A Yelling Resolution
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I was reading a little poll in an old Today’s Parent magazine. Even though it was from the December 2009 issue, I thought it would be interesting to post the poll and the [...]
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Goals Of Misbehaviour Part 2: Power
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Last month we began our quest to answer the question, “What are they thinking?!?” (“they”, of course, being our children). Recognizing that no behaviour happens by accident [...]
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Goals Of Misbehaviour Part I: Attention
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Have you ever looked at your kids and thought, “What are they thinking?!?” It’s a common parental response to outrageous, wacky, disruptive, or hurtful behaviours. But there [...]
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The Importance Of Failing
Andrea Ramsay Speers
It’s tempting for a parent to want to spare one’s kids the pain of failure. No one likes to see someone that they care about – and that they’ve been charged with protecting – [...]
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A New Year’s Challenge
Andrea Ramsay Speers
What is one thing you could do this month to improve your relationship with your children? We all know that we’re not perfect and that we have room to improve. So [...]
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Decide What You Will Do
Andrea Ramsay Speers
We spend a lot of our time as parents trying to “make” our kids do things. Whether it’s making them hurry up, pick up after themselves, be polite, or make the bed, a lot of [...]
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5 Ways To Really Listen To Your Kids
Andrea Ramsay Speers
Parents generally consider themselves to be good listeners, but we may actually be practicing bad listening habits, without even knowing it. Here are some tips for improving [...]
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Ask One, Then The Other
Andrea Ramsay Speers
How do you handle a child who doesn’t take “no” for an answer, but instead quietly goes to the other parent and asks the same question? Kids can be crafty, [...]
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Express Yourself
Andrea Ramsay Speers
I spend a lot of time with my psychotherapy clients focusing on communication. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had a couple come for couples therapy that has NOT brought up “poor [...]
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