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Emotion Coaching: One of the Most Important Parenting Practices in the History of the Universe. According to John Gottman, one of my all-time favorite researchers, emotion-coaching is the key to raising happy, resilient, and well-adjusted kids. His research—30 years of it—shows that it is not enough to be a warm, engaged, and loving parent. We also need to emotion coach our kids. Emotion-coached kids tend to experience fewer negative feelings and more positive feelings. The three steps below are adapted from Gottman's book Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child, which I can't recommend highly enough. This first step to coping with negative emotions (in yourself, your children, or in your mother-in-law) is to figure out what they are feeling and to accept those feelings.

Even if we don't accept the bad behavior that often accompanies negative emotions, we still want to send the message that all feelings are okay, even the worst ones. Terrible feelings like jealousy and fear and greed are invitations to grow, to understand ourselves better and to become a better person. Awake Parent- Conscious Parenting Support. Increase Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence. We all like to think our children are academically intelligent, and perhaps yours does show an early affinity for numbers or is reading at a 2nd grade level while still in kindergarten. But is he also emotionally intelligent? Will he take it in stride when the cafeteria is out of chocolate milk, or will he stage a nuclear meltdown right there in the lunch line? Being able to control impulses, delay gratification, and identify and manage feelings are all skills that fall under the category of “emotional intelligence.”

Try sticking around for a while after drop-off one morning to examine your child’s behavior on the playground. Social intelligence is all about being able to relate to others, respond to their feelings and cues, and negotiate conflict. Skill #1: How To Be a Joiner Picture this: A game of dodgeball is in progress, and your child is standing on the sidelines unsure about how she can get involved in the action. Skill #2: How To Be a Good Loser Social Skills Books for Children. Don't Be a Helicopter Parent: Tips to Avoid Hovering | Fit Bottomed Mamas. Are you a helicopter parent who hovers? Credit: Tobyotter As a parent, it’s my job to protect my kiddos. But it’s also my job to let them experience life. Mistakes, skinned knees and other various childhood experiences allow kids to bekids and let them grow up into the well-rounded adults they will hopefully become. I read an article recently about “helicopter parents” who are constantly hovering in the lives of their kids.

All of the technology has made it easier than ever for kids and parents to connect daily, and often many times a day. So how can you protect your child without overparenting? 1. 2. 3. Thanks to Mary Jo for the reminder! {*style:<i>*}Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, is a licensed psychotherapist and co-author with Janine J. Embroidery Designs at Urban Threads - Projects. Shocking fact: Kids know chores are a bore. Parents know kids won’t do them for just that a reason, but parents also know you can’t just let your kid pile their clothes up until the idea of a floor is just a distant memory, or ignore their homework in favor of, well, anything else. For little ones especially, getting them used to the idea of chores and a checklist can be a great tool for later in life. Adults know the satisfaction of checking off something from a to-do list. Heck, you know you've gone so far as to write something down you did already just for the satisfaction of marking it off.

Sometimes it's the only way to feel productive at 9 a.m. on a Monday. How about a fun little monster that sits on your wall to remind you of what you need to do, and you get to feed him cookies for all his hard work! A Sock Bunny (A Tutorial) Move over sock monkey! These little sock bunnies are so easy and cute! All you need is some nice knee high socks and some simple sewing supplies. I sewed mine on a machine but they can be easily hand stitched too! So cute as a gift or to stuff an Easter basket! Boo will be so excited to see these in her basket: If you are making them for a child under the age of 3, just stitch eyes on instead of using buttons so that there won’t be a choking hazard. I bought these cute knee high socks at Target for $2.50 a piece. Step 1: Cut the foot of one of the socks right down the middle, but don’t cut all the way to the heel. Step 2: Cut the other side of the sock down the middle as shown.

Step 3: Cut the foot off the second sock: Step 4: Cut the foot of the second sock down the middle. Step 5: Back to the first sock, hand stitch or use a machine to sew the ears shut: Step 6: Sew the bottom of the feet and insides of the bunny legs as shown…..leaving a 2 inch hole to insert stuffing into: A Finger Knitting Door Curtain with Bells DIY. For those of you who are my age, just tell me you never wanted one of those groovy beaded door curtains from the 70s. I know I did. Something about the clickety clack of those shiny, plastic beads jangling against one another beguiled me.

I never had one, of course. And, like most things like that, I outgrew the desire to have one festoon my door. Recently, I got it in my head that it would be fun to make a door curtain made of finger-knitting, like the bead curtains of yore. Allie and I made it together, which was a lovely experience. She settled down with it after a while and played to her hearts content, feeling her room had just transformed to her own private getaway. Like most things of these sort (think said rhinestone tiaras, canopy beds, mosquito netting, etc), I anticipate the sheen of it will wear off over time, but its certainly feels glamorous in the mean time.

I love the jingle jangle of the bells almost as much of the gentle clack of the beads . . . . almost. Materials: Pajama Eaters – The Tutorial | Sew Fearless. There are few new additions to our household. Each of these helpful and huggable creatures lives on a small bed, and has quite an appetite for clean-but-not-squeeky pajamas. We feed them every morning and they give back the jammies at night. Isn’t that nice of them? We call them our Pajama Eaters. Project Materials For this project you will need: 1 yard of fabric (42″ wide) for the monster’s body and limbsA fat quarter (18″ x 22″), or 1/2 yard cut of fabric for the mouth and pillow liningFabric scraps for applique eyes and for the soles of the feet9″ x 12″ sheet of white felt for teeth12″ zipper that matches the mouth fabricFiber-fillSewable iron-on adhesive like Heat ‘n’ Bond Lite for the eye appliquesmatching threadsThe Usual Sewing Implements – sewing machine, pins, hand sewing needle, scissors, etc I used quilter’s cotton to make the monsters pictured (except the hot pink material is corduroy).

Download the Pattern and Directions This pattern has been moved to my pattern shop! Clouds on the ceiling in Crafts for decorating and home decor. Creativity for Kids - Activities for Kids at WomansDay.com - Womans Day. 50 Best Mom Blogs | Radical Parenting. 25 Ways to Talk So Children Will Listen. A major part of discipline is learning how to talk with children. The way you talk to your child teaches him how to talk to others. Here are some talking tips we have learned with our children: 1. Connect Before You Direct Before giving your child directions, squat to your child’s eye level and engage your child in eye-to-eye contact to get his attention. 2. Open your request with the child’s name, “Lauren, will you please…” 3.

We use the one-sentence rule: Put the main directive in the opening sentence. 4. Use short sentences with one-syllable words. 5. If he can’t, it’s too long or too complicated. 6. You can reason with a two or three-year-old, especially to avoid power struggles. 7. Instead of “no running,” try: “Inside we walk, outside you may run.” 8. Instead of “Get down,” say “I want you to get down.” 9. “When you get your teeth brushed, then we’ll begin the story.” 10.

Instead of hollering, “Turn off the TV, it’s time for dinner!” 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.