Learning to give him his space

6 September 2009 Tending the relationship
Thumbnail image for Learning to give him his space

After recovering from the blacklisting I experienced from my son last weekend I thought that we might be onto something. Coincidentally while reading How Children Learn by John Holt, the author outlines some situations similar to the one that we had happen.
It was becoming clear to us that our son needed to feel that his [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

My son thinks I’m Michelangelo’s David… and Homer Simpson

30 August 2009 Random

For posterity and humor, I thought it would be worth posting this.
We have some images rotating on a few computers in our house and sometimes the photos from our holiday to Florence come on-screen. At some point an image of David came up and Alex, my son, pointed at the screen and said Papa. Certainly [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Papa No! Blacklisted by my own son

29 August 2009 Tending the relationship
Thumbnail image for Papa No! Blacklisted by my own son

So my wife has been sick for the last few days and I took some time away from work to be with my son. We had a blast heading out on his bike to the post office, several different parks and spending some time watching an excavator clean out part of a street they are [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Spending time in the toy store to gauge skill levels and interests

27 August 2009 Random
Thumbnail image for Spending time in the toy store to gauge skill levels and interests

Okay, I’ll admit it: at first taking my son to a toy store seemed like a great way to engage him for a few hours one day when it was way too hot to be outside and my wife needed some downtime.
What I discovered in doing this was that taking him to a toy store [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Fear: a peek into my son’s fear

26 August 2009 In their shoes
Thumbnail image for Fear: a peek into my son’s fear

Yesterday morning I was up early, did some work, walked the dog and prepared some food to take my son to the park for our morning time together.
When we arrived we did the usual feed-him-the-grapes-on-the-swing thing, after which he played around on a few other pieces of park furniture before setting on a thing that [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Letting go: knowing when to mind your own business

20 August 2009 In their shoes
Thumbnail image for Letting go: knowing when to mind your own business

My wife and I spend a lot of time with our son. Strange, I know. Not only are we (or one of us) always with him, but we are always with him; engaged with him, not listening to our ipod while he plays or we walk in the park, not trying to do something else [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Permission Parenting: getting the thumbs up before taking action

17 August 2009 Tending the relationship
Thumbnail image for Permission Parenting: getting the thumbs up before taking action

So I did it again today. I took action that involved my son without communicating with him first. In this case I should have seeked his permission before taking action. Luckily I didn’t get in trouble for it.
We have in our living room the ubiquitous Ikea table (see image) where we spend time during the [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Breast feeding baby to sleep: changing the pattern

16 August 2009 Random
Thumbnail image for Breast feeding baby to sleep: changing the pattern

So for almost two years now we’ve used breast feeding to help get our little guy to sleep. Some recent reading, including the Aware Baby, has taught us that our little guy may be using the nightly feedings for not only comfort to get to sleep but also to help repress pent up emotions from [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Tending the relationship when trying to cut a toddlers fingernails

13 August 2009 Tending the relationship
Thumbnail image for Tending the relationship when trying to cut a toddlers fingernails

On the heels of The Haircut: Toddlers and Barbers don’t Mix, a post about something similar: nail clipping!
It turns out many babies and toddlers do not enjoy nail clipping either, and my wife and I have suspicions that it may be linked to the fear of the why are you removing part of me? kind [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

The Haircut: Toddlers and Barbers don’t Mix

12 August 2009 In their shoes
Thumbnail image for The Haircut: Toddlers and Barbers don’t Mix

(Don’t miss the update at the end of this article)
Our son has had two haircuts. The first time he was about a year old and sadly the experience didn’t go well. He had already been to the barbers – conveniently located right next door – with me as I had my hair cut and so [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Let them know what is happening II

11 August 2009 In their shoes

The other day in Let Them Know What is Happening I wrote about how I left the house for a quick trip outside without telling my son who was sitting on his bike near the front door. As I left I heard through the door as he called   “Papa!” and thought that I should have [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Put yourself in their shoes

10 August 2009 In their shoes
Thumbnail image for Put yourself in their shoes

The seed for this idea comes from my wife, and last night I had an aha! moment that really pulled things together.
My son and I often take a soccer ball sized plastic ball to the park with us. He kicks it around and I follow in front and stop it for him because he often [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

The secret to teaching your big-bad-wolf bubble-blowing-child how to blow a bubble

9 August 2009 Random
Thumbnail image for The secret to teaching your big-bad-wolf bubble-blowing-child how to blow a bubble

We’re in the park today and Alex asks to blow bubbles; always a favorite (for the last week or so ).
So we find a spot, sit down and pull out the Hello Kitty bubble thing they sell at the local bakery. I ask if its okay for me to hold the bottle and he [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Let them know what is happening

9 August 2009 Tending the relationship

Yesterday we had some friends and my in-laws over helping us move some stuff upstairs and finish off some work we have recently had done on the house. Things were busy and I had to go down to one of the local restaurants to order a paella for lunch.
My son was waiting at the door [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

Hey son, lets go and {do something}!

7 August 2009 Tending the relationship
Thumbnail image for Hey son, lets go and {do something}!

My wife and I have set up our days such that, after an early rise to get ahead on work and some household things in motion, I have the pleasure of spending an hour and a half every morning with my son before getting down to work for the day. Needless to say I am [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

Aware Parenting – Chapter One

4 August 2009 Books

The first chapter opens with a discussion on prenatal stimulation, outlining some of the development and cognitive benefits and stresses the following:
The goal should be to establish a loving relationship with your child, not to produce a “super baby”
She outlines how prenatal stimulation, touching the baby thru the mothers tummy, telling it stories, singing etc. [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

The Aware Baby

4 August 2009 Books

One of my first tasks as I dive into my education as a father is to get up to speed with what my wife has been learning in the last two years. While we read many of the baby books together, the latest stack has more to do with the toddler infant stage and the [...]

2 comments Read the full article →