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
Books And Teens
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I remember reading a series of books when I was a preteen and young teen, whose series name I can’t remember. The protagonists (mostly teen girls) were plagued by such [...]
Read more Books And 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
Whose Work Is Homework?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
If it was meant to be fun, it wouldn’t be called homework, right? But does getting assignments and essays done have to be such a battle? In fact, that’s the last thing it [...]
Read more Whose Work Is Homework?
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
The Process Of Change
Andrea Ramsay Speers
January is often a time of change. We start off the new year with the best of intentions; some of them stick, some of them don’t. While our enthusiasm and motivation ride [...]
Read more The Process Of Change