be treated fairly and justly. I believe that my thoughts and feelings are as important as yours. I may need to push loudly to be heard because I fear…
DetailsContinued by Dr. Stanley Greenspan While many people studying child development recognize that biology and upbringing work together, this recognition has not been sufficiently applied in advice to parents. I would like to propose a potentially more optimistic way of thinking about dealing with challenging children. This new approach focuses on how “nature” and “nurture”…
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You can still learn fantastic parenting skills during the summer at the Parents Place in Palo Alto. All the instructors are highly knowledgeable in their field. On July 18th I’m teaching the class titled Building Your Child’s Self-Esteem and Personal Power. JULY WORKSHOPS in Palo Alto. Go to the Parent’s Place Website for Registration. SETTING…
DetailsTerms of Use: The articles in my blog are a matter of my opinion and perspective, offered to help stimulate parents' thinking about their child raising and common concerns, conflicts, and changes that typically occur. They are meant to be educational only. Because they are general in nature, they should NOT be used as a substitute for getting qualified professional psychological, medical, or legal help should serious need arise. The resources I recommend are mostly consistent with my parenting approach. Use them at your own discretion as you would my articles. The parents’ success stories are particular to their family situation. This does not mean that you would get the same results. They are to be used for inspiration that by you changing first, you have the greatest chance of creating a positive change in your family.