By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of Gentle Baby Care My baby is only happy when I’m within arm’s reach. If I dare to leave the room, she cries as if I’ve left the country! I can’t even so much as take a shower these days, let alone leave the house without her. My mother-in-law says it’s Read More
Category: Child Development
Setting Limits
Rules are a part of life for all of us-children and adults. We need rules in order for society to function. Rules of safety and values are embedded into our daily lives. Rules that set limits can help make children safe. Of course, this is only true if there are responsible adults who follow through Read More
Self Esteem
Self-esteem has to do with how we feel about ourselves. High self-esteem can make it easier for children to face life struggles and perform better in groups than children with low self-esteem. But sometimes our efforts to improve children’s self-esteem simply cause excessive pride, and/or empty pride (pride in oneself that is not backed up Read More
Self Control
Self-control is sometimes described as the ability to limit one’s impulses in the absence of an authority figure. It is often related to one’s developing sense of ethics and values. For example: A 10-year-old child is in a store and sees a pack of gum. They want that pack of gum, but don’t have any Read More
Scripted Play
If you have children who are old enough to be verbal, you may have noticed a certain kind of play that is often referred to as “scripted play”. In this type of play, children primarily “parrot” dialogue and action that they have witnessed on television. There is no creativity, no problem solving and often the Read More
Child Development
Child development can be described as how a child grows from infancy into adulthood. Usually this takes place through a predictable sequence of steps (or milestones). As your child develops, changes occur in their bodies and their brains. Development is often categorized into 4-5 “areas” that look something like this: Social development refers to how Read More