http://blog.respectfulparenting.com Creating a Lifetime of Difference Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:01:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I haven't written in a few months, yet it feels like a few days. This last semester has gone so fast. It was my son's last semester in High School. He graduated in May. What a touching experience. So many "lasts" on his way to so many "firsts." ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/06/17/how-fast-its-gone/ I’ve been writing quite a bit lately about little ones: babies and toddlers…for me it feels like yesterday when I had a baby and a toddler, but it’s quite a few years ago.  The joy of having been present for so many special little moments with my child is burned ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/01/25/poignant-moments-with-my-son/ Someone recently asked me to talk about when one parent wants a toddler to be able to explore around the house freely and the other wants the baby confined to a play pen more… So, here goes: Toddlers are such “heady creatures.”  They are so excited about the world. They ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/01/25/resolving-different-perspectives-with-toddlers/ Sometimes when a baby cries a lot parents can be scared that’s there’s something wrong.  Perhaps there is something wrong, I can’t be sure. What I can tell you is that a baby’s cries are her form of language and communication. There is so much new stimuli coming at a ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/01/25/when-a-baby-cries/ When your mother-in-law tells you you’ll spoil the baby if you keep picking him up when he cries. I don’t agree.  In this particular case, I’d say the “words of experience” are outweighed by contemporary child development research. A few decades ago parents believed that if you held a child ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/01/23/words-of-experience-or-new-knowledge-which-do-you-listen-to/ New parents often go through a disappointing time after the initial glow post birth passes.  This is actually more common than you might think.  When each parent wants to be “right” and “know the answer,” with a new baby, there can be power struggles between them. It helps if you ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/01/23/new-parents-when-the-glow-of-birth-wears-off/              I can’t believe the holidays are over.  Although I must say, it doesn’t quite feel like they are all over because my son is still home from school.  We have one more week of “vacation,” but he and I are still both working this week.            I seem to have ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2008/01/02/happy-new-year-juggling-our-parental-love/ I’ve been doing a lot of radio shows this week commenting about and being interviewed about the shootings in the last week – 2 churches in Colorado, the school bus, etc - It’s supposed to be holiday shopping not holiday shootings.  Why now? There seem to be so many reasons:1) ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2007/12/15/holiday-shootings/   The (parental) buck stops with you.  Ultimately, you're the "responsible party" here, so make sure you agree with what you say and you can live with the consequences you decide. Also try to say it in a way your child can hear and be will be more willing to agree.  When you ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2007/12/05/talking-in-a-way-your-child-can-hear/              I know the social “climate” is changing in this country and different regions look at things differently, but maybe when we’re looking at the pros and cons of corporal punishment we need to look a bit deeper in terms of: a) what is the job of a parent, b) ... http://blog.respectfulparenting.com/index.php/2007/12/05/corporal-punishment-versus-respectful-parenting/