This might be up for debate but I don't think your child should necessarily listen to you immediately when you ask them to do something.
Let's unpack this...
Should your child listen to you immediately?
3 ways to prep yourself for a month of parenting while social distancing
Here are 3 strategies I’m using while pandemic parenting to set myself up for a successful month at home with my kids. I
#1 Strategies For Reducing Stress At Mealtime
This is #1 MUST for reducing any stress around mealtime. This is my #1 MUST for raising an intuitive eater. This is my #1 MUST for avoiding and curbing picky eating.
Potty Training Magic- 4 Strategies to get your child comfortable on the toilet.
Your very first step to potty training is getting your child comfortable sitting on the toilet. Here are 4 strategies to make that happen!
Spending Quality Family Time Over The Holidays
Whether you are going away on vacation, hanging at home for a staycation, or just taking a few days off of work- this is the perfect time to take advantage and spend some quality time together as a family. Here are 5 activities you can do with your child to provide new learning opportunities while creating previous new memories.
Teaching Gratitude Over The Holidays
How can we teach the concept of appreciation & gratitude when there's such an abundance, and set expectations around gifting this time of the year. Truth is...It becomes really really hard. Here are 3 things you can try out to teach your child about appreciation & gratitude over the holidays.
The Beauty of Visual Schedules.
I recently walked into one of my clients' houses and had such a proud mom moment. Not so much for something my kids did but for something this mama did. something so simple. one simple strategy that ended up being a game changer for her!vIt took her 30 seconds to implement and has saved her hours of stress with her kids.
Stop the crying!
Today I'm sharing a strategy I use at home with my kids that's been extremely effective in helping them manage their emotions. a.k.a. a way of reducing a ton of unnecessary crying.
How to ask for help!
As parents we're so quick to respond to our kids (regardless of age) and offer them help when we see they're struggling. However.... when WE are struggling it's sometimes so difficult to seek out help and support for ourselves.
This will give you the shivers
When we developed The Stress Free Mealtime Manifesto our intention was to help families reduce stress around mealtime. In my wildest dreams, I never thought the program could bring so much change to one family in such a short period of time. The transformation this mama’s made with her son is unbelievable! If she can do it, you can too!
6 Back to School Tips For An Easy Transition.
Going back to school means change, and even though you're kid might be excited to get back into the classroom, you still have some groundwork to do to make sure that excitement doesn't turn into a catastrophic emotional or behavioural explosion a few days in.
Monkey See, Monkey Do 🙈
So the moral of the story today is... your child watches your every single move. Monkey see, monkey do is a real thing. DO NOT forget that.
My 5 year old is at camp this week but only enrolled half days in the mornings. We've been spending our afternoons together, which has been really nice. Yesterday afternoon, I had to jump on a quick work call so I stepped into a quiet room and left her to play on her own. She's amazing an entertaining herself, and can literally keep herself busy with imaginary play for hours.
When I got off my call, I noticed she was playing in the bathroom so I headed in that direction to see what she was up to. To my absolute surprise, when I turned the corner it became VERY apparent to me that Barbie had just gotten her first hair cut.
YUP.
that's right.
My 5 year old found a pair of scissors from a utility drawer in my kitchen, got comfy on the bathroom floor and went to town on Barbie's hair.
At first I wanted to lose my shit on her because...
a. safety first
b. there was a HUGE annoying mess all over my bathroom (I hate cleaning anything)
but... I then had to realize that this wasn't her fault at all. This was totally MY doing.
I cut my own kids' hair (usually in the bathroom) and she's obviously experienced it and seen me do it on her brother a handful of times. We've never talked about scissor safety around cutting hair or why's it's important for grown ups only to be cutting.
She didn't know any better. She was just modelling something she'd see me do.
She was exercising her imagination, which I'm all for!
To be honest I was more relieved than anything that she experimented on Barbie and not her own hair (she's got this amazing head of blonde curls- I would have been so sad if she slaughtered it).
So when I actually realized what had just happened, my response to her was (in a very calm tone)...
next time you have the idea of cut your dolls hair, please speak to mummy or daddy so we can make sure it's safe and so we can find a good spot in the house to do.
I knew if I yelled at her and blamed her for all the wrong, then no doubt this would happen again behind closed doors because she would totally be afraid of our reaction.
again... this was just a 5 year old girl modelling what she had seen mum do and was using her imagination in play.
In the next day or so, her and I will have another conversation to reflect on what happened and discuss what we'll do different next time to make sure all is good.
no blame. no shame. no pain involved over here!
I can't stress enough how much your own behaviour dictates your child's behaviour.
Your kiddo is watching your every move.
You are your child's most influential teacher in life.
You've got this,
- Cori
p.s. as stressful as parenting can be... you need to know you're not in it alone. Parenting is NOT intuitive, it's hard eff-ing work. If you need solutions, a plan, or a sounding board then let's get on the phone and chat. Book in a 30 minute call (this one's on me)
I did it... I caved.
I made the decision long ago that showing up to a mealtime with my children feeling stress is NOT worth it. It’s not good for me and it’s not good for them. So I caved and did something I never thought I would do.
Understanding Picky Eating
Teaching your child to eat is hard work. This is my message to all parents who battles any ounce of stress from raising a picky eater.
3 Ways to Teach Your Child to Eat Foods You Don't Necessarily Like Yourself.
I can't stress enough how much your attitude and behaviour towards food directly effects your child's. Please be very mindful of your actions and approach when teaching your child to eat. Here are my 3 favourite strategies for teaching your child to eat food you don’t necessarily like.