All Posts tagged parenting

Early Childhood Development and the Brain

Came across this video by Dr. Bruce Perry. Really brings home the importance of relationships in a young child’s life.

 

https://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/the-body-s-most-fascinating-organ-the-brain

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Spring break!

Spring break is upon us and although it can be a great time to slow down, get away and spend some time together, for many families it’s a week of flexing work time, patching together childcare options and scrambling to keep kids busy and engaged.

Here’s an interesting article on the impact of breaks from school on mothers, in particular.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/moms-bear-the-brunt-of-spring-break-chaos-psychologist-says-1.4041469?utm_content=buffera2da4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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Working Parents: The struggle that parents face to be the best in both worlds

As a parent and a professional woman, I am constantly feeling the tug between accelerating my career while still being the kind of mom I want to be-present, available and engaged. I have no doubt that most parents, moms and dads, experience similar feelings whether they work because they need to or want to.

I just finished reading a book called Unfinished Business by Anne-Marie Slaughter. Ms. Slaughter argues that the discussion around “working moms” needs to change to a discussion about the demands of “care” and “competition”. She suggests that this is the next phase of the feminist movement, one that must include both women and men, and that challenges the value placed on traditional male and female roles and responsibilities. She argues that the lack of value and prestige placed on caregiving by our society is the most significant barrier to women’s ability to reach true equality in the workplace and I couldn’t agree more. Whether caregiving occurs in an unpaid setting like the home or a paid one like daycares and nursing homes, it is obvious to me what little value our society places on these professions.  Just ask what your daycare worker is paid in comparison to a financial advisor! The feminist movement is ultimately about full inclusion and about choice. It’s time that both men and women have a true choice in the way they parent and pursue a career.

I highly recommend this book. It is thought-provoking and challenges our beliefs and understanding about women’s engagement in the workplace, about traditional male/female roles, and about the so-called “work-life balance”.

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Childhood fears: What’s normal?

Hi! I’ve always said that the best thing parents can do is inform themselves about typical childhood development. Have you ever noticed how much information there is out there on prenatal development (hello, babycentre app?!) and development in the first year but then once your little person turns 1 it’s like, ‘Ok, doesn’t really matter what’s going on with their development anymore. Time to just wing it!’ Often times parents’ frustration comes from a misunderstanding of what is normal for children (e.g. stop beating yourself up every time your 1.5 year old steals toys from other kids. They are cognitively unable to understand sharing at this stage!).

Here’s a website I came across that talks specifically about childhood fears and what’s typical at certain stages of development.

Child Therapist’s List of Childhood Fears by Age

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Crying can be good for us

The ‘Other’ Reason Babies Need To Cry (and why it’s parenting’s best kept secret)

I just read this interesting article about crying. I’m curious about what other people think about it. I hesitate to take everything as scientific truth, despite some quotes from doctors, but the author raises some worthy points.

I certainly agree about the value of tears for both children and adults. What I think is so crucial are the statements about the importance of being with and supporting our children when they cry. Often it’s not about fixing something but about providing security, reassurance and meaning to those tears. Many people really struggle with this idea of “being with”. So many of us just want to fix the problem and move on. It can be hard to understand the value of being a witness to emotional pain especially if we think of these emotional displays as signs of weakness.

Especially for children who often don’t have language for their feelings, having a caring adult to help provide meaning to overwhelming feelings can be essential for healthy emotional development.

 

 

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