By: Rebecah Freeling/ Parenting Coach and Behavior Specialist Question: Dear Rebecah- My parents are acting as the surrogate grandparents of a very “spirited,” strong-willed, 6-year-old boy. The boy doesn’t get a lot of structure at home and he’s easily frustrated, and he’s been acting up more and more lately – not just yelling, but also […]
By Ann Brown Discussions have been lively in parenting classes this month. We’ve been talking about practicing good behavior with our kids. Well, it’s not exactly accurate to say, “we’ve been talking…” Admittedly, I’ve been doing most of the talking, and the parents have been doing most of the listening. I think they were listening, […]
By Ann Brown, parenting consultant I’m sitting on the living room couch as I write this column. My twenty-month old puppy, Phila, is snuggled next to me, her head on my lap. She is snoring happily. I am petting her, completely content. I’m also watching out for Robin because as soon as I see him […]
By Parenting Consultant, Ann Brown As I write this article, we are already encroaching upon 2014. Because I am an old crone compared to you who will be reading this, I can remember, back in the 1960’s, the awe I felt when I imagined what the new millennium would be like. The idea of the […]
By Joe Newman What do you say to a parent who asks, “How involved should I get in school?” Before talking about this question I first want to talk about a more important underlying issue. Relations between parents and teachers are at an all-time low. Parents blame teachers for their child’s poor academic performance and teachers […]
By Ann Brown It’s another rainy afternoon. Perfect for making soup, reading, avoiding work, and napping. You’d think I’d be perfectly happy. But no. I am not snugly in my comfort zone. One of my toes is hanging out. Kids start off with a very small comfort zone. It’s pretty much Baby + Parents. […]
By Ann Brown, Parenting Coach Those of you in my classes and parenting groups have heard me start many sentences with, “after the revolution, when I am in charge of the world and we all live on communes in peace and harmony….” But today, I am going to write about what we can do […]
By Ann Brown I’ve been listening to The Four Tops. If you don’t know what I am talking about, if you do not know who The Four Tops are, if you are not familiar with their music, well, then, I really don’t know what to do with you. Maybe a time-out. Oh wait, I don’t […]
By: Ann Brown Doing the work I do and having grown children who no longer pick their noses in public or have screaming tantrums at Whole Foods, affords me a certain amount of, um, flexibility with the truth. I mean, my kids are 25 and 30 years old and they are great kids. They make […]
By: Ann Brown A parent dropped off a magazine article to me a few weeks ago, saying, “I thought you’d like this.” I am always curious to see what kinds of things you think I’d be interested in because I know I kinda have a reputation for being a bit….well, offbeat. I remember a while […]