Yesterday my older son gave me a drawing he lovingly created just for me.  Unfortunately, since the moment he chose to hand it to me was when I had just noticed my youngest son’s determination to lick his fingers that he had just stuck in the un-flushed toilet, I set down the drawing and darted to my younger son.  Moments later I had saved my youngest from E. coli (for now), but found my oldest in his room crying.  He told me that he felt like I didn’t love him because I just set his picture down without looking at it.  As a mother, this just crushes your heart, but I admit that I was a little taken aback as well.  I am not one who associates gifts with “love,” so I didn’t immediately understand the amount of emphasis he had put on his gift to me, or, in the words of Joline in an article about love languages on the blog Blissfully Domestic,, I was not being very “love-lingual” with my oldest son.

Read more on Filling Your Child’s “Love Tank” Much Cheaper and More Rewarding Than the Gas Station…

In recent years, a lot of emphasis has been put on honing the talents of “gifted” children.   For example, children as young as 2 ½ can attend soccer camps, and many high school students are taking college-level courses in particular areas of interest and skill.  But, as Craig and Marc Kielburger point out in their article “How to help your kids pair their passions with their talents” on the site Canadian Living, everyone has something to offer in terms of gifts – it is only our narrowed societal view that generally limits the definition of “gifted” to those children who stand out in academics or athletics.

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It is difficult to see your child struggling or facing the threat of failure.  Many of us know (or may be!) the type of parent who comes to their child’s rescue when their child is dealing with an uncomfortable challenge.  However, helping your child avoid discomfort and mistakes in the short term will hinder their ability to be self-reliant and make responsible choices as they grow.

Read more on From a Mothers Perspective: Teaching Your Child to be Self-Reliant and Responsible…

Parents who are great conversationalists, who think on their feet, and who like to keep things moving quickly can grow frustrated by children who, well, just don’t seem to hear what you say the first time you say it. And here are the two big mistakes we can make with “slow” kids:

Read more on Tuesdays with Jane: Is Your Child Slow to Answer?…

If you’re a “Well begun is half done” person—you dig right into chores to get them off your plate as fast as you can—then you probably get frustrated if your child doesn’t want to sit down at the kitchen table right after school and polish off those math problems. You may have even said things like, “Just do it before you go outside. Then you’ll know you’re free the rest of the day!”

Read more on Tuesdays with Jane: Does Your Child Delay Homework?…

With the Thanksgiving behind us, our minds are now moving on to the flurry of winter holidays that invariably revolve around gift giving and receiving.  In an interview by Connie Colla with Dr. Mary Ann LoFrumento, author of the “Simply Parenting” series, Dr. LoFrumento gives tips on how to instill in our children a sense of philanthropy and how to teach them not to take what they have for granted.  Dr. LoFrumento suggests doing things like including all of your family members in the meal planning and preparation, talking about the meaning of the harvest and the importance of healthy food, and discussing how other children, even in our own communities, may have much less than they do.

Read more on The Art of “Giving Thanks”…

Today was a conference day at my oldest son’s school.  Although it was wonderful to have an extra day with my oldest at home, this also meant that I had not just one, but two very active boys spending the day with me.  Neither of my boys have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but both have the ability to tire me out in mere minutes with all of their energy.  Luckily I had a blog post entitled “Calming Tips for Hyperactive Children” written by Jeannine Virtue on hand.   In her article, Virtue outlines various quick tips for calming a hyperactive child – such as putting together a “Boredom Box.”  She also  talks about creating a calming home environment and consistent routine, suggests techniques such as journaling and guided imagery, and speaks about how diet affects ADHD and hyperactivity.  I brought out my boys’ “Boredom Boxes”, and soon my sons went from running through the house making siren noises at the tops of their lungs to quietly playing and exploring in their own space.

Read more on Ideas to Help Calm a Hyperactive Child…