Intentional Basics
6 Things the Happiest Families Have in Common: Well, we could squabble about this list, but I found it interesting and a great reminder about the importance of respectful communication, and playing and eating together! Most interesting: passing on a family history children.
Empathy
Tweens: How Their Passions Change: A great article from Dr. Jennifer Powell-Lunder explaining how a tween’s (ages 10-12) passions begin to narrow as she matures.
Gentle Discipline
Silent Signals: Jane Nelsen explains the concept of “silent signals” — a positive, gentle way to deal with a child who interrupts you. I do this in my own home but didn’t know it had an official name!
Kind but Firm: Another great post from Jane Nelsen about the importance of being both kind AND firm and the potential harm that results when possess only one of those qualities in our parenting. I appreciated her insights about parents who are opposites — when one is kind but not firm, and the other is firm but not kind enough.