5 Ways To Really Listen To Your Kids
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Parents generally consider themselves to be good listeners, but we may actually be practicing bad listening habits, without even knowing it. Here are some tips for improving [...]
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Ask One, Then The Other
Andrea Ramsay Speers
How do you handle a child who doesn’t take “no” for an answer, but instead quietly goes to the other parent and asks the same question? Kids can be crafty, [...]
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Do We Need Intuition In Parenting?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Who do you trust for information about raising your children? Your doctor, your mom, your girlfriends, the internet? Who do you receive information and advice from (whether [...]
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“Because I Said So!”
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Who among us did not hear that as a kid? And who finds themselves saying it to their own kids now? Children can really wear you down, and some of them are more persistent [...]
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Catch Them Being Good
Andrea Ramsay Speers
It seems to be in our nature to notice the bad. Whether we’re cataloguing the things we would change about ourselves, the mistakes we have made, or why life isn’t perfect, we [...]
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Mistakes Happen
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Nobody’s perfect; we all know that. But it would appear that the best way to motivate children and get them to modify their behaviour is by paying less attention to their [...]
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Keeping Cool: Avoiding Anger In Parenting
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Anger gets a lot of attention. Everybody, it seems, is angry about something, whether it’s road rage, public policy, or kids’ sports. Anger in itself isn’t a bad thing. As [...]
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Happiness At Home Newsletter: Help! I Need To Make A Decision!
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Many people who come to my office say they have a difficult time making decisions. I have developed a process to help my clients master this skill. I recommend that people [...]
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Parenting Spirited Kids
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Some kids are just a little more than others. More energy, more tantrums, more persistence, more highs and lows…just more. If you’ve got a “spirited” kid in your family, you [...]
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Express Yourself
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I spend a lot of time with my psychotherapy clients focusing on communication. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had a couple come for couples therapy that has NOT brought up “poor [...]
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