May this time of year, the end of 2018, and the beginning of 2019 be an invitation to connect with yourself, one another, and your community. Keep reading for reminders to stay calm and happy this holiday season.
Creating silent, mindful time with your children and teens IS quality time. Moments of quiet and calm support your family in developing openness and trust. Keep reading for 20 ways to enjoy quiet connection.
Your teenager is in the thick of figuring out how they want to participate in their school life, and you are standing witness, doing your best to encourage a healthy, productive level of investment in education and learning. Explore these 6 key strategies for talking to teenagers about school and homework!
Creativity is a part of every human being. But how do we create an environment that helps that creativity to come through in writing, artwork, or other projects? Keep reading for 5 key steps to inspiring your creative self and living like an artist.
Slowing down is the most effective way to help yourself refuel. Because you can’t stop daily life, you can’t stop transitions. However, you can get intentional about slowing yourself and your family down. Keep reading for 20 Ways to slow down through life’s transitions.
Have you ever tried a walk and talk with your teen? This could be a walk for exercise, sure, and it can also be entirely leisurely. In either case, walk and talk is communication strategy, a tool to remember when you have a pressing idea to process with your teen or when you can tell they are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or frustrated. Being next to your teen, or "sideways talking," as opposed to face-to-face, can open the space for conversation-- literally and metaphorically. This orientation often feels less confrontational and more spacious for young people. For some teens, it can be safer to be next to adults when it comes to tough conversations and topics, or even asking for help.
Some children and teens can't wait to get back into the routine of school; they might be excited to reconnect with friends, to resume extracurriculars, to get out of the house more. And others are dreading getting back to campus; they might resist or fear the structure, the workload, the socialization, the pressures. Regardless of where your teen is on this spectrum of back to school feelings, they are likely experiencing the energy of transition. And you too! Keep reading for 10 keys to an intentional back to school because the more aware we can be through this change, the more easeful this season will be.
Asking curiosity questions to the children and teens in your life will not only increase their engagement (which brings confidence, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and so much more along with it), but it will also give you, as the parent or caregiver, more room to breathe. Keep reading to learn how to use curiosity questions in a wide range of opportunities!
Parents, caregivers, and supporters, I invite you to give this practice a try. Become aware of how it changes your own mood and energy as you face challenges in your own life. Then, notice how your breath can change, impact, and support the environment you facilitate with and for the children and teens in your life. Breath can be a powerful tool for talking to teenagers about the tough stuff!
As humans, we all have a desire to belong and to be significant. Positive Discipline teaches that every behavior a child or teen exhibits is an attempt to confirm that they belong and are significant. Today, we focus on how YOU, as a parent or caregiver, can use this concept as a foundation for intentional living.