Listening To Our Kids
Andrea Ramsay Speers
How well do you listen to your kids? Many parents would pat themselves on the back when it comes to keeping communication flowing between themselves and their children. But [...]
Read more Listening To Our Kids
Making The Most Of Summer Birthdays (Even If It’s An Un-Birthday)
Andrea Ramsay Speers
As a winter baby, I never had to experience the disappointment of inviting friends to a party but having them all at the cottage on the appointed day. Or of not knowing how [...]
Read more Making The Most Of Summer Birthdays (Even If It’s An Un-Birthday)
Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Following through as a parent is hard. Who among us has not threatened to cancel Christmas or a vacation, knowing full well that we’d never do it? Who hasn’t said to [...]
Read more Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say
Terrible Teens
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Many of my parenting clients with young children are already worrying about the teen years. They’ve heard horror stories – or remember being a horror story to their own [...]
Read more Terrible Teens
Whose Work Is Housework?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Not many of us relish doing housework. Most of us hardly get a kick out of cleaning the mini-blinds and baseboards. Kids? They tend to enjoy it even less. But if we all [...]
Read more Whose Work Is Housework?
Time To Think
Andrea Ramsay Speers
In the daily grind of making lunches, arriving on time, homework, and all of the other activities that fill our days, it can be easy to lose sight of our big-picture parenting [...]
Read more Time To Think
Fears And Phobias
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Kids develop fears. It could be separation anxiety as a toddler, a fear of clowns as a preschooler, or a dread of public speaking as a school-ager. About one in 30 children [...]
Read more Fears And Phobias
Bribes Versus Rewards
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Here’s an interesting question: what’s the difference between a reward and a bribe? Many would say that the distinction comes down to the use of the word [...]
Read more Bribes Versus Rewards
The Importance Of Attachment
Andrea Ramsay Speers
“Attachment” is something that parents, particularly of babies, think about. How do we help our kids develop healthy attachment, and how do we know if we’re doing it right? [...]
Read more The Importance Of Attachment
Encouraging Respect In Our Kids
Andrea Ramsay Speers
“Respect” is an important word for parents. We want our kids to respect us as parents, respect all we do for them, and respect other people. We want them to [...]
Read more Encouraging Respect In Our Kids