A Fine Parent

A Life Skills Blog Exclusively For Parents

About Michèle Gamzo

Michèle is a New York based mother, wife, and bilingual speech language pathologist who enjoys working with school-aged children. She is passionate about living a healthy and natural lifestyle. She also enjoys connecting with other parents regarding child rearing and learning how to effectively encourage children to reach their fullest potential. For inquiries she may be reached at smgamzo @ gmail . com.

How to Instill a Love of Reading in Your Kids

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(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

How to Instill a Love of Reading in Your Kids - MainDo you feel your kids need a break from their iPads and other devices that seem to buzz and click all the time?

Do you think their attention span could be better?

British neuroscientist Susan Greenfield is one of the many researchers who’ve unveiled some frightening and disturbing findings about devices and children’s attention spans. As part of the study, UK teachers were surveyed, and 91% of teachers believe that children’s attention spans are getting shorter as most children choose to spend time on their devices rather than reading.

As a busy mom (as we all are), I often don’t prioritize reading time with my kids. As a speech pathologist, I know better and am frequently asking myself to prioritize that special time with my children.

As I was going holiday shopping last year, I saw something absolutely astonishing at the department store. There, sitting on the ground among the heaps of clothing, shoes, and angst-ridden, busy shoppers, was a little boy quietly reading! I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was so focused and engrossed in his book, he didn’t even look up to notice my gawkish stares. I quickly pulled my sister over to see, and she was also stunned. I felt like I was watching some extraordinary and rare behavior on the Discovery Channel. [Read more…]

10 Essential Non-Verbal Communication Skills That Will Make You a Better Parent

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(This article is part of the Be Positive series. Get free article updates here.)

Non Verbal Communication Skills - Main PosterEver wonder when your little ones will finally follow directions?

Do you want to encourage your children to respond positively to what you say?

And how can you make them better listeners?

Even more so, how can you positively affect their communication skills?

As parents, we spend much time speaking and instructing our kids. Yet, how many of us have thought about the nonverbal ways we communicate with our children?

Eye rolls, smiles, arms crossed, shoulders hunched.

Nonverbal communication can have long-lasting effects on how they listen, behave, process information, and speak to others.  It also impacts their attitudes towards us parents and it affects how others see them.

Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of Silent Messages, performed several studies on nonverbal language. He found that body language is a major aspect of communication. Who knew our physical mannerisms could speak such loud volumes?

Nonverbal communication may have serious effects on how well-liked a child becomes, and the types of opportunities offered to them in the future.

Bottom line: it can make them or break them.

As a mother of two and a speech-language pathologist, I’ve had to address this issue in a variety of ways.  My little boy, a toddler, responds much better to my ‘messages’ when I take a moment to alter my gestures in a way that he will be receptive and willing to hear me out.

[Read more…]