Mindful Moments Blog

Connect, Regulate, and Teach Through Play

Mindful Moments Blog

Connect, Regulate, and Teach Through Play

by Rebecca Eanes on Aug 09 2021
Playfulness isn’t only a tool to keep in your parenting toolbox, it’s a mindset. Here are some tips and tools on how to use play to build connection, bolster emotional regulation, and enhance learning. 
Navigating Transitions

Mindful Moments Blog

Navigating Transitions

by Suzanne Tucker on Aug 06 2021
Where in your life are you in transition right now? Join Selina as she leads a mindful moment to pause and focus on the transitions we are in, and the transitions our children are going through, too.
Getting Your Child To Listen Without Commands And Demands

Mindful Moments Blog

Getting Your Child To Listen Without Commands And Demands

by Ashley Patek on Aug 06 2021
Want your child to listen without having to nag, command or demand? Follow these 5 tips.
It’s Development, Not Defiance

Mindful Moments Blog

It’s Development, Not Defiance

by Rebecca Eanes on Aug 04 2021
We are so accustomed to parenting being a struggle. We expect it. We deal with it. We fight back and forth for control. But what if I told you that their behavior was not defiance but development. Here are 3 tools to help your child grow their emotional regulation and impulse control muscles. 
How To Parent Respectfully And Set Boundaries

Mindful Moments Blog

Setting Boundaries With Your Strong-Willed Child

by Ashley Patek on Aug 04 2021
Boundaries often feel hard to set and harder to stick to, especially in parenting. Learn how to set boundaries that are clear and consistent while also validating your child's wants and desires with these 6 tools. 
Ask Andrew: Finding Ways To Motivate

Mindful Moments Blog

Ask Andrew: Finding Ways To Motivate

by Andrew Patterson on Aug 02 2021
Andrew answers today's question: I am working with a family that struggles to motivate their son to practice the application of new skills. Any advice on how to discuss the importance of things or improve motivation? This kiddo is highly intelligent and strong-willed.
Practicing Transitions To Reduce Meltdowns

Mindful Moments Blog

Practicing Transitions To Reduce Meltdowns

by Ashley Patek on Jul 29 2021
Children are concrete learners and often thrive off of predictability, so it can be hard for them to pivot, especially when the request is to move from a preferred activity to a less preferred task. Here are 5 tools to help children with transitions. 
School Culture Affects Black Student Achievement

Mindful Moments Blog

School Culture Affects Black Student Achievement

by Selina Armstrong on Jul 28 2021
As students prepare to return to school this fall, there are many things for parents and educators to consider. We are still in the midst of a pandemic and living in an environment where racial disparities are being brought to the forefront where they can no longer be swept under the rug to be ignored, tolerated, or forgotten.  
Ask Andrew: Finding Your People

Mindful Moments Blog

Ask Andrew: Finding Your People

by Andrew Patterson on Jul 26 2021
Andrew answers today's question: My 14 year-old daughter with autism doesn’t get invited to things and gets mad at her 6 year-old sister because of jealousy, I think. What can I do to help her with this?
9 Mantras I Use When Low On Patience With My Kids

Mindful Moments Blog

9 Mantras I Use When Low On Patience With My Kids

by Ashley Patek on Jul 25 2021
Mantras can change the wiring of our brain and create a new lens to see ourselves, our kids, and the world at large. Here are 9 parenting mantras I use when low on patience with my kids.
Sometimes It's Hard, And That Isn't A Failure

Mindful Moments Blog

Sometimes It's Hard, And That Isn't A Failure

by Guest Author on Jul 22 2021
We cannot shield our children from stress, heartache, and pain, especially as they grow older. And we can't protect them from mental illness. But we can provide them attachment and love them through it.
Post-Pandemic Schools Need More Than Academics

Mindful Moments Blog

Post-Pandemic Schools Need More Than Academics

by Traci Esposito on Jul 22 2021
Post-pandemic children have a lot to adjust to. And there is no cookie-cutter response because the mental health of our children is not one-dimensional. There is a spectrum of feelings and emotional stress taking a seat in the classroom this year. Here are some tools for nurturing social-emotional learning (SEL). 
The Stories Kids Want To Tell About COVID

Mindful Moments Blog

The Stories Kids Want To Tell About COVID

by Rebecca Eanes on Jul 19 2021
Our children grew up in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their brains developed in quarantine. Their bodies changed in lockdown. They are emerging from this as different people, and the impact it had on them is yet to be told. Here are 4 things we can do to support our children’s social-emotional health this school year ...
Regulate Emotions Through Play

Mindful Moments Blog

Regulate Emotions Through Play

by Ashley Patek on Jul 16 2021
How do we get under the meltdowns, tantrums, and big wants and desires fueling our tots? Learn how to use play and mind-body activities to increase connection, regulate emotions, and change undesirable behaviors.
Teaching Your Child How To Be Mad

Mindful Moments Blog

Teaching Your Child How To Be Mad

by Ashley Patek on Jul 15 2021
It’s not about teaching our children not to be mad, sad, or frustrated. It’s about teaching them how to be mad, sad, and frustrated. Rather than teaching them to suppress or bottle their emotions, we can empower our children to move through them in healthy ways. Here's how. 
Speaking Your Child's Meltdown Language

Mindful Moments Blog

Speaking Your Child's Meltdown Language

by Ashley Patek on Jul 14 2021
Understand the biology of a meltdown and how to speak your child's unique meltdown language.
Ask Andrew: Grandparenting

Mindful Moments Blog

Ask Andrew: Grandparenting

by Andrew Patterson on Jul 12 2021
Andrew answers today's question: How can I, as the grandmother of a diagnosed five-year-old grandson be a solid support to him and his parents? I live in CA and they live in AZ.
Until The Last

Mindful Moments Blog

Until The Last

by Ashley Patek on Jul 08 2021
A poem about savoring the little moments of parenting. "No one prepared me for the hardest part of parenting … letting go. Parenting is the longest, most gradual break-up. A story that grows in chapters, filled with firsts that turn into lasts."
3 Ways Parenting Can Heal Your Childhood Wounds

Mindful Moments Blog

3 Ways Parenting Can Heal Your Childhood Wounds

by Guest Author on Jul 07 2021
When our own childhood contained stress and trauma, the developmentally-appropriate behaviors of our children can be a big trigger. Here are 3 ways to heal your childhood wounds through parenting. 
Harlow

Mindful Moments Blog

Harlow

by Ashley Patek on Jul 06 2021
This mama uses a poem to capture her experience of telling her son about his sister ... "What happened, mama? Why didn’t she come home? ... Her body laid so still at birth, I said, But her soul knew where to go."