Parenting Archives

6 Benefits of Reading to Your Children: The Power of Story Time

Do you read to your children? Why do so many experts recommend this shared experience? Reading benefits adults and children alike. But, there’s something particularly special about a parent reading to their child. In addition to the obvious bonding it cultivates, reading to your children helps them develop cognition, emotions, and skills. It also sparks imagination, creativity, and a love of learning. Keep reading to discover the profound benefits of reading to your children that will serve them throughout their lives.

5 Qualities of a Good Parent That Help Children Grow

What do all outstanding parents have in common? What qualities of a good parent are essential for children’s development? If you’re a new parent, you might feel terrified that you’re going to fail your child. Making mistakes is part of the process, but, if you possess these five qualities, then your child will be more likely to grow up healthy and happy. Let’s look at the five qualities of a good parent and how to exhibit them in your everyday life.

This New Nonprescription Birth Control Pill Is a Game Changer

Why are nonprescription birth control pills so important? How much will they cost? What do anti-abortion groups think about the decision? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a nonprescription birth control pill for the first time. This is a huge deal, especially in a post-Roe v. Wade country where abortion access is restricted in many states. Continue reading to learn about this OTC birth control pill, the impact it will have, and how much it might cost.

How to Use Empathetic Parenting to Meet 3 Big Challenges

Do your children ever throw tantrums? Do they fight with each other? Are they scared or anxious sometimes? Dr. Becky Kennedy discusses the importance of empathy in parenting in her book Good Inside. She identifies common parenting challenges and explains how you can use empathy as a tool to deal with tantrums, sibling rivalry, and kids who are fearful, anxious, or crying. Keep reading to understand the power of empathetic parenting and how you can use this practical tool with your children.

How to Get Your Kids to Listen: 3 Tools to Elicit Cooperation

Do your kids ignore you when you tell them to do something? Do they talk back or attempt to negotiate? Clinical psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy is also a mother of three, so she knows the struggle. She recommends using connection, validation, and playfulness to make your interactions less confrontational and more effective. Continue reading to learn how to get your kids to listen with these three tools.

Parenting Siblings: 3 Tools to Help Them Manage Their Emotions

Should you allow your children to complain about each other? How can you minimize sibling rivalry among your kids? When should you intervene in their fights? Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist. She’s also a mother of three, so she knows all about sibling dynamics and the special challenges they can bring. In Good Inside, Dr. Becky shares three tools you can use to help your children navigate the emotions involved in sibling relationships. Keep reading for Kennedy’s advice for parenting siblings.

How to Handle an Anxious Child: Address Their Vulnerability

How do kids express vulnerability? Why do some children pretend to cry? Most parenting advice sees children’s behavior as a problem to be fixed through time-outs, rewards, and serious conversations. But, Dr. Becky Kennedy argues that these strategies jeopardize your connection with your children. That’s a high price to pay for band-aid strategies. Read more to learn how to handle an anxious child by addressing the real issue behind their anxieties, fears, and tears.

How to Support a Shy Child: It’s Not About Confidence

Do you have a child who’s hesitant in social situations? What’s the best way to encourage them? In her book Good Inside, clinical psychologist and parent Dr. Becky Kennedy contends that hesitancy in a child isn’t about confidence. In fact, she argues, a shy child knows who they are and what makes them comfortable or uncomfortable. Keep reading to learn how social hesitancy is more about comfort than confidence and how this understanding can help you provide a shy child with the kind of support they need.

Have a Frustrated Child? How to Build Their Frustration Tolerance

Is your child easily frustrated with themselves? Do they have perfectionistic tendencies? Parenting is hard. That doesn’t mean that you’re a bad parent or that you have a bad kid. Dr. Becky Kennedy provides strategies that help you get to the root of your child’s behaviors so that you can effect lasting change while keeping your relationship positive. Here’s her advice for building up frustration tolerance in an easily-frustrated child.

“My Child Won’t Eat”: How to Foster Bodily Autonomy in Kids

Have you ever said, “My child won’t eat”? Is the dinner table a battlefield in your house? Bodily autonomy enables a child to say “no” when they don’t feel comfortable with something. That can be incredibly important when a threat is real. It also can be incredibly frustrating if they’re exercising bodily autonomy when they don’t want to eat Brussels sprouts. Keep reading to learn how to deal with a child who doesn’t want to eat and how to encourage bodily autonomy in the right ways at the right times.