Now I consider myself a total expert in this area! Not just because I’ve done a load of research into this area, but mainly because I have a super-strong-willed daughter who will not just DO something when you ask. No, that would be too simple…. :-)
But I’ve found the way to get her to co-operate with what I need her to do (most of the time!). So here are the tactics that really work.
What is it with the hitting?! If your child is anything like mine, he or she sometimes gets into an out-of-control hitting frenzy. It could be only occasional, or maybe it’s turned into a real phase.
Actually this is very common – and it’s completely normal behaviour for toddlers and preschool kids (and even school-age kids).
So why is the hitting happening? And what can we do about it.
I know I'm sounding controversial with this week's blog title! But I'm not actually being that extreme - locking your child in the laundry is truly one of the discipline recommendations of one of the most widely accepted parenting approaches in Australia and overseas.
While there are many good things about this program, I want to take issue with this recommendation.
Why do they tell parents to lock their kids in the laundry?
Every one of us is susceptible to getting addicted to social media, texting, email or Netflix.
And our kids are even more likely to get addicted, given the chance. They have even less awareness of what they're doing and certainly couldn't care less about the downsides of screen time!
But I want us to stop beating ourselves up about this! It's not the kids' fault and it's not our fault we all tend towards getting addicted.
Want to know why - and what we can do about it?
Play for kids so important – they need it to feel FREEDOM. They need it to learn and make sense of their world. And, of course, they want to have fun!
But, as I’ve being finding, play is also a key way to help them calm down and feel in charge of their own little lives – which results in better behaviour.
So if you’re struggling with your child constantly refusing to do what you ask and pushing back against all your plans, try giving them more free play – it may just help!
SIMPLIFYING LIFE #3 – SLOWING DOWN, MAKING SPACE AND DE-SCHEDULING
The next stage in simplifying and making more space in your family life is to slow down the pace of life and schedule less. Read on for some tips for descheduling your children’s and your own lives.
That’s all good, but many parents say to me - how do we do this when we work? Well there are ways to make the down-time much more relaxing so you feel like your life is less hectic – I’ll give you some of these strategies as well.
Does your mind feel frazzled and full of too many things to juggle? The combination of fast and busy lives and the information overload of so much use of technology is causing your brain to overflow! And our children are suffering from this too.
Well, it’s not too late for you to take charge of your kids’ lives – and your own – to cut down the digital overload and get some headspace. Your children can still have a simpler, creative childhood, but it will take a bit of effort on your part to design it this way.
Read on for 5 Ways to free up childhood from technology, 5 Ways to Simplify Your Child’s Home Environment, and finally 5 Ways to Find More Headspace in your own life.
Are you feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, run down? Life just seems to move ever faster and to be fuller than ever with things to get done. Will it ever slow down?!
Well, only if we actively slow ourselves and our children down by simplifying our lives. I’ve got some great ideas to help you do just this. Starting with Simplifying Christmas!
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