The Importance of Making Mistakes

The Importance of Making Mistakes

I have never liked making mistakes. This was always most prevalent for me in school. When I was in 1st grade, we had a spelling quiz each week. If you got a perfect score, you did not have to retake it.

What Your Kid Hears When You Say “Be Careful”

What Your Kid Hears When You Say “Be Careful”

“Be careful!” is a phrase that is commonly and frequently expressed at every park I’ve ever been to. Often I think it is warranted and can help keep kids safe. It reminds me of a time in 2nd grade that I wish I had been told to be careful.

Why Parents Should Encourage Risk Taking

Why Parents Should Encourage Risk Taking

I usually associate risk taking with bungee jumping or skydiving. Those are both “risks” I doubt I will ever take, no matter how many times my friends say “it’s so worth it”. While I am not a fan of heights, I do think I have taken risks in other ways.

Recognizing Anxiety in Kids

Recognizing Anxiety in Kids

When I think of anxiety as an adult, I think of stressful thoughts, racing hearts, sweaty palms, and being preoccupied with whatever I’m anxious about. As adults, we’ve had years to learn to improve our ability to identify what emotion we’re feeling.

Perfect Parenting is NOT the Goal

Perfect Parenting is NOT the Goal

As parents, there is so much pressure on us to try to do everything right, perfectly, or as well as possible as we raise our children. I think this has a lot to do with how much information there is regarding parenting and child development that we have access to.

Strengths-Based Parenting

Strengths-Based Parenting

As the saying goes, there is no user manual that comes with having a child. However, the amount of parenting advice, either asked for or not asked for, begins being shared not too long after someone announces they are pregnant. As much as someone might want to be…