See you in April for National OT Month!
Spring Break
Child(ish) Reads: The 5 Love Languages of Children
I picked this book because The 5 Love Languages have solidly made their way into popular culture. And while you can’t really find out your child’s Myers-Briggs type or Enneagram until much much later, their primary love language does start showing signs early on.
As a parent, I will do anything to understand my kids better. And with most parenting books, I take them with a grain of salt and I can generally pick out an odd pearl or two of wisdom to pass along for my review. For this book, the pearls came from the first 6 chapters, discussing the love languages themselves. Unfortunately, this back half of this book was a bit of a letdown. I rarely say this, but you’re probably fine just reading this review instead of reading the entire book.
Continue readingDo You Trust Me?: Building Trust with Your Kid
Trust is a necessary foundation in establishing a bond and engaging with another being. It is a safe space between one another that is free from judgment or pain. But, trust doesn’t “just happen”; one’s actions and behaviors help people determine if someone is trustworthy. As parents, we have a huge influence in how our children develop trust with themselves and others. This assurance is significant to their social, cognitive, and emotional development.
Continue readingWhat’s Your Parenting Patronus?
How parents raise their children has always been up for speculation and criticism since the post-WWII days of Dr. Spock. His book published in 1946, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, suggested that parents knew the best way to raise their kids. He even states in the introduction, “You know more than you think you do.”
He advised that the more care, contact, and consideration a parent invested into their child, the better their child will turn out. How you did it, for the most part, was completely up to you.
Continue readingSitcom Parenting 101
Millennials know that the blueprint for parenting has changed a lot from generation to generation. In the 80’s and 90’s, the parental focus was on behavior and obtaining desired outcomes (like good grades), regardless of how they achieved them. This is a stark difference to the neuroscience and development-based styles that are encouraged today. To be fair, the internet was a novelty and the latest information on raising kids were in books or on talk shows.
I believe our parents tried the best they could all things considered, but growing up with family shows like Full House and Boy Meets World made me wish I had parents that were just a little more caring and supportive. As a parent now, does that sitcom-style parenting that I looked up to still resonate?
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Child(ish) Advice 