Mindful Moments Blog

Parenting DUI's Affect A Child's Self-Worth

Mindful Moments Blog

Parenting DUI's Affect A Child's Self-Worth

by Ashley Patek on May 24 2022
In all of our loving intent, we sometimes commit parenting DUI's, which can send our children into a protective response. Here are 3 ways to break the cycle, not only for your child but for your inner child, too.
Pretending To Be Calm Is Not Helping Our Children

Mindful Moments Blog

Pretending To Be Calm Is Not Helping Our Children

by Rebecca Eanes on Apr 11 2022
Many of us believe that if we can remain calm no matter what and teach our children to do the same then we have successfully mastered self-regulation. But true regulation has nothing to do with achieving a certain state. It's in noticing and responding to whatever emotion you are feeling.
Your Child's Emotions Need Support, Not Solutions

Mindful Moments Blog

Your Child's Emotions Need Support, Not Solutions

by Ashley Patek on Mar 14 2022
When we attempt to fix our children’s emotions and problems, we move out of connection and into control. The focus shifts from them to us. Instead, we can sit with them in the hard stuff, offering support, not solutions. Here's how. 
Social-Emotional Learning Starts At Home

Mindful Moments Blog

Social-Emotional Learning Starts At Home

by Ashley Patek on Mar 07 2022
Students who are self-aware and able to understand their emotions have a greater ability to relate to others, make decisions, and excel academically. Here is how to help your child develop social-emotional skills at home. 
How Mindfulness Helped Me Focus My ADHD

Mindful Moments Blog

How Mindfulness Helped Me Focus My ADHD

by Ashley Patek on Jan 31 2022
I was diagnosed with ADHD at six-years-old. I was given medication that helped my teacher teach me and other students be around me, but it didn't help me learn skills to regulate my emotions. From a child who had a difficult time with emotions, to now working with similar kiddos, here’s what I can tell you. 
Helping Kids Process Their Emotions Free From Shame

Mindful Moments Blog

Helping Kids Process Their Emotions Free From Shame

by Alex Petrou on Jan 10 2022
If you’ve ever caught yourself wanting to tell an emotional child to just stop, (so basically, if you are a human being) here are three things to keep in mind that will help you help kids process their emotions free from shame.   
Raising Emotionally-Intelligent Boys: One Mom's Journey

Mindful Moments Blog

Raising Emotionally-Intelligent Boys: One Mom's Journey

by Ashley Patek on Nov 01 2021
What do you do when the world around you tells you that you are too sensitive?  Do you adapt to the social norms and shift who you are, or do you hush the noise of society to listen to your inner wisdom?
Boy in glasses laying on his tummy in front of a red bookcase

Mindful Moments Blog

Study Finds That Emotional Intelligence Moves the Needle on Academic Success

by Ashley Patek on Oct 11 2021
A new study describes emotional intelligence as an important part of academic success from kindergarten into college.
Raising Teens: They're Still Under Construction

Mindful Moments Blog

Raising Teens: They're Still Under Construction

by Rebecca Eanes on Sep 20 2021
“Just wait until the teen years,” they’d say. Now I am here, and I get what they were referring to. Teens' fluctuating moods can be hard to deal with, but it's not our fault. Blame it on the brain. 
GENM quote

Mindful Moments Blog

Children Will Never Forget

by Suzanne Tucker on Jan 20 2021
Safe, powerful, connected. Supported, nurtured, and seen. These are just some of the ways we want our children to feel.
Suzanne's interview on Motherly

Mindful Moments Blog

Manage Your Emotions, And Your Child's Too: Interview With Suzanne Tucker

by Ashley Patek on Jan 14 2021
You can actually be yelling at your child and be mindful. If you notice that you're yelling... pause, and celebrate. You say to yourself, 'I'm yelling, and I noticed I'm yelling' and then take a deep breath. Now you have some power. to do something different, but not if you're busy beating yourself up.
Child crying

Mindful Moments Blog

Why Behavior Charts Don't Work For Most Kids

by Ashley Patek on Nov 09 2020
Behavior charts have been widely used over the past thirty years and while they may achieve the short-term goal of obedience, they miss the long-term goal of building the brain for life-long skills.
They Saw A Bratty Kid, But That Wasn't The Whole Story

Mindful Moments Blog

They Saw A Bratty Kid, But That Wasn't The Whole Story

by Ashley Patek on Nov 07 2020
What they saw was a bratty child. A clingy child. A spoiled child. And underneath it all, they saw a mother who wasn’t doing it right. But that wasn't the whole story. Our behaviors were communication for so much more.
Birth of a mother

Mindful Moments Blog

Celebrating The Birth Of A Mother

by Guest Author on Oct 16 2020
Motherhood seemed to come so easy to everyone around me, yet here I was, barely keeping it together. One mom shares how she was re-born after having children. 
Toddler using Calming Corner

Mindful Moments Blog

How To Use A Calming Corner With Kids Under Three

by Traci Esposito on Sep 22 2020
You've likely seen the Calming Corner floating around social media, and you're probably wondering if this adorably cozy setup will work in your home, let alone with your two-year-old. And the answer is YES. Here's how. 
The Ultimate Guide To Building A Calming Corner And Using Time-Ins At Home

Mindful Moments Blog

The Ultimate Guide To Building A Calming Corner And Using Time-Ins At Home

by Ashley Patek on Sep 10 2020
How do you say goodbye to time-outs and introduce time-ins? This is the ultimate guide on the do's and don'ts for building and using a Calming Corner.
Three Ways To Love A Bully

Mindful Moments Blog

Three Ways To Love A Bully

by Ashley Patek on Aug 28 2020
What would happen if we taught our children to empathize with the "bully"? Here are three ways to love the person who is bullying. 
What Teachers Are Thinking and Feeling About Returning To School This Year

Mindful Moments Blog

What Teachers Are Thinking and Feeling About Returning To School This Year

by Ashley Patek on Aug 25 2020
With fall approaching, parents and educators are looking to the next school year and wondering what’s best for everyone involved.
Dad and kids playing with ToolKit tools

Mindful Moments Blog

Parenting Toddlers, Tweens, and Teens Using Time-Ins

by Ashley Patek on Aug 08 2020
Crystal is a mama with a household of toddlers, tweens, and teens where uncontrollable sobbing and outbursts were a daily occurrence, and not just from her three-year-old.
This Twist on a Classic Teaches Children Loving Limits and Boundaries

Mindful Moments Blog

This Twist on a Classic Teaches Children Loving Limits and Boundaries

by Ashley Patek on Aug 05 2020
While some may say that The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a tale of selfless love, others find the story actually sends a much different message --- one of co-dependency.