Tag Archives: emotional intelligence

Oh Yeah… We Have Tools!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

Isn’t it funny how we can be cruising along in our parenting lives, and then suddenly we have a new tool and it’s as if we’ve gotten a new lease on that life; and then just as suddenly, some months … Continue reading →

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Empathy Schmimpathy… Why Bother?!

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

There’s a change occurring in the world of parenting today. A gradual shift is taking shape and gliding toward new ways of envisioning and inhabiting the parent-child relationship. The old adages we grew up with — of children being seen … Continue reading →

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Help Me Out -- Stop Trying to Fix It

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

Reblogged from "A Beautiful Place of the World": As parents, we are almost constantly saddled with various repairs, clean-ups, re-workings, and resettings for our children. In fact, we get so used to being the ones to restore order and serenity … Continue reading →

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(Back to) the Basics V: Who’s the Boss

Posted on January 23, 2013 by

Today, I want to return to this (increasingly in-depth!) series on basic tools, perspectives, and approaches for Natural Parenting, Attachment Parenting, Cro-Magnon Parenting — whatever your favorite monicker. Before I do that, though, here are links to all of the … Continue reading →

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Building an Emotionally Safe Household

Posted on September 18, 2012 by

My highly esteemed partner, Natalie (that’s her, being the human pillow), wrote the article below for Mothering Magazine (before they went paperless…) and it so perfectly encapsulates the sum total of our approach to being with our kids through all of their emotions … Continue reading →

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Death and Tenderness

Posted on May 6, 2011 by

Some cat killed a bird in our yard the other day. By some cat, I mean either one of our own two cuddly killers, or the strange new neighbor cat who was only a half-hour earlier shooed away from our … Continue reading →

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The Home PR Agents

Posted on May 4, 2011 by

Ever thought of yourself as a Public Relations specialist? Well as a parent, it’s practical to think of it as part of the job. It may not seem like an occupation to combine with parenting, but once our children are … Continue reading →

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Being is not a Behavior

Posted on April 26, 2011 by

Last week, I posted about time-outs and the disservice I think they do to parent-child relations, and to children’s sense of security, as well as, the miserable failure of time-outs to effectively teach children anything about how we would prefer … Continue reading →

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You may not be Santa, but You still Need a List

Posted on December 29, 2010 by

No, I’m not talking about tracking the relative naughty to nice ratio of your friends and neighbors. And I’m not talking about keeping score on your children’s behavior either. Heck, the list I am talking about doesn’t even have anything … Continue reading →

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Help Me Out — Stop Trying to Fix It

Posted on December 13, 2010 by

As parents, we are almost constantly saddled with various repairs, clean-ups, re-workings, and resettings for our children. In fact, we get so used to being the ones to restore order and serenity in times of trouble, that we can become … Continue reading →

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The Dance and How We Do It

Posted on October 22, 2010 by

Today I want to offer you the opportunity to be a shameless voyeur — of our parenting methodology. I’ve written a fair amount already about what I have read and understand, what I suggest, our general approach, and what we … Continue reading →

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Mama — if you love me — why don’t you like me?

Posted on October 4, 2010 by

Here’s a question worth considering — What do you think of your child? Here’s a more important one — What does your child think you think of him/her? The two are related but not at all the same thing. Certainly, … Continue reading →

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“Sharing is (S)caring” or the Art of Performance Parenting

Posted on September 23, 2010 by

It’s a little bit of a shame that we all have to parent on parade. It has its good sides, I know, but more often than not, the visibility of our children, our interactions with them, and their interactions with … Continue reading →

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Rehab for Praise-aholics

Posted on August 31, 2010 by

So let’s say you’re “open” to the idea of not using any punishment or praise with your child(ren)… My guess is, with any sincerity, you will find it easier than you now think possible to switch from auto-piloting through various threats … Continue reading →

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Without a Net

Posted on August 27, 2010 by

Thus far, I think I’ve only mentioned this in passing — (drum roll, please) — Natalie and I do not use any praise with our girls, nor any punishment.  Recent themes of the parenting blogosphere remind me that this is … Continue reading →

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