Respond with Sensitivity

Respectful Discipline

November 12, 2012

As the mother of a very curious and interactive seven-month-old, I’m constantly having to redirect her correct some of her less-than-desirable behaviors. She’s so interested in her world and eager to interact with anyone and everyone who will give her the time of day. At our last pediatrician’s appointment, we were told that socially, she’s [...]

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Why babies don’t “behave”

November 6, 2012

Have you ever had someone comment to you how “well-behaved” your baby is? If not, don’t worry, just read on. This compliment reflects a pervasive Western misconception about how babies function. Have you ever met an under-one-year-old who understood what society expected of him and adjusted his behavior to accomodate those expectations? I haven’t. I [...]

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Examples

October 31, 2012

When I was in college, way back in the day, I stumbled across a teacher who was getting into this ‘new style’ of parenting. I was the only parent in the entire class besides the teacher, even so, by the end of her second class, the majority of the students were like me and totally [...]

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5 Encouraging Phrases Kids Need to Hear

October 29, 2012

It’s no secret that kids need encouragement to thrive. But what exactly does encouragement sound like? It’s different than praise or admiration or guidance. It is common to want to give evaluative feedback to kids for their work (“Good coloring!”), or to tell them what we like about their accomplishments (“I like how you set [...]

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Gently and Sensitively Separating for Drop-off Activities

October 25, 2012

Today, guest blogger Ariadne Brill shares how she gently and sensitively transitioned her children to their first drop-off activity.  Gently and Sensitively Separating for Drop-off Activities by Ariadne Brill Drop off activities can be such a fun and rewarding experience for preschoolers and school children. From dance camp to cooking class to swim team, most [...]

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Epic Meltdown

October 18, 2012

Have you been there?  I hope so, simply for my sake as I am in need of some mommy comforting.  We had a meltdown of epic proportions this week, at the tire store, in public, with everyone watching.  No, seriously, if only I could have harnessed that kind of energetic passion (to put it nicely) [...]

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The Importance of Empathizing with Children – Guest Post by Dionna Ford

October 17, 2012

We are delighted to feature a guest post by Dionna Ford of Codename: Mama. Here, she flips perspective from our viewpoint as parents to that of children, as a reminder that what they experience is not the same thing as what we observe.   The Importance of Empathizing with Children by Dionna Ford   Let’s [...]

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The End of Extended Breastfeeding

October 10, 2012

In the attachment world, we hear a lot about the importance of breastfeeding. And lots of women breastfeed for an extended period of time. In our culture, more than a year is considered extended breastfeeding. So that’s what we call it. I just considered it breastfeeding. I was nursed until I was 3. My mother [...]

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