• Last updated 2/23/13 by VKHarberRYT

A book recommendation.     By V.K. Harber     I am extremely grateful to a friend and fellow mother who recently gave me a copy of The Whole-Brain  Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. As I ponder the last few weeks with my, ahem, spirited toddler, I cannot help but wish that I’d gotten my hands on this book sooner.   I do not tend to believe that any one parenting book or philosophy is a one-stop shop, as each child and each family circumstance is completely unique, but I do love having as many tools as possible for parenting... read more

• Last updated 1/30/13 by Melanie Mayo

Thinking, feeling our way through motherhood.   By V.K. Harber   Hey, remember when you were growing up and you swore up and down that when you had children of your own you would never ever in a million years do that thing that your mother did? Yeah, me too. Yet, here I am, mother of my very own living breathing challenging toddler and I have, on more than one occasion, heard the very same words that used to issue forth from my mother’s mouth, pouring out over my own lips.   Sometimes, whatever comes out is the right thing for the circumstances. (Thanks,... read more

• Last updated 1/21/13 by Marcy Axness

A coach helps by holding a vision of success when you, for whatever reason, cannot. A coach sees the powers inside you and guides their unfolding. In singing, soccer, life in general -- and in parenting.   A coach helps by seeing the desired result, knowing the steps for getting you there, and patiently reminding you of those steps. A coach helps as you take those steps, which may feel awkward or unnatural at first. A coach patiently encourages you along what can feel like an interminably long road, sometimes to what feels like an unreachable mountaintop, even... read more

• Last updated 1/16/13 by Kristen Tea

                      “Tantrums” are normal reactions from kids that almost every parent deals with at some point.  They can be frustrating and scary for us, particularly if we do not have the tools to guide our children through them in a healthy way.  Understanding where they come from can be endlessly helpful.  Tantrums are urgent, overwhelming panic responses in a child’s brain.   The valuable and insightful book The Science of Parenting: How today’s brain research can help you raise happy, emotionally balanced children by Margot Sunderland states, “A... read more

• Last updated 10/26/12 by Brian Leaf

By Brian Leaf     One day last winter, my family went out to the Lone Wolf café in Amherst, Massachusetts for breakfast. Noah, age six, loves the waffles, and I love the Lox ‘n Latkes Benedict. After breakfast we were to drive to the Amherst Indoor Farmer’s Market to shop and meet some friends. We finished breakfast, walked to the car, and got in, but Benji would not sit in his car seat. Benji is two.             To drive like this, with Benji not strapped in, is, of course, illegal and unsafe. So Gwen and I couldn’t give in on this one. We had to get him... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

Our kids are shaped by what they see and do. Very young children can become wired for overstimulation by screen time as well as the kind of commercial playthings that use sound, light, and movement to hold their attention. How does this affect them?   When play has to do with blinking beeping toys or rapidly changing images, children may have a diminished ability to amuse themselves. They may not be attuned to the slower pace of conversation, the expansive pleasure of make-believe, or the subtle wonders found in nature. They have trouble generating their own... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by Melanie Mayo

These photos were taken yesterday, a day that got up to 70F in October, a day that was bright, sunny, and unexpectedly beautiful. My daughter and I just returned from a trip to Ohio last week and my suitcase is still sitting unpacked in the middle of our kitchen floor, there’s laundry to be done, dinners to be planned, and a host of other chores on my long to-do list. But I simply couldn’t keep us indoors yesterday while this was going on outside. A mama’s gotta have priorities, right? We spent the morning biking around our house and... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by emilyfrischmann

Last week, I talked about the approach of attachment parenting, as defined by Dr. William Sears, and the beginnings of this bond in the hours immediately after birth.  Let me just reiterate Dr. Sears’ definition here: Above all, attachment parenting means opening your mind and heart to the individual needs of your baby and letting your knowledge of your child be your guide to making on the spot decisions about what works best for both of you.  In a nutshell, AP is learning to read the cues of your baby and responding appropriately to those cues. (The... read more

• Last updated 10/22/12 by emilyfrischmann

I spent the majority of the pregnancy with my first child in a state of complete stress.  I went the OB/hospital route, and I viewed everything that my doctor said as the Written Word.    It was at the height of the H1N1 outbreak, and I agreed and received the vaccine.  I didn’t know.  I had every test and genetic screening performed.  I ended up with a positive screen for Down’s Syndrome.  I didn’t know.  I feared the pain of labor and birth and decided when I first discovered I was pregnant that I would be getting an epidural.  I didn’t know.  I trusted a... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by capnsmak

Toddler Wearing By Caroline Jane Cole April 4, 2012 The author would like to dedicate this article to Jean Liedloff, who passed away in March 2011. "Her work profoundly affected the way I parent, and continues to teach me new ways of seeing each time I re-read her work." Dancing-in-arms It is the evening of our friend's wedding. We dance enthusiastically at the Ceilidh, a hundred bodies dressed in their finest, moving in tune to the music. Instinctively I swoop to avoid a flying arm, my free hand reassuringly touching the blonde mop nestled at my chest. As... read more