Written by Laura Markham for Aha! Parenting. This is a terrific question: How can we “enforce” our limits? The short answer is, we can’t force anyone to do anything. All we can do is help our child WANT to meet our expectations and help him develop the emotional regulation so he’s able to do so.…
Tag: parenting
Outbursts and Negative Behavior
Writes Kicking it Unschool: One of the major turning points in our parenting journey was learning to see outbursts and negative behavior from the boys as signals their needs were not being met. There is no such things as negative behavior happening “for no reason”. There is always a reason. We just need to figure…
Let Go of Behavior Management; Teach it Instead
Written by Kelly Bartlett for Parenting From Scratch. I thought I was being helpful. My child made a mistake, and I thought I was helping by delving into the ramifications behind the mistake. Why it occurred, why it shouldn’t have occurred, what kind of behavior I expect next time. What I didn’t realize was that…
3 Guiding Principles for Parents
Written by Laura Markham for Aha! Parenting. The truth is, what you say is not nearly as important as your attitude. Your child feels your warmth and love even when you don’t say a word. But what about those times when you’re not feeling all that much love? Those hot moments when you’re trying hard…
Be The Person You Want Your Child To Become
Written by Darci Walker for Core Parenting. Remember in kindergarten when we learned the golden rule? Treat others as you would want them to treat you. Remember last week when you heard that parent say to their child, “If you want them to share with you, you might try sharing with them”? Now, remember that…
What Every Parent Needs to Know About Praise
Written by Laura Markham for Aha! Parenting. Most parents know that negative judgments undermine children, and at least try to bite their tongue instead of saying “What?! Are you an idiot?!” But positive judgments like “What a smart boy!” also sabotage children. Kids who are told they’re smart don’t want to disprove it, so they avoid situations in which…
The Largest Perpetrator of Violence
Writes Free Your Kids: A quick welcome to those of you who have just joined us. We talk mainly about peaceful parenting, unschooling, and the abolition of the state. Wait? Abolition of the state? What’s that doing on a page devoted to freeing children? It all melds together seamlessly, I think. We’re anti-violence, anti-coercion, and…
Breaking the Cycle is Hard
Writes Kicking it Unschool: I’m going to start the day off on a negative note, but it will get better from here. I don’t always like being a peaceful parent. There, I said it. And I bet some of you feel this way sometimes too, and maybe you feel guilty about feeling this way, so…
How do Unschooling Parents Know their Children are Learning?
Written by Jan Hunt for NaturalChild.org. In unschooling, the child’s current interests are followed, and the parents act not as teachers but as tutors and resource assistants. This approach is often misunderstood, because it is based on assumptions that are quite different from those implicit in conventional schooling.Read the full thing »
Perfect Parents
Writes Free Your Kids: I will never be a perfect parent. There, I said it. Even if I could go back in time, carrying with me all that I now know, I still wouldn’t be perfect. Far from it. I make mistakes every single day. Every hour, some days. Yet, I keep learning, I continue…