Sibling fights… There are those who intervene at the first sign of trouble. Then those who just “let them work it out” and don’t intervene at all.
My current approach is to intervene when I think I can be of some assistance by facilitatating rather than solving. It involves a clear intention if not a difficult […]

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These days if someone is wanting to make changes to their parenting I recommend Pam Leo’s Connection Parenting. If someone is the partner of someone who wants to make change then I would recommend Alfie Kohn’s Unconditional Parenting.
Kohn’s book presents a strong case, with well referenced research and in that sense presents a compelling […]

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We just returned home from 10 days staying with my mum interstate for a relation’s Indian wedding extravaganza.
Pictured is M after Mendhi night, a traditional ceremony where henna is put in intricate patterns on the hands of female participants, it lasts for about two weeks afterwards.
WHEN YOUR CHEEKS ARE NOT YOUR OWN
A big Indian get […]

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Reading the elists & web sites that I do and hanging out with the families that we do, it was a reality check to hear terms such as “good, bad & naughty” thrown around so much during the last 10 days while visiting my extended family. Usually it was “Good” but of course that always […]

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Its difficult for me not to regret how I used to respond to my daughters moments of anger when she was three. I was still in my “rules and boundaries” world view (it was before I started listening and learning from my daughter). So when M, my daughter was angry and yelling, the first thing […]

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Thanks to homeschool mums Wendy & Marion for telling us about Patty Wilpfer’s Hand in Hand site. Click here to read her article Being “In Control”– The Possible and Impossible in Parenting, which we have just added to our site.
Patty Wilpfler’s writing covers broad topics often pitched for a mainstream audience and has […]

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Just got permission from Naomi Aldort to reprint one of her articles that i really liked. Its themes are trust and meeting a child’s needs in the toddler context.
I particularly liked her “declaration of complete confidence in chlidren” which appears at the end of the article. The article Surviving the Toddler Years can be […]

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Was it just me… or when you were a child did you plan out three wishes just in case you happened upon a genie in the lamp? Ok it was just me… but who’ll be laughing when a genie appears in front of you and all you can think of to ask for is an […]

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I admit to total frustration at times. When our daughter barks a command at her grand mother. Or yells at us after we have just gone out of our way to try to help her. Such experiences are not everyday but they happen… we just got back from staying with my mother in law, so […]

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I have added a new article entitled “Parenting is Making My Brain Hurt”. This is a rewrite of an older entry which reflected my shift from providing answers and “covering up” problems towards other parenting approaches.
The article covers some major influences in this shift from Thomas Gorden (PET), Solter (Aware Parenting), Naomi Aldolt and […]

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