It’s HARD to stand by and watch

Posted by on Aug 6, 2011 in General | 0 comments When kids are young, it’s exciting, thrilling to watch them as they struggle to achieve: remember watching as they tried, again and again, to roll over? I’d watch my son on his blanket, his face red with exertion, as he summoned all his strength to learn how to roll over. I felt totally connected to him as I excitedly cheered him on. Then came walking. As he would stand and wobble at...
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Voice: slow

Posted by on Jul 18, 2011 in General, Parenting Stance, Parenting Techniques | 2 comments Slowing down – speaking slowly. Not easy in general, and especially not when I am frustrated, uncomfortable, happy or enthusiastic (Dang – I think that’s about all of the time!). AND when I can keep my voice s..l..o..w, I LIKE the way I sound. Kids can hear me better, I can hear me better, and I can stop being so reactive and start responding. In class, we ask, “Do you...
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Voice: low

Posted by on Jul 3, 2011 in General, Parenting Techniques | 0 comments There are a couple of things I can do to keep myself in the calm mode: keep my voice low and keep my voice slow. When I start to get triggered, my voice starts getting…hmmm…. strident? (some might say “bitchy”). When I can hear my voice getting shrill, it gets higher in pitch. So I use my voice as a measuring instrument: when my voice starts climbing, I either consciously...
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Getting comfortable with discomfort

Posted by on Jun 8, 2011 in General | 0 comments It’s a funny thing about life: it’s teaching me things all the time if I just stop and listen. Back when my sons were about 8 and 10 years old, they used to want to wrestle with each other. I remember one afternoon when I was cooking dinner, and I started to hear some rough-housing escalation in the living room: voices raising, energy level rising. I heard some pushing and tangling...
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Parentcraft defined

Posted by on May 21, 2011 in General | 0 comments PARENTING: late 12c., from O.Fr. parent (11c.), from L. parentem (nom. parens) “father or mother, ancestor,” noun use of prp. ofparere “bring forth, give birth to, produce,” from PIE base *per- “to bring forth” (see pare). Began to replace nativeelder after c.1500. The verb is attested from 1660s. The verbal noun parenting is first recorded 1959 (earlier term...
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