Saying What We Mean and Meaning What We Say
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Here’s an interesting statistic: Today’s Parent magazine took an online poll, in which 58% of parents responded that they sometimes say yes when they wish [...]
Read more Saying What We Mean and Meaning What We Say
When Should You Worry About Your Child’s Behaviour?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
How do you know when you should be worried about your child’s mental health? There are lots of variations of “normal”, so it can be hard to know. And when you’ve been coping [...]
Read more When Should You Worry About Your Child’s Behaviour?
Staying the Course
Andrea Ramsay Speers
It’s easy to second-guess ourselves as parents. Whatever the situation is — trying to get our little one to sleep through the night, saying no to a 16 year old who [...]
Read more Staying the Course
“You’re Not The Boss of Me!”
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Power struggles are among the more frustrating parts of the parenting package. Why? Well, as Rudolph Dreikurs points out in his book Children: The Challenge, “Children [...]
Read more “You’re Not The Boss of Me!”
When You Don’t Like Your Teen’s Dating Choice
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Someone asked me recently what to do when you don’t like your teenage son or daughter’s boyfriend/girlfriend. It’s definitely a tricky subject. While as [...]
Read more When You Don’t Like Your Teen’s Dating Choice
Off To Camp
Summer is half over, but there’s still lots left to do – maybe your child has sleep-away camp on the agenda during the last four weeks of summer. Camp can be an exciting, but [...]
Read more Off To Camp
When Parents Clash
Andrea Ramsay Speers
What do you do when you and your partner have differences in parenting styles? It’s a surprisingly common dilemma. My experience is that, if we look at parenting as a [...]
Read more When Parents Clash
Parenting Book Recommendations
Andrea Ramsay Speers
A number of my clients have been asking for books that they can read that describe the same Democratic Parenting philosophy that I use in our sessions. I thought I might post [...]
Read more Parenting Book Recommendations
Lonely or a Loner?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
If you are a social butterfly, but you’ve got a kid who’d rather play alone than attend a party, it can lead a parent to wonder if there’s a problem. The [...]
Read more Lonely or a Loner?
Happiness At Home: Resolving Conflicts
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Every relationship has conflicts. In some relationships, conflict is a serious problem; in others, differences seem to be resolved without creating a major incident. Think [...]
Read more Happiness At Home: Resolving Conflicts