Blog - GenParenting

Jan 02 2018

Do You Align Your Parenting Skills with Your Partner and Caregivers?

Whenever there are conflicts, parents, the extended family, and caregivers must agree to work together for positive resolutions. This can be difficult when different parenting skills and beliefs exist. It is important for parents to agree that they are on the same team. They must examine their beliefs, values, and strategies on how they want to respond to their children’s needs. Additionally, they must share their parenting strategies and expectations with the extended family members and caregivers to ensure that the parenting of their children is as consistent as possible. [Read more…]

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Dec 26 2017

How to Handle Social Challenges

I was painfully shy as kid. I cried every morning when my mom dropped me off at school during the first week of kindergarten. I cried when her face wasn’t the first one I saw when school let out for the day. In fact, I was so leery of social interaction that I sat in my teacher’s lap that year for school pictures! Thankfully, my parents have helped me through my timidity and I’ve come a long way from since I was in kindergarten! Here are a few lessons I have taught my own kids to help guide them through different social challenges. [Read more…]

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Dec 19 2017

Another Temper Tantrum!

It has been a long week of challenges. First your child is sick. Then you get sick. A water pipe breaks and your car needs a tow for a maintenance service. What can a parent do to manage their children’s unhappiness when these disruptive events contribute to their temper tantrums? When I am having a bad day with lots of stress and children’s temper tantrums, I enlist the “Five A’s of Parenthood”:

The Five A’s of Parenthood

Accept: You and your child can accept that it has been a challenging day and you can tell her that you accept her frustration and it is ok that she is angry, sad, and needs to express herself. You can also set boundaries on where she can have her tantrum or you may choose to walk away and then return once she calms down.
Appreciate: Help your child relax and reflect on life. When all else fails, have your child state three good things that have happened to her during the day. If she cannot remember anything good, I will tell her that she is loved by me, she is loved by her favorite snuggly toy, and she has a loving family.
Accomplish: Once your child calms down from her tantrum and you are feeling positive, you can give her a job that will help you. My child loves to unload the dishwasher which is a huge help for me and very appreciated by the family.
Acknowledge: Once your daughter completes her task, tell her how much she has helped you and how careful she is when completing her job. This support and acknowledgement will reinforce a positive relationship between both of you.
Act: Once all is calm, consider how you can manage the rest of the day to minimize more stressful situations that can generate more temper tantrums.

[Read more…]

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Dec 12 2017

Teaching Children to Give

The holidays are upon us. During this time we place a lot of attention on giving our kids what they want. Children are often focused on making sure the adults in their lives know what they want as gifts. The media is full of ideas of the latest and greatest toy or technological wonder that is a “must have” for the holiday season.

This time is also a time of charitable giving. We are aware of those families and individuals who are in need. Charitable organizations and caring individuals go through great efforts to see to the needs of people who are having difficulty providing for themselves and their families.

During this time of giving, we have an opportunity to teach our children the importance of giving. [Read more…]

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Dec 05 2017

Family Members Must Accommodate for a Special Needs Child

Most parents, who have children with special needs, struggle with how to respond to the other children in their family. Some parents overly accommodate for the special needs child and ignore the needs of their other children. Other parents reward the other siblings by indulging in their material needs because they do not have time for quality activities. Typically, when parents cannot find the time to care for all of their children, the other children may respond by:

Acting out aggressively with anger and frustration
Shutting down and hiding their emotions
Becoming overly kind and not taking care of their own personal needs

[Read more…]

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