Jake, a two-year-old in daycare, says, “No one play with me!” Jake’s mother becomes anxious because she was a lonely child. She feels guilty about working, but finally decides to talk to Jake’s caregiver and spend some time watching Jake in his daycare setting. In a soft, caring voice, Jake’s mother discusses Jake’s feelings with […]
• Step In: Put yourself in your child’s shoes by carefully listening to your child’s needs and feelings. Ask your child empathetic questions about her experience. Understand your child’s experience from her perspective. • Balance: Recognize the feelings that your child is experiencing and what those feelings evoke within you. Too much empathy or sharing […]
You’ve probably heard the expression, “Try putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” That’s empathy—the ability to understand and share another’s emotional experience, while setting aside one’s own thoughts and feelings. The development of empathy begins at birth. It grows over time as your child experiences all the different emotions and feelings that come with life, […]
Simple Ways to Nourish a Cherished Quality “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” – MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Kaplan, L.J. (1978). Oneness and separateness: From infant to individual. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Levine, M. (2006). The price of privilege: How parental pressure and material advantage are creating a generation of disconnected and unhappy kids. New York, NY: Harper. Poarch, J.E. (1990). Limits: The keystone of emotional growth. Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development […]
• Suggest or demonstrate strategies for solving whatever problem is frustrating your child. • Break your child’s problem into manageable parts. “You want to do this really big puzzle. First, let’s arrange the pieces by color and then I’ll help you put the pieces in the puzzle.” • Use humor whenever possible. It can reduce […]
Imagine Jennifer takes her eighteen-month-old son Ricky to their favorite pizza place, but it’s closed. Ricky has waited all week for this special outing, and in a fit of frustration, Ricky throws himself on the ground and cries. Jennifer calmly acknowledges Ricky’s disappointment and says, “We were both so excited to have pizza. I’m disappointed, […]
No matter how young or how old you are, you can’t always get what you want. Your child will learn this early on, along with how it feels to be disappointed. Over time, he’ll understand that life presents obstacles. It’s not always easy to see your child get upset, but if you shield him from […]
You Can’t Always Get What You Want “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” – DR. VIKTOR FRANKL
Gopnik, A., Meltzoff, A. N., & Kuhl, P. (2000). The scientist in the crib: What early learning tells us about the mind. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
