When I stopped working 3 ½ years ago, I felt a little lost. We had recently moved to a new town, I didn’t have any friends, and I was home with a newborn all day. I was sleep-deprived and lonely. Know what saved my sanity? It wasn’t making friends (although it was nice to finally … Read more
Subscribe to skip all this and get More Carrot Than Stick’s Measuring Progress Behavior Guide! Have you tried some of the techniques I have suggested for improving your child’s behavior? (I recommend starting here and here). Maybe he or she hasn’t seemed quite as annoying today as in past days? Maybe you felt like snuggling … Read more
You know how you feel when you haven’t had your morning coffee? When you only got a few hours of sleep? When you were so busy that you didn’t have time for lunch? When life got in the way of what little time you have for exercise? For me, these circumstances spell disaster (except coffee … Read more
Has an adult in your child’s life (including you) used any of these terms to describe your child? Inattentive, angry, impulsive, distracted, nervous, irritable, depressed, not following directions, moody, hyperactive, stubborn, anxious, fidgety, fearful…the list could go on and on. Generally, if your child is anything but happy and functioning optimally, sleep should be the … Read more
I think most parents would agree that “no” can be one of the most frustrating things a kid can say. Put your shoes on. “No.” Pick up your toys. “No.” Finish your lunch. ”No.” Do you want a cookie? “No.” That one is the most vexing – when your tempting parental bribe is rejected by … Read more
Screaming. Throwing. Hitting. Grabbing. Spitting. Biting. “No”-ing. These are just a few of the many endearing behaviors that I have seen from our newly-3-year-old son. My personal favorite is this new attention-monopolizing gem – he recently started yelling strings of random words whenever anyone else is involved in a conversation, with the sweetest look of … Read more
I like to think that we all have little problem behaviors with our babies. (Surely, I’m not the only one?!) My 8-month-old likes to bite me while breastfeeding. Occasionally she pinches her siblings. Some babies scream, just for fun! Perhaps you have a similar problem? If not, enjoy your baby! If so, read on… Let’s … Read more
Kids thrive in a positive environment…not so much in a negative one. The problem is that it’s much easier and natural to be negative. We tend to look for things that our kids (and significant others) are doing wrong and correct them. When they are doing what they are supposed to be doing, we tend … Read more