Parent Child Relationship

Child(ish) Reads: Underestimated: The Power and Wisdom of Teenage Girls

| Patti Webb

I jumped on this book so fast.

Luckily, it has a nice little fit for Tuesday’s Throwback post on kids developing Autonomy.  So let’s connect the two, while I share my review and takeaways.

Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls by Chelsey Goodan.

Chelsey Goodan has been an academic tutor and mentor for sixteen years, with a particular emphasis on the empowerment of teenage girls. She speaks regularly to audiences about gender justice, conducts workshops, and coaches parents on how to better understand and connect with their daughters. For this book, she compiles years of working with girls one-on-one and the common threads she has seen in their experience.

Continue reading →

Play Ball: Parent Bonding

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Ever notice the movie/tv trope of a father and child playing a game of catch? It’s meant to show the audience the kind of one-on-one relationship they have.

But why is this scene so common?

I have heard some of my dad friends express their dream to toss the ball around with their kid when they get older. But when I ask why, they are usually unsure of the reason. They just want to. Although that is a fair justification, I wanted to understand why this particular game of catch is important and meaningful to many fathers.

Continue reading →

In the Line of Fire: How to Handle All Those Why Questions

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

In our last post, we examined why toddlers and preschoolers ask A LOT of questions and shared ways to encourage their curiosity and cognitive development. But from my personal experience (like many other parents out there), patience and understanding during this phase can wear thin. Every now and then, we resort to “I don’t know, ask your father/mom” or “Because it just is,” simply in hopes to make the questions end.

Yeah, we know it’s not the best move and the last thing we want is for our kids to completely stop asking questions all together. So, how can we tolerate the barrage of questions without losing our cool?

Continue reading →

Do You Trust Me?: Building Trust with Your Kid

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

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 reading →