Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids
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Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids
I’ve seen how children can slide along on the spectrum from quirk to disorder when they experience high levels of stress.
Before you say something, ask yourself these three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
Before falling into sleep, remember the ordinary moments of the day, the moments with your children that meant something to you. This simple exercise is like a spiritual corrective lens. In your vision of your kids, it helps restore the prominence of “who they are” over “what they need to do” or “what they need to work on.”
“Taylor, time to get in the car and buckle up. Shut that door, please.” “I can’t drive with distractions.
Repetition is a vital part of relationship building for children. By repeating experiences and scenarios in play, as well as in storytelling and reading, kids are able to incorporate what they learn.
I think it is important that, whenever possible, what a child touches be real.
When a partner takes a role in various aspects of a child’s life, their understanding of the child broadens and deepens. With consistency and exclusivity from each, there is much greater rhythm in the household. There are anchors established, guaranteed opportunities for connection.
In the tapestry of childhood, what stands out is not the splashy, blow-out trip to Disneyland but the common threads that run throughout and repeat: the family dinners, nature walks, reading together at bedtime (with a hot water bottle at our feet on winter evenings), Saturday morning pancakes.
Yet emotional intelligence can’t be bought or rushed. It develops with the slow emergence of identity, and the gradual accumulation of life experiences.