Smart Parenting

Grudges come naturally to kids – gratitude must be taught

August 8, 2019

Have you heard this tale? In ancient times, an escaped slave hid in a cave only to encounter a wounded lion. Although afraid, the man helps the lion, removing a thorn from its paw. The lion is forever grateful, shares his food with the man and, eventually, saves his life. If this millennia-old fable sounds […]

How To Teach Children That Failure Is The Secret To Success

August 3, 2019

Is failure a positive opportunity to learn and grow, or is it a negative experience that hinders success? How parents answer that question has a big influence on how much children think they can improve their intelligence through hard work, a study says. “Parents are a really critical force in child development when you think […]

‘Dirt Is Good’: Why Kids Need Exposure To Germs

July 17, 2019

As a new parent, Jack Gilbert got a lot of different advice on how to properly look after his child: when to give him antibiotics or how often he should sterilize his pacifier, for example. After the birth of his second child, Gilbert, a scientist who studies microbial ecosystems at the University of Chicago, decided […]

From obesity to allergies, outdoor play is the best medicine for children

July 13, 2019

What if there was a simple, inexpensive and fun way to address some of the major challenges facing humanity today. What if it could help improve children’s health, development and well-being? Imagine a solution that could stem the current epidemics of obesity, anxiety and depression affecting children and youth today. Imagine that this solution could […]

How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids: Use These 10 Tips

July 5, 2019

Calm Parenting—most of us aspire to it, desire it, and even promise ourselves we’re going to do it—but it’s so difficult to sustain. We know how important it is to parent from our principles rather than from our fears, but despite our best intentions we lose it and end up yelling at those we love […]

Want Your Child To Eat (Almost) Everything? There Is A Way

July 1, 2019

Experts will tell you that if you want to raise a kid who eats just about everything, you should feed them what you eat — assuming you’re eating a varied, healthy diet. It’s what most cultures have done for most of human history. But today’s culture sends parents a very different message. Kids menus full […]

Disrespectful Child or Teen? 5 Things Not to Do as a Parent

June 29, 2019

Eye rolling, curses, insults, backtalk, name calling, ignored requests, snide comments: disrespect from your child or teen comes in many different forms. If you’re struggling with disrespectful behavior from your kids, you’re definitely not alone: this is one of the biggest topics of conversation between parents and counselors. The truth is, disrespectful behavior is one […]

Sleep and Teens…and How parents can help

June 27, 2019

Many teens complain that they can’t fall asleep but felt foggy during the school day and had to reread lessons a few times at night to finish their homework. And forget morning activities on the weekends — they stay in bed. What parents are sharing with doctors is that the ‘normal life’ of a typical […]

How Inuit parents teach kids to control their anger?

June 26, 2019

At age 34, Jean Briggs traveled above the Arctic Circle and lived out on the tundra for 17 months. There were no roads, no heating systems, no grocery stores. Winter temperatures could easily dip below minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Briggs persuaded an Inuit family to “adopt” her and “try to keep her alive,” as the […]

Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop

June 19, 2019

You may have heard of play. It’s that thing children do – the diverse range of unstructured, spontaneous activities and behaviours. Children play in many ways, including by exploring movements, constructing with equipment, creating games, using imagination and chasing others around a playground. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises play as […]

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