Tag Archives: sensitivity

Getting Kids to Talk About Things when They don’t Want to

There are times when our children desperately need to talk to us but they simply will not open up. As a concerned parent, we wonder whether we should badger and push them to talk to us, or respect their privacy and trust that they will talk to us when they are ready. Of course it depends on the child, but I think that we parents can develop skills and behaviors that can help our children to talk to us about those subjects and topics that are tough. I like to think of myself as a decent communicator and an open … Continue reading →

Mother’s Day is Hard

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Mother’s Day is hard. It is hard for those whose family is far away and cannot get to visit. Hard for those who are estranged from their mother. Or for the mother estranged from her children for whatever reason. Hard for those who wanted children and were unable to have them. Hard for those who have a difficult relationship with their mother. Hard for those who’s mother has died or is in the process of dying. My Mom died 28 years ago, yet I still find certain times hard. Mother’s Day is one of them. When my Mom was alive … Continue reading →

Using and Modeling Some Sensitivity

When it comes to single parent families, we do not always see our families reflected back at us from the media, our children’s school books and papers, or from things that other people say about “family.” While our society seems to be getting more single-parent family-friendly, our kids can still face some insensitivity around their own family scene. As parents and adults, we can use sensitivity ourselves and model it for others. Sensitivity means that we acknowledge and expect that not everyone has a two-parents in the home sort of family. For kids who have “different” families, even ordinary and … Continue reading →

You Can Still Be Sensitive

If we only pay attention to the stereotypes in mass media and stories, we might think that in order to a successful business person, one has to be tough, rigid and stoic all the time. That is not necessarily the case, however, and sensitivity can be a helpful personality trait to cultivate. Think of some of the best leaders and inspirational people you know or have known in your career; even times when you have received exemplary customer service–chances are those people had well-developed veins of sensitivity rippling through them. Being sensitive to people, issues, problems, etc. is actually a … Continue reading →

Adoptive Parenting Traits, Part 5

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This blog is number five in my series discussing the ideal traits that an adoptive parent will have to successfully adopt a special needs child. The individual will have compassion and sensitivity for the inconsistent emotions and sentiments of their adopted child. Sometimes an adopted child will say things that do not make sense from your perspective. Our oldest is the only one of our five boys who even knew their birth mother. The lady who was taking care of them when the state took custody of them was telling him that she was their mother and Lola was merely … Continue reading →

Watch What You Say

When it comes to the issue of obesity in our world, there is a lot of focus currently on childhood obesity. Parents are deluged with warnings about letting your child overeat, not telling them to clear their plate, take away all their sweets and shoving them out the door to make them more active. Unfortunately, we’re not being told what to say to our children. My five-year-old daughter came home from school two days ago and told me she wasn’t going to have chocolate anymore. I looked at her oddly, this pronouncement being somewhat odd from the five-year-old. I asked … Continue reading →