The Relation Between Moodiness and Boredom

Posted on October 9, 2007 by Kori Rodley Irons

I am of the opinion that there is a direct link between boredom and all sorts of troublesome behaviors when it comes to our kids! There, I’ve said it. I really do think that a bored child can get in all sorts of trouble—from picking arguments and fights, teasing, making messes, and getting into a moody funk. I don’t necessarily think that it is our job as parents to keep our children perpetually entertained—but it might help to just understand the correlation between boredom and moodiness (and other behaviors). Of course, some of us have a higher tolerance for boredom … Continue reading →

Offering Guidance to Our Kids, Not Criticism

Posted on May 14, 2007 by Myra Turner

When our kids do something wrong, as they inevitably will, we should strive to guide them rather than criticize them. “To avoid being judgmental, psychologists do not use criticism to influence children. They use guidance. In criticism, parents attack children’s personality attributes and their character. In guidance, we state the problem and a possible solution. We say nothing to the child about himself or herself,” says Dr. Haim Ginott. Remember when our kids were infants and toddlers and they spilled something? What did we do? We talked about the event- “Uh-uh, Tyler spilled his juice. Let’s get that cleaned up.” … Continue reading →

Emotional Mirroring

Posted on May 9, 2007 by Myra Turner

Children often have a hard time understanding what they are feeling. Parents can help by using a technique called emotional mirroring. When we look in a mirror, we see our reflection staring back at us, exactly as it is without any added flattery or faults, according to Dr. Haim Ginott. We don’t expect our mirror to start talking to us (unless you’re living in a fairytale), commenting on how bad we look. We may not like what we see but we want to make the decisions about changing the way we look. When it comes to our kids emotions, they … Continue reading →