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A picture is worth a 1,000 words

4/29/2014

This is not my family, but this is a good idea of what it is like when I try to preserve some family memories. My family does not pose nicely for photos. If I am lucky, we get a photo with everyone looking at the camera, but chances are not everyone is smiling, there are silly faces and maybe even a tear. Just the family photo I was hoping to frame and put on the wall, right? No!

At least our photos, depict our reality: the chaos of life with two active children who would rather play than sit still for photos. My children are teaching me yet another lesson on enjoying the moment and taking more mental pictures than being distracted by taking actual photos.

But, I am still holding out hope that one day (soon) we will take a photo that is decent enough to put in a frame. So, as the summer months are getting closer and there will be more opportunities for photo opportunities, I am turning to my friend and extremely talented family photographer, Brooke Bryand. She has some great tips on taking family photos. Check them out here.

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Temperament Evaluations!

4/24/2014

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Have you ever wondered why your children are so different from each other? Have you ever wondered what your child is thinking or why your child is behaving a certain way?

Each of us are born with certain characteristics that shape the way we think, feel, and interact with the world around us.

These characteristics - whether we tend to be outgoing or quiet, adventurous or cautious, active or calm - make up our temperament. And, temperament can have a strong influence on how a child responds in different situations. A child who is more adventurous is likely to climb to the top of the play structure at age 2 and a cautious child will likely cling to you on the first day of school. Aspects of temperament can make some things more challenging for some children and easier for others. A calm child typically transitions easily into a classroom setting, where a more active child might find sitting still and following the rules to be challenging.

Learning about your child's temperament can shed light on your child's behavior, help you to develop parenting strategies tailored to your child's unique personality and needs. You can also learn tools to maximize your child's strengths and help your child develop coping skills for the areas that are more challenging. Learning about temperament will give you the opportunity to help your active child develop strategies for adjusting to the classroom setting and help your cautious child learn techniques to try new things.

If you want to learn more, I offer a temperament evaluation, which includes:

* An assessment to determine your child's temperament.
* A discussion about your child's strengths and challenges based on their temperament.
* A plan for specific parenting strategies to help your child cope with some of the challenging aspects of their temperament and maximize their strengths.

Understanding your child's temperament can improve the parent child relationship, increase your child's happiness, teach coping skills and help your child be successful!

Send me an email or give me a call (718) 974-7375. Mention this blog for 10% off a temperament evaluation.

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Springtime is here - time for the oxygen masks!

4/15/2014

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It is finally looking like spring around here. I love spring and appreciate it even more that I live where it snows in the winter. Springtime is a time of renewal. It is a time to do some spring cleaning and start fresh. And, my goal for this spring is to remember to put my oxygen mask on so that I can be a better friend, spouse and parent!

Here is what I have written in the past about taking care of yourself:

As a parent it can seem counter-intuitive to put on your own oxygen mask before your child's - especially in an emergency. But, if we parents are unable to breathe, we cannot help our children. And that goes for everyday life too!

In order to be a better parent, we must first take care of ourselves. We need to make space in our busy days to do something we love, something that will restore us and give us the energy we need to handle the difficult job of being a parent.

As a parent, I realize that it is easier said than done! So, start small - take five minutes right now to close your eyes, take some deep breaths, listen to your favorite song, or walk around the block. Invite your partner to do the same - or better yet, do it together.

If we are able to make even a little time for ourselves, we will have more energy, more patience and less stress. Only then can we be the best parents that we strive to be.

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A picture is worth a 1,000 words

Temperament Evaluations!

Springtime is here - time for the oxygen masks!

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