Tag Archives: bonding

Sibling Support

We talk a great deal about sibling rivalries, fighting and tension here in the Parenting blog, but what we don’t give much space to is how supportive and encouraging siblings can be for each other. Those sibling bonds can be strong and for those of us parenting more than one child, there may be things that we can do to help siblings learn to love, depend on and enjoy one another… Years ago, a friend of mine referred to my three children as “cheaters”—it didn’t apply to how they played board games but it was her take on how they … Continue reading →

You’re Hard Wired for Baby Love

As it turns out, your brain responds differently to a cute cuddly little baby faces than it does to an adult face. Research that was published this week, took adult participants and used a technique called magnetoencephalography. . .a really fancy word that means using magnetic imaging on your head. (Or something like that.) Then they showed participants pictures of babies, pictures of kids, and pictures of adults, and noted that the area of the brain that responds to babies (even ones you haven’t seen before), was different than the one that responds to adults or even other kids. Simply … Continue reading →

Why Dads Everywhere Should Do Bath Time

No. . .I don’t mean stinky dads should take a bath. Although I suppose that is a true statement. But bath time is the ideal bonding time with baby. Maybe I’m biased, because this has always been my husband’s job. However, we have found it to be a great opportunity for dad to get in on the act of bonding. Some of you have posted questions, or send me a PM asking how you can get your husband more involved with the baby. This is my answer: bath time. Skin to Skin Contact Skin to skin contact is essential for … Continue reading →

Some Attention Needs to be Undivided

With three kids, one mom, two-plus jobs, and a multitude of other daily realities, there is not a lot of my attention that is clear and focused. While my kids have gotten used to sharing me and dealing with the constant juggling, I have also had to learn that I HAVE to settle down and pay attention to them without the distractions. Sometimes it still hurts their feelings if the phone rings during an impromptu heart-to-heart and they don’t always want to “go along” with me while I run errands in order to talk with me. As single parents, we … Continue reading →

Kids Who Won’t Let Go—LITERALLY!

So many of our kids go through that “clinging” stage—some of them pass through it more than once. We may chuckle and joke about it, but when you are the parent of a child who is constantly hanging off your leg, wants to be held, or physically stuck to you from morning until night, it can get stressful and impossible. You start to fantasize about something as simple as just going to the bathroom alone for 35 seconds… We try it all—sneaking away, trying to pawn them off on someone else, locking the bathroom door and listening to them scream—but … Continue reading →

When You Miss Your Kids

We often talk about how to cope with the demands of all the time constraints and responsibilities of single parenthood, but for many of us there are those times when our children are not with us. Whether we have to let them go for a weekend, a week or several months, dealing with the ache of missing our kids can be incredibly tough for a single parent… When I was first divorced, I found being away from my kids for more than a day to be extremely hard. I had spent so much time as the primary parent and my … Continue reading →

Swimming as a Parenting and Bonding Tool

We know that exercise is good for our kids, and we know that finding popular family activities can be hard work. What we might not consider, however, is that some “fun” activities can actually be great parenting tools and a great way to connect with our kids in intimate and learning ways. I happened to discover swimming was just that sort of activity when my kids were quite little. Who knew? I knew that swimming and playing in the water was incredibly popular and a great family activity, but in the year I first became a single parent and my … Continue reading →

Do Parents of Only Children Play with Their Children More?

My eldest daughter has a couple close friends who are only children—one of the topics that came up in the past was a discussion about whether or not only children got more “play time” with parents. I haven’t found any specific studies on this but thought it might make for an interesting conversation topic—I am wondering if those of us who have to split our time and attention between more than one child actually spend less time playing with our kids, or if the fact that siblings have each other to play with might influence them needing less parent play … Continue reading →

Focus on Shared Interests

Communicating with our children can be challenging–and not just for single parents either. As our lives get so full with responsibilities and activities, and our children grow and change, it can be tough to stay connected. Life can be hectic and having unlimited time to sit down and catch up just might not be happening. Focusing on keeping some shared interests alive can be one way that a single parent can stay connected with his or her children. If you are a non-custodial parent or do not get to see your children on a regular basis, you know how challenging … Continue reading →

Finding Ways to Connect Instead of Separate

Chances are, it can feel like your family is constantly heading in a dozen different directions. Once children get mobile and since most of us single parents have to work and take care of things outside the house too, it can seem like the forces of nature are working to keep us separated, not bring us together. When it comes to building a family (and that is how I think of it instead of just “having” a family), we have to put extra focus into ways to minimize the separation and maximize the connections. Connection does not have to mean … Continue reading →