Parenting With Teacher Nancy

  Pandemic Shows Children's Well-Being Rests On Parents' Psychological Health (October, 2020) means that we have to take care of ourselves, to take care of our children. It's taking us to the basics: the top three parenting practices: 1) Love and Warmth 2) Relationship Skills, and 3) Stress Management. After reading this article about parental psychological health, it made me personally want to work on my relationship with my partner. This pandemic has taken a toll on our relationship, for better and for worse.  It's healthier for my mental and physical health to have the support of my partner despite, at times, feeling sick of them. I don't need stress in my relationship, if it's coming from all other angles outside of it too. Maybe you feel the same way.  So this week I'm focusing on relationships. This article has three steps to reconnect with your partner, but I decided to just focus on one this week to work on. "Express what you cherish in your p...

  Toddlers and young children hear the word "no" sometimes 300 times in one day. The constant use of this word from caregivers may impact children negatively. Don't get me wrong: It is imperative to teach children boundaries, but there are more helpful phases that can be used when communicating. Consider other options. How to Say No Without Saying No  20 Ways to Say No 

Play is essential for a child's healthy development. I've previously written about this in multiple posts. Here is a good summary .  This week, I want you to think about why it's important for your child to play without you. Consider this idea... Allow your child to play independently more often. Stop Entertaining Your Child From ZeroToThree.org (Pandemic Help) https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/3299-baby-talks-parent-coronavirus-questions-answered#chapter-2468  (Links to an external site.) How do I encourage independent play? Q: I know it would be ideal if we could spend our time at home due to coronavirus playing with our children all the time, but it’s just not possible. How do I get my little ones to play on their own for a little while when I need do other things (work/prepare food/etc.)? A: This is a great question and something that almost every parent is wondering about right now! Let’s start with what to expect when it comes to attention span in the early years...

The family culture has the most influence on your children, even above peer, school and community culture. Culture is formed by their value system, and how they are practiced through rituals.  This week we'll take a step back and look at what is driving your rituals, by examining your background, and value system. The beginning of this article is repetitive of what we covered last week, but continue  to read to the end on implementation. How To Build A Family Culture

 Practicing family rituals help children thrive, even before the pandemic.  But they need it now more than ever, since they don't get the peer interaction that they used to have.  To make up for this deficit, they need strong family bonds that bring security and identity.  Rituals Defined:  A family ritual is a set of behaviors that is repeated and that is symbolically meaningful. Family rituals provide families with a sense of identity and belonging. Family rituals also provide a sense of continuity across generations. In other words, they are a way of transmitting family values, history and culture from one generation to the next.   Family Rituals: Why They’re Important https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-life/routines-rituals-relationships/family-rituals Family rituals like meals, cultural festivals, activities, and kisses, winks or handshakes give you and your children a sense of  security, identity and belonging . That’s because they’r...

The  Good Enough Parenting  concept was formed in the late 1960's.  Simply put, all you have to do is love your child, and keep trying to be the best parent you can be. Knowing you'll make plenty of mistakes, we can practice  Rupture and Repair .   The beauty of Good Enough Parenting-- some research says that you have to be "Good" 50 percent of the time-- others have said as little as 30% of the time. That's it! That's why it's called 'Good Enough.' This is manageable. I asked my teenage kids one night at dinner, "What percent do you think I'm a good mom?" They were partly joking, and partly trying to get a rise out of me, and chided "Only 50% of the time."  I told them they made my day! Good Enough Parenting in a Time of Crisis Consider This: How can you let go of trying to be a perfect parent, and instead be happy with Good Enough? How can I better reflect to repair ruptures? What self-care do I need to practice to be a Go...