How Can I Play With My Child?

Posted on 02/18/2011 by Mary K

People are all different. That’s hardly news but it means not every game or every play style will appeal to your child. Or you for that matter. So if you’re tempted to give up on having fun playing with your child consider the idea that playing something else might be the answer. After all, it’s unrealistic to think you have to enjoy all the same games with one another.

Yet a word of caution here… don’t be tempted to get in a rut with your kids playing only the familiar games. Sure, some kids will find certain kinds of games more challenging that others. Some more boring than others. That’s okay… and you do want play that is fun (after all, it’s hardly ‘play’ if it doesn’t have an element of ‘fun’). But do your best to find a way for your children to build up skills in new areas too. Variety is the spice of life. Continue reading →

“Come Play With Me!”

Posted on 02/16/2011 by Mary K

For some reason the topic of playing with children has come to my attention quite frequently lately. In just the past two weeks I’ve had 2 different friends, who happen to be young mothers with young children, comment that they seem to be ‘play-challenged’… meaning they just don’t really know how to actively ‘play’ with their children. And I heard the same conversation going on while listening to the women of CBS’s daytime show The Talk.

I can empathize… at least to a point. For whatever reasons, and I suspect there are several, I find it quite easy and natural to play with kids. However, there certainly are times I simply don’t feel like it. And I wonder if parents who think they don’t know how to play with their kids might be confusing ‘being comfortably able to play’ with ‘feeling the desire to play with a child at any given moment’. Continue reading →

Changing Schools, Changing Behavior

Posted on 01/24/2011 by Mary K

I watched this interesting animation yesterday about changing the education paradigm. It’s well worth the eleven and a half minutes. (I’ve included it below so you can easily watch it yourself. I’d love to hear what you think about it!) It really ramped up my awareness of WHY today’s educational system simply doesn’t work.

It’s been clear to me for a long time that the educational system that I grew up with, and what I see being experienced out there today is NOT supporting the optimum growth and development of our youth today. Continue reading →

The Best Thing You Can Offer A Child

Posted on 01/17/2011 by Mary K

Children know innately who they are; it’s something grownups seem to have lost touch with… they have a way of reminding us.

So… how can we best guide them? After all, though we may be on the way back to remembering, many of our life experiences have trained us away from our inner guidance. Some days it’s seems impossible for me to trust that they are listening to their inner guidance… like when a toddler is climbing onto a tippy table or reaching for a sharp scissors.

What do you do in these kinds of situations? Continue reading →

Teens say ‘parenting’ sexier than ‘sex’

Posted on 12/13/2010 by Mary K

Would it surprise you to learn that teens would rather learn about PARENTING and FAMILY VALUES than the mechanics of ‘sex’… i.e. intercourse, contraception and sexually-transmitted infections.

Continue reading →

10 Gifts your children will never forget

Posted on 12/06/2010 by Mary K

It’s that time of year when our thoughts turn to gift giving in some BIG ways. Today someone asked me how my life would change if I spent $0 on Christmas gifts. Actually, pondering an answer to this question has brought up a lot of ‘stuff’ for me. While I know it’s quite unlikely that many of us will choose to spend $0 on Christmas gifts… it does seem the perfect time to consider the real gifts you can give to your children… the kind they will treasure for life.

Continue reading →

The doll aisle is creepier than the Halloween aisle

Posted on 10/22/2010 by Mary K

Maybe I don’t get out enough but the department store doll aisle is seriously creepy.

Last night the grandson dragged Mom over to pick me up for a quick trip to Target. This seven-year-old had developed a sudden need for a travel alarm clock. (Who knows? Maybe he’ll clue us in on his travel plans soon.) Since he’s at that age when telling time is becoming a valuable skill it seemed like an innocent enough request to fulfill so off to the store we went.

Continue reading →

Too Full for Broccoli

Posted on 10/10/2010 by Mary K

I love great children’s music. And of course, that’s pretty subjective. The way I look at it, the music has to be catchy and the words ought to tell a story that kids can relate to.

Continue reading →