Natural Consequences

Life is about challenges and overcoming them, don’t you agree?  From our first hours on the planet, we struggle to communicate our needs, we overcome challenges to learn to walk and run, and sometimes we fall.  Overcoming a challenge has …

When an Experience Outlasts a Toy

Recently, I overheard a family discussing their upcoming vacation. They were planning their trip to upper Michigan, where they would go, where they would sleep, interesting things they would see. The children were all school-aged and the parents were sharing …

Kiddos and Family Money: Do’s and Don’ts

After seasonal giving, hosting, and all the other expenses that come with kiddos out of school, there is a day of reckoning.  So many of us “pull-out-the-stops” where spending is concerned.  We want our kiddos to have whatever their heart …

Children Grieve Too…

Death comes to every family and children are just as much a part of it as are adults.  If we are fortunate, we have time to prepare, time to say goodbye, time to share, time.  But sometimes death comes suddenly, …

Behavior = Need

Behavior.  What can I say about preschoolers and their unpredictable behaviors?  A wise teacher told me, “Young children tell us what they’re feeling with their behaviors.”   Isn´t that true from the beginning of life? Babies sense distress – hunger, pain, …

Lessons from the Neighborhood

Lessons from the Neighborhood, by Mister Rogers If you are a parent today, chances are you grew up with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I watched those episodes with my son and we would quote to each other, “Correct as usual, King …

Natural Consequences

La vida se trata de desafíos y superarlos, ¿no estás de acuerdo? Desde nuestras primeras horas en el planeta, luchamos  por comunicar nuestras necesidades, superamos los desafíos para aprender a caminar y correr, y a veces nos caemos. Superar un …

When a Family Pet Dies…

    A cat, a rat, a dog – big or small, a fish in a dish: whatever you and your children identify as the family pet, eventually the circle of life is imposed on the family and your friend …