Magical Moments

The Wikipedia Thesaurus defines FRUSTRATION as the feeling/ emotional reaction that accompanies an experience where attaining one’s goals seems impossible. It goes on to say that frustration may cause the individual to feel dissatisfied, aggressive, or even as if he/she is locked within a cage.

And so, we can see that there are varying degrees of frustration, from feeling mildly dissatisfied to excessively thwarted. Like me, are you asking yourself, who feels what? Are babies and children capable of such strong reactions when needs are ignored? Or, are those extremes just typical for adults?

To answer that question, let’s . . . → Read More: Frustration

It seems unbelievable that Thanksgiving, 2011 will be here in a few weeks! As I prepare my “to do” list, I am also thinking about the people in my life, my happiness, fears, disappointments, and pleasures as well as those loved ones who have passed and are missed each and every day.

To my family, friends, coworkers, and fellow zumba dancers, I thank you for the joy that you bring to my life, to the help that you have offered, for your laughter and friendship and of course for your continued empathy and understanding.

I thank the children who . . . → Read More: Giving Thanks

As we know, language provides our children with the ability to communicate needs, wants, feelings, dreams, and fears, but, it also gives them the opportunity to heal, empathize and/or atone for misdeeds, disrespectful behaviors, and/or lack of kindness. So, how do we teach our kids the power in the three little words, ‘I am sorry’? Some adults feel that by forcing little ones to say the words, it automatically excuses transgressions and makes everything ok. Other adults seem to feel that a punishment for an action against another person is a substitute for an apology. However, if we are . . . → Read More: I Am Sorry

The other day, I was listening to a group of young women discuss the intensity of both their own and their children’s lives. As I was listening, I was reflecting back to when my own kids were young. The chaos of those years seems so real to me that I was able to empathize with these women’s busy schedules and balancing acts. I felt out of breath and exhausted just remembering when my own girls, Nicole and Jamie were attending school, religious instruction, practicing for sports, playing in games, completing homework, studying for tests, attending or hosting play dates . . . → Read More: Family Time

In a few days, our country will be honoring the lives of those who died on 9/11, those who magically survived the attack, and those heroes who selflessly worked to rescue survivors and uncover bodies that were buried under debris. Now, how do we communicate these horrors without scaring or scarring our children? The answer is to provide information that is appropriate for your child’s age. For instance, for little ones, you may want to show pictures and read stories about how soldiers, firefighters, and police officers keep us safe. It is also a great idea to remind your . . . → Read More: Remembering 9/11

Patience is defined as the ability or capacity to accept delay without feeling angry or agitated. In the Old Testament, it is said that Rachel, Jacob’s wife, chose to be buried along the side of the road instead of within the Tomb of the Patriarchs. She chose this final resting place so that she would be in a position to comfort and cheer her people as they returned to the Promised Land and to freedom. � It is said that she patiently waited 1000 years in order to be available to the weary travelers. The New Testament states that . . . → Read More: Patience

During the past year and especially during the past month, my mom, our family’s anchor, has been battling to survive a horrific and painful infection that has invaded the bones of her back while battling the evils of breast cancer. The pain she has endured coupled with her dependence on nurses and doctors for relief and for help has demoralized and frightened her. And so, my brave mom has prayed to die so that she could end her horror and save us, her family, from changing our schedules in order to spend time with her. It sounds crazy, but . . . → Read More: My Mom

Many of the definitions for the word apprehension include feelings of fear, dealings of dread, and the anticipation of adversity. In contrast, the definitions for anticipation seem to include emotions dealing with the expectation of something delightful, a feeling of looking forward to something with pleasure. Ah, two such seemingly similar words with diverse meanings.

While discussing an upcoming event, trip, exam ,or play date with your children, do you give them the opportunity to tell you what they are thinking and /or feeling? Or, do you, as the adult, just assume that the event is going to be . . . → Read More: Apprehension vs Anticipation

I believe that each of us comes to this world with a particular set of genes and then, depending upon the environment, one will either reach is/her fullest potential or will not. In other words, those given genes or heredity have the ability to develop when nurtured or lose potency and potential when ignored and/or abused. In order to facilitate development and promote healthy social relationships, researchers are imploring parents and caretakers to provide little ones with an environment that is safe, consistent, respectful, stimulating and loving. Adults should be cognizant that physical, emotional, and social needs of children . . . → Read More: Children’s Needs

I had the wonderful opportunity to do a presentation on early brain development on Saturday. There were 80 early childhood professionals participating in this training. It was a -20 wind chill Saturday morning. Even though it was a extremely cold week-end morning, these very dedicated early education providers attended this workshop to learn how they can do even more to support the optimal development of children!

Their commitment initiated my desire to reiterate how critically important it is for us to support, recognize and fund quality early childcare. We need to do ALL we can to ensure every adult . . . → Read More: Children Need the Understanding of Adults