A Fine Parent

A Life Skills Blog Exclusively For Parents

How to Use Connected Parenting to Peacefully Eliminate Outbursts and Solve Problem Behaviors

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

Connected Parenting_main_82640241I am not going to do it and you can’t make me!!!

My youngest is now laying on the floor, screaming out a guttural cry of defiance like some kind of Scottish warrior in Braveheart. Laying next to him is the cause for all this yelling and crying – his violin.

He does NOT want to play his violin.

Not today. Not tomorrow. Not now. Not in 5 minutes. Not in an hour. Not. Ever.

“NEVEAHHHHHHHHHRRRRRR!” he shouts, writhing on the ground.

We have come to an impasse.

Because there is nothing I can do or say right now that is going to cajole him into playing his violin. No bribe in the world will be big enough, no promise I can make grand enough to get him up off the ground and happily practicing Go Tell Aunt Rhody.

Here are a few of the thoughts that crossed my mind during this episode:

  1. Oh my God!
  2. What is wrong with him?
  3. If he screams loud enough the windows are going to break.
  4. I wonder if the neighbors can hear this.
  5. Are they going to call CPS on me?
  6. How am I going to get him to practice?
  7. His lesson this week is going to be awful.
  8. Why is he doing this to me?

But is he doing this to me? Or am I doing this to him? Or are we doing this to each other? And what is this?

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How to Raise a Helpful Child

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

Helpful Child - Main“Bam!”  The door has just, yet again, shut in my face.

This is not a metaphor. The door literally just shut in my face.

I was out with my children. And, as kids usually do, my son ran ahead, eager to lead the way. But, just as quickly as he barged through a door ahead of us, he hardly glanced back as he let the door shut in my face.

We’ve all been through it.

We bristle and wonder how we’re managing to raise our children to be so thoughtless and rude. To become the very type of person we don’t want them to be.

We want our children to demonstrate empathy for others. We want our kids to be the light of helpfulness in a world that sometimes feels dark with selfishness. But how do we do that?

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100+ Popular Gifts for Infants and Toddlers (Ages 0 – 3 Years Old)

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(This article is part of the Gift Guides series. Get free article updates here.)

Buying gifts for my kids, nieces, nephews and my kids’ friends is something I both love absolutely and dread fiercely…

My problem is, I get sucked into hopping from one popular toy to another and looking at the reviews forever.

If you don’t want to go down that path this holiday season, we’ve done the work for you!

Here are the most popular gifts for your little ones, their friends, nieces, nephews, grandkids and more.

And the best part?

They are all from Amazon, they all have a 4+ rating from tons of reviews and most are available through Prime shipping, so even if you are shopping at the very last minute, you might still be able to get them in time!

Many of these I gave to my own children. A lot of them I specifically picked because we use them in the toddler room at my Montessori Preschool (the ones for ages 3+ are used with supervision). Some of these are “classic” enough that you may have played with them when you were a toddler!
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100+ Popular Gifts for Preschoolers (Ages 3 – 5 Years Old)

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(This article is part of the Gift Guides series. Get free article updates here.)

gift guide preschoolersI don’t know about you, but it seems like lately I spend half my time searching Amazon for the perfect gift for my kids, or nieces and nephews, or my kids’ friends. It is enjoyable, but I have one major problem.

My problem is, I get sucked into hopping from one popular toy to another and looking at the reviews forever.

Suddenly two hours are gone from my day and I still don’t know what to buy.

So we at AFineParent.com decided to do the work for you!

Here is a list of the most popular gifts for your little ones, their friends, nieces, nephews, grandkids and more.

And the best part?

They are all from Amazon, they all have a 4+ rating from tons of reviews and most are available through Prime shipping, so even if you are shopping at the very last minute, you might still be able to get them in time!

Many of these I gave to my own children. A lot of them I specifically picked because we use them in the primary class of my Montessori preschool. Some of these are “classic” enough that you may have played with them when you were little!

[Read more…]

100+ Popular Gifts for Elementary School Kids (Ages 6 – 11 Years Old)

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(This article is part of the Gift Guides series. Get free article updates here.)

gift guide elementary schoolersThere are so many toys out there.

So. Many.

So just how do you know that this toy is the right toy for your beloved little son, daughter, niece, nephew, cousin, godchild, or grandchild?

Because we’ve done the work for you!

And the best part?

All these toys are from Amazon, they all have a 4+ rating from tons of reviews and most are available through Prime shipping, so even if you are shopping at the very last minute, you might still be able to get them in time!

Many of these I gave to my own children. Some of these are “classic” enough that you may have played with them when you were a kid!

[Read more…]