Tag Archives: limit setting

Getting Up After Going to Bed

Bed time can be a challenge and we often talk here in the Parents’ blog about different ways to make a bedtime routine workable and make bedtime go more smoothly. One of the topics we haven’t really covered is what to do when a child starts getting up after going to bed. When you’ve done everything you can think of to create a consistent bedtime routine and the child pops up after being tucked in or comes up with a dozen reasons to get back out of bed once you’ve got her in there—what can you do? So, what is … Continue reading →

Grandparents who are Just Too Much

How can you actually have too much of a good thing? And, aren’t grandparents a truly good thing in our child’s life? For parents who have to deal with unsolicited advice, over-available grandparents, intervention and interruptions and other overly-involved grandparents, too much of a good thing can just be too much! I do not know how many times I have listened as a parent complained about an overbearing grandparent—one who is stopping by or calling continuously or butting in and offering advice and criticism. Some grandparents even go so far as to take children out for hair cuts, buy them … Continue reading →

Does it Really Matter Who Started It?

The other day I witnessed a father in the department store separating two young bickering siblings. He started his parental intervention with “Who started this?” I couldn’t help but think back to my early days of parenting toddlers and remembering that it did not take long before I gave up on trying to get two or three young ones to reason with me and try figuring out how things got out of control. It could take hours to hear each child’s side or version of the story and try to figure out what really happened. I soon learned that I … Continue reading →

When Should You Yield?

I can be as stubborn as the next guy. As a matter of fact, in my younger days, I could hold fast, hold a grudge, or out-last just about anyone. After two decades of parenting, however, I have learned more about “letting go” than I ever dreamed in those stubborn younger days. Figuring out when to stand firm and when to yield is the common lesson and condition of the average parent… I think there is a difference between giving in and letting children get away with something and deciding NOT to make a big deal out of choices and … Continue reading →

Changing Rules and Expectations–Expect Initial Resistance

When there is a problem with your child that needs addressing, or a phase that pops up that you need to deal with as a parent, it may seem like just figuring out what to do is the hard part. I think, however, that the hardest part is those first few days of balking and resistance that come from the child! Just because you have come up with a grand and logical solution, doesn’t mean that the child will be thrilled to welcome the limits and boundaries. As a parent, you should expect that the first couple days will be … Continue reading →

Adoptive Parents Need To Set Clear Limits From Day One.

When a child is placed in a new home with new parents everyone’s world changes and the whole family faces a period of adjustment. Adoptive parents are happy, excited and ready to work on all the things we have learned will help our children attach and become secure. The child however, may be feeling a variety of mixed emotions and may have left a life with very different expectations and limits for behavior. Typically, there is a period of time where everyone is getting to know each other, children generally have a honeymoon period and adoptive parents should enjoy this … Continue reading →