My daughter is almost two years old. I still nurse her to sleep in the sling.Once in the afternoon for a nap and once in the evening.This process takes at least 30 minutes if I’m very lucky,if not more than that. When she falls into deep sleep,I transfer her to the bed.
If you had told [...]

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I find the whole concept of “being present” for another person so relevant to our world.  How many of us have not really been given sufficient presence by our parents while we were growing up or even by other influential adults that helped to shape our lives? There really is so much to be said [...]

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One day, when my son was a baby, I took him to the grocery store. He started to cry, and as I lifted him out of his car seat, a strange woman walked by. “If you do that every time he cries, he’ll never learn to be independent,” she said over her shoulder. I was [...]

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We took the kids to the farm where our milk and beef comes from today.  We got to see the cows being milked, met the young calves, went for a hay ride, sampled the cheese, and enjoyed beautiful weather.
When we got home, my husband John and I remarked to each other that the trip had [...]

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In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
-from the Tao Te Ching, Stephen Mitchell translation
One of the greatest gifts that the natural father can give to his children is to be [...]

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This year’s invitation reads: Ella’s 14th Birthday Party! Bonfire — Music — Food — Fun! In lieu of presents, Ella requests that you please bring an item of warm winter clothing to donate to local children in need.
And every year since 2003 the invitation has had a similar message. One year it was Toys For [...]

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For several weeks, I’ve been thinking about ways in which I give my children presence.  I’ve thought about different ways I spend time with my kids, the talks we’ve shared, the games we’ve played.  But time and time again, my thoughts returned to one specific incident.
When I was pregnant with my second child, I [...]

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Nighttime has confronted us with some of the most challenging parenting moments we’ve faced so far, but being present for our now 14 month old daughter at three in the morning is just as important as it is at any more reasonable hour. Though it isn’t always as easy, or as pleasant, as engaging her [...]

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Today, API Speaks is proud to feature a guest post by Dr. Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting. Dr. Cohen is a licensed psychologist specializing in children’s play and play therapy. Find out more at PlayfulParenting.com.
Some parents are intuitively attachment-oriented; some seek out an alternative to their childhood; and some stumble onto it. [...]

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My daughter is four and very angry at me.
She doesn’t know that watching too much television is not good for her, in so many ways. She doesn’t know how much better it is physically, mentally, and emotionally, for her to play outside instead. She just knows that she wants to watch Dora, and that her [...]

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