I’ll crouch down as you stomp your feet on the hot pavement of the parking lot, your little face contorted with upset. You are trying to tell me something but your words are not coming and you are furious at…
The Experience
Behavior Toolkit, The Experience
The Cautious Child: Big Changes in a Familiar Place
by sarah • • 0 Comments
Alexander was three. We had been taking his older brother to karate lessons for a year. Alexander adored hanging out in the waiting area watching his brother through the big glass windows, copying the things that he was doing. He…
The Experience
How Do I Deal With Judgement as a Parent?
by sarah • • 2 Comments
A friend recently asked Alex how I deal with judgement. Listening to him explain it from the outside was interesting. I guess that what it looks like is a bit different from what it feels. He described a woman who…
The Experience
Pediatric Dentist Interview Questions
by sarah • • 0 Comments
I was asked to share my list of pediatric dentist interview questions. 1. How do you help a reluctant child feel safe? 2. Are parents allowed in the room during dental checkups? 3. What types of pain relief, anesthesia and…
The Experience
When Loving You Does Not Come Easy
by sarah • • 0 Comments
Sometimes I have to remind myself. I love you. I never forget the words, but sometimes the feeling seems strangely distant for something that I know to be so intense. It does not always come unbidden the way the first…
Language Toolkits, The Experience
I’m Not Afraid to Say No. (I Just Try Not To)
by sarah • • 0 Comments
There’s a lot of talk about “No”. About why not to use it, about why to use it, about being “afraid” of it.. It’s really not that big of a deal. It’s just that as a word it’s a closed…
The Experience
Day Two: Share One Thing that Has Helped You Become a More Gentle Parent
by sarah • • 18 Comments
My Share: For me, one of the things that has made the most impact on my ability to be a more gentle parent is this: I made the choice to try and model a different way of dealing with mistakes.…
The Experience
Day One: Share a Time When Gentle Parenting Helped You and Your Child Get Through a Difficult Situation
by sarah •
My share: He was four and a half and having a rough week. He asked for a specific lunch and I agreed we could go to the grocery store together to get the lunch that we both wanted. When we…
The Experience
The Pace of My Life Had Changed
by sarah • • 4 Comments
With my first child it was all so rushed together. It felt like infancy would never end. Wakeups and diaper changes and naps and pajamas covered in spitup. Both his pajamas and mine. I was waiting for sleep and wondering…
The Experience
Is It Spoiling?
by sarah • • 1 Comment
Is it spoiling? Is it spoiling when a small child whines because his teeth hurt and he hasn’t developed the coping skills or perspective yet to know that it is a small and manageable pain? And you hug him close…