Parenting from the Heart

Why would you do that? What were you thinking? What did I just tell you? Are you trying to upset me? How many times do I have to tell...

SEVERAL SECONDS OF SILLINESS can transform a difficult moment with a child, and taking time for humor helps us all remember to try to...

My daughter’s college roommate had no idea how to operate a washing machine and commuted home her whole first year to have her mom do her...

“No jumping on guitars!” At age four, my daughter shouted this warning when a preschool visitor started leaping over our guitar. Her...

After a frustration-filled day with her daughter, a mom decides that learning the Nurtured Heart approach is impossible. Her child’s...

“Do you want to set the table or clear the plates after dinner?” Most of us know that offering choices is often a key to gaining...

A second-grade teacher fills a large jar with water, then swirls glitter inside, creating a visual image of what our emotions might look...

A third-grade boy recently shared his vision of being an ally. He wants to make a friend in every class so he can support anyone who...

A grandma playing veterinarian with her five-year-old grandson picked up a stuffed animal and asked the “vet,” “What should I do about my...

The most exciting breakthroughs of the 21st century will not occur because of technology but because of an expanding concept of what it...

“This moment won’t last forever” – I’m not saying this to predict the future but to offer an example of a phrase that can reprogram our...

Awareness and Supervision Minimize Online Risks Children today have never known a world without the internet. They can log on using home...

Make your child’s December manageable by creating a visual calendar. This month, always an exciting one, seems to offer up even more new...

Parents often ask me questions about sending their children on playdates. Understandably, they wonder about allowing their children to go...

“What were the happiest and hardest things that happened today?” One family posed that question at dinner each night, and invited family...

Arriving at school, a four-year-old has an unpleasant surprise. She reaches in her jacket pocket for her mask, but pulls out only a...

“I’m sad my friend played with someone else the whole time after lunch.” Once up a time, best practices for raising a happy child meant...

Halloween gives all of us the opportunity to understand what kinds of scary images are manageable and fun for children and which ones...

Imagine finally making the long trip to a grandparent’s house after months away, then within hours having to leave because your child’s...

“If you want to help, help, help, we can do it. We can clean, we can help, help, help.” A group of preschoolers sang these lyrics...