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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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? [...]
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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 [...]
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