4 Tips for Helping Toddlers Who Scream

Toddler conflicts and frustration can cause you to experience a pressure-cooker-like-environment at times and believe me, your kids feel it too!

Toddlers who scream are not a new phenomenon - as anyone who has one knows. But, how often - and how loud - they scream can be impacted by a variety of factors. 

For one, the emotional energy of your home has a tremendous effect on the way your child's brain deals with incoming stimuli.

Rushing around, constant chatter, noisy racket, hollering, fast-talking...

What's it like in your home?

No More Baby Talk Please

It shouldn't hurt to ask for what we want, but what about when it does?

When kids don't immediately accept limits, it can feel frustrating. However, when we blame our emotional state on our children, they learn it isn't safe to speak up or express how they feel.

Your frustration is valid. Don't deny it - but don't displace it, either.

Own it.

4 Strategies for Making Your Child's Sensory Sensitivities Less Painful

Do you have a sensory-sensitive child? 

I am a highly sensitive person. I experience a range of hyper-reactions to everyday stimuli.

When I was growing up, my parents didn't know about sensory processing challenges, but my mom always talked about how I refused (or complained) about every kind of clothing -- too stiff, bothersome seams, choking collars or suffocating tight fabrics. 

They all "itched." 

4 Easy Ways to Communicate With Kids Without Even Thinking About It

Kids don't always think before they express because they're immature and often driven by emotions which are fueled by their needs. 

Embracing our emotions to bring us to a new understanding of ourselves is the first step on the path to maturity.

As adults, have we fallen too far to the side of thinking logically about things? Have we forgotten about our internal guide >> our feelings?

5 Proven Ways to Encourage Responsible Behavior in Your Kids

(Is your child under age 5? Click here for essential rules for communicating with young children)

"How can I be sure that I am encouraging responsible behavior in my children and not letting them "get away with things." - Tina, Mom of 3

This is a common and natural fear most parents have at one time or another.  

As kids grow past the preschool years, we typically expect them to display better behavior and more responsible actions.
 
However, what about those kids who don't seem to move past the meltdowns, or can't seem to stop and think before they act?

What's missing?

How is it possible to parent your children the same, and yet, have one who seems emotionally mature and on target, and another who appears to be stuck in juvenile behavior, unable to control his or her impulses?

5 Essential Rules for Communicating With Young Children

Do you have a hard time not taking your child's behavior personally?

Do you get upset when your kids refuse, protest or tantrum about the limits you set?

Do your kids become inconsolable when they don't get what they want?

The first five years are a remarkable time in a child's life. 

They're also quite challenging for parents as children grow from helpless infants who are entirely reliant on their caregivers to thoughtful, autonomous, and independent young people.

Communicating with small children can be exhausting, so I want to share a little secret with you...