The Gift Of Boredom
Andrea Ramsay Speers
“I’m Bored!” As your kids get older, you may find yourself hearing this refrain less and less (perhaps because your kids spend less and less time hanging around the house with [...]
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But Sometimes They Just Push My Buttons!
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Patience is an elusive concept for parents. It can either be something we have (or don’t – as in, “I don’t have a lot of patience for that behaviour”), something we are (or [...]
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Is Fear Ruling Your Life?
Andrea Ramsay Speers
How does fear impact your day-to-day life? Not at all? Lucky you! The rest of us can recognize fear at work in some part of our life every day – from the constant, [...]
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Independence Day
Andrea Ramsay Speers
When is the right age for our children to become “independent”? There’s no clear answer for this, but we hope that it is sometime before the age of 30 (fingers crossed). [...]
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Happiness At Home: Letting Go Of The Past
Andrea Ramsay Speers
People have a difficult time letting go of the past because they are held back by unfinished business. They may regret choices they have made or feel guilty about past [...]
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Doing What Works (And Quitting What Doesn’t)
Andrea Ramsay Speers
People have a tendency to think that if something should work, but it doesn’t, that the next step is to then do that thing harder, more often or more intensely. (For example, [...]
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When Parents And Grandparents Disagree
Andrea Ramsay Speers
A lot of focus is put on how important it is for Mom and Dad to be on the same parenting page — which is definitely important — but a more delicate situation can [...]
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Goals of Misbehaviour Part 4: Inadequacy
Andrea Ramsay Speers
This month wraps up our four month series of trying to answer that nagging question, “Why do kids do that?” Having looked at the “goals” of gaining attention, power, [...]
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Goals Of Misbehaviour Part 3: Revenge
Andrea Ramsay Speers
The good news is that we are well on our way to understanding what is driving our kids’ behaviour. We’ve talked about the first two goals of misbehaviour, getting [...]
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Happiness At Home: Parenting Your Teen With Less Stress
Andrea Ramsay Speers
How to Maintain Communication Even though teens need to separate from their parents during adolescence, they also need to know that the safety net of home and family is always [...]
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