The holidays present a variety of opportunities to teach the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skills of empathy, respect, and compassion through acts of kindness and service to others in the community. Through giving and volunteering, children can develop a greater appreciation and understanding of the realm outside their own world, as well as the diverse needs of others.
Even with all the joy and celebration, the holidays can be a stressful time due to the energy and time we invest in shopping, preparing meals, traveling and finding the right gifts for the special people in our lives. There is so much to enjoy during the holidays, but if parents don’t practice mindfulness and keep a healthy perspective on what really matters, our precious holidays can turn into a serious disaster.
An election year is a wonderful time to teach children about the electoral process and issues being debated, such as immigration, terrorism, and healthcare. The election process presents parents with a plethora of unique opportunities to teach core social-emotional skills, such as empathy, emotion management, and social problem-solving while addressing topics such as accepting differences, dealing with gossip, bullying, and name-calling.
I was interviewed by Mazlo writer, Suzanne Schlosberg, about how to use empathy in response to some common parenting challenges. Suzanne is a talented and witty writer who draws from her own day-to-day challenges of raising 8-year-old two boys. I love her authenticity and how she writes about raising her boys. Enjoy!
I met Allison Edwards a few years ago in Vancouver, BC at a weekend workshop and we instantly connected because we shared a passion for supporting children and families. That same weekend Allison signed a contract to write her book Why Smart Kids Worry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Allison about her book and hope to help bring her out to Seattle, WA so that she can share her wisdom with our community of parents.
Melissa shares some great tips to help ease your child back into school on New Day Northwest. (Click on block below)
I’m sure you have had moments when your child has sobbed and heaved as if Halloween, Christmas, and their birthday had been abolished, replaced by endless amounts of chores, tasks, and unwanted adult-related errands. With preschoolers, this is a very normal response to “ It is time for dinner. Can you put your crayons away?”
As parents, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with the belief that we must constantly provide our children with numerous activities and experiences. We fear that they might miss out on valuable opportunities if we don't ensure they have everything their peers do. However, raising happy, healthy, and well-rounded children goes beyond filling their schedules with clubs, lessons, and extracurricular activities.
Michael Jackson's concept of making change aptly applies to our approach to parenting; because if we as parents want to make a real change and make things right, we need to first look at the "Mom in The Mirror" (or dad- but that did not fit as well). Many parents believe that in order to change a child you need to focus on the child…
