Respectful solutions to your parenting challenges
“My 3-year-old loses it when we go to the park to play. I don’t get it. It’s supposed to be fun, right? Rebecca, how does this work with feelings? I don’t want to just give in and do whatever he’s asking (like just go home!). But his exploding and yelling seems like a bad idea, too. And it’s even worse
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Love, Respect, and Boundaries What are the origins of your concepts of love and respect? Can you separate the way you desire to parent from unhelpful past models? Much of traditional parenting rests on a hierarchy of power and control. Love is a reward, based on meeting certain conditions. Respect is born of fear. If children fear their parents, they
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Finding Our Own Edges We’ve been talking about boundaries – finding them within ourselves and with others outside of our families. Many of the parents I talk to who have trouble with the metaphorical “Uncle Bob” also have a challenge setting boundaries with their own kids. Today’s episode, Christy Farr and Rebecca Thompson Hitt talk about what healthy, respectful and
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Finding Our Own Edges We’ve all had those moments when we’re just not sure how to handle something from a relative or other person outside the family. Maybe it’s your mother-in-law who just doesn’t understand why your family is vegetarian and keeps feeding your child chicken every time you’re away. Or maybe they’re putting down your parenting in front of
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Finding Our Own Edges It seems to be in the air lately. “What do I do about Uncle Bob? He keeps telling me that I’m going to ruin my son the way I’m parenting. It isn’t working for me, but I have no idea what to do about it. I need to preserve this relationship, so I can’t tell him
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Q: There are times when I have to say no to something my child wants, but I’m not sure how to handle it when my child gets upset. Sometimes I just give in and let her have what she wants, but that doesn’t feel right and it makes it harder the next time I need to say no. I hate seeing
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Boundary: a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line. Unbeknownst to my husband, I have been fretting over the practice of setting boundaries with my kids while simultaneously trying to teach them how to navigate the world around them and express themselves in it. So, I was shocked to see my thoughts reflected back to me on the wall of
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I want to share an experience I had at the LaGuardia airport in New York City when flying with my 19 year-old-son last week. It’s an interesting look at boundaries, letting our kids handle things, and stepping in when necessary. We had arrived at the airport just before 7am on a Tuesday morning, and were in the line for the
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Boundaries can feel so confusing for parents who are working to parent consciously. Like many parents here, maybe you want to give your child some freedom to discover her own needs and preferences. Perhaps you want your child to grow into an adult who knows what he wants in the world. You’re trying not to slather punishments and consequences all
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