Blog
April 03, 2011
What do you say when your child says, "No!"? Practical and immediate ways to dissolve parent/child power struggles are available through Compassionate Communication, AKA Nonviolent Communication, or NVC. There is a way to hear the “yes” underneath the “No!” and let the “No!” lead to a more satisfying connection and relationship.
Marshall Rosenberg developed the heart-centered compassionate communication process that has been used successfully between parents and children, couples, gangs, religious parties, and even many war-torn countries. Relationships improve through understanding. His book, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life shares his compassionate communication methods through his experiences, as told in easy-to-read, clear stories that are sometimes funny, sometimes touching, and mostly amazing in their successful resolutions.
“Words are windows or they’re walls, they sentence us or set us free...” These are the words sung by Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., in “The Basics
April 03, 2011
"Are you mother’s little baby?…… Are yooouuu mother’s little baby?…… … Aaaare yooouuuu mother’s liiiiittle baaaaby?……"
A mother is conversing with her little baby. She speaks with a high-pitched voice and her facial expressions are exaggerated, both in duration and in style. The baby is not yet sufficiently developed to respond in words to the mother’s repetitive and enthusiastic question, but somehow the mother perceives the baby to be fully capable of taking part in the conversation and she feels encouraged to go on.
Those of us witnessing the “conversation” notice the joy and sheer fun emanating from the duo. We intuitively sense their mutual love and find it sweet. According to research described in the classic child development book “The First Relationship – Infant and Mother,” by pre-eminent psychologist, Daniel Stern, and according to a host of others, the vital role in baby brain development in these innocent play episodes is confirmed.
These common “conversations” between
April 03, 2011
GIRAFFE JUICE: The Magic of Making Life Wonderful
By JP Allen & Marci Winters
Illustrated by Tamara LaPorte
(2009; Follow Your Joy Press; Hawaii, 136 pgs.)
This is a treasure of a book for children and adults, too. Giraffe Juice invites us to experience an adventure story rooted in a game called “Making Life Wonderful.” Eva, a harmonica and guitar-playing 13-year-old girl, and her two school friends, are guided by one very supportive talking giraffe, Marvel. Together, their trials and successes show the practical and miraculous gifts of Compassionate Communication.
Their strategy is in using the magic of “The Making Life Wonderful” Game. The 4 simple steps of Compassionate Communication, AKA Nonviolent Communication (NVC), are carefully and thoughtfully illuminated, woven into a story about how children and adults can learn to get along very well.
These are the 4 steps suggested for communicating with your children to
April 03, 2011
Protein is a vital key to a sharp, clear-thinking brain, and a strong, well-fueled body. Here we discover the ease of grabbing something delicious as well as nourishing, with our bare hands. These beautifully browned muffins are full of protein, alkalizing green veggies that detoxify the liver, and onions, which feed probiotics; the good bacteria that fuel optimal digestion in the intestines. Onions also have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial properties, and can lower blood sugar. These hearty muffins have been tested by family and friends, proving what every parent will love: Starting the morning with Claire’s Eggs & Bacon Flourless Muffins, we can move easily into our fullest day with confidence, enjoying stable blood sugar that will last for many productive and playful hours.
Step-by-Baby-Step: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Makes 24 small muffins)
Preparation time: Approx. 1 hour = 35 mins. prep., plus cooking time: 11-15 mins.
April 03, 2011
You knew your baby would cry. But did you know how frustrating crying can become? What do you do when you have tried everything you could think of to comfort him and nothing worked? A crying baby can be frustrating but no one thinks they will shake their infant. Research confirms what Marilyn Barr, Founder and Executive Director of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, says, “Frustration with a baby’s crying is the number one trigger for shaking, and the stress of handling a crying baby can seem overwhelming.” Hospitals and organizations nationwide are responding by educating parents about the period of “purple” crying, a stage when normal, perfectly healthy babies can cry for five hours a day or more. Babies sometimes need to cry even when nothing is wrong since crying is the only way they have to tell you if they are hungry, sad, or uncomfortable. Some parents will automatically interpret the sound of the cry and know what to do. But they, too, can be overwhelmed during a sleepless
April 03, 2011
Imagine that you are alone in a foreign country, with no understanding of the primary language. Without technology or books to guide you, you must navigate your way through this world. Hungry? Need a place to sleep? Where is the train? After many frustrating encounters, you might finally try using your hands to communicate.
Babies and toddlers live in this world every day – they have needs that they cannot verbally express. No wonder they have tantrums! Sign language can help ease this transition from non-verbal to verbal, and, some assert, even increase the speed of language acquisition and spatial reasoning development in toddlers. As long as signing is used in conjunction with speech, it can serve to enhance a baby’s understanding of language. Once the baby can sign back, two-way communication is possible. Parents can speak as they sign (“Yes, that IS a yellow car. Did you hear it?”), and the baby learns to associate signs with words and sounds.
Many parents choose to teach only
March 04, 2011
Yes, that’s it. The parenting tip we can all celebrate: “Simplify, simplify, simplify,” is sage wisdom from visionary architect, Nader Khalili.
A Comforting To-Do List
Imagine your list beginning with “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” Repeating these words consistently brings order to any list of things to do. No matter what crowds the brain demanding a brilliant solution by noon; no matter how many errands are required before the evening traffic rush home, these 3 words always calm and clarify the next simple baby step to take.
Healthy Child’s 2011 calendar is chock full of ways to simplify and amplify your family’s wellbeing. Topics include: “Growing Your Own Food” in May, “Potty Training” in July, and how to enjoy a “Green Halloween” and giving “Green Gifts” for the holidays. These are just a few of their weekly Twitter party offerings. Healthy Child is also advocating for The Safe Chemical Act, creating new safer policies for our children in our legal system. (healthychild.org)
March 03, 2011
For nearly 20 years, Healthy Child Healthy World has selectively collaborated with groups and companies that focus on reducing and eliminating chemical exposure in home products, furnishings, personal care products, and food. In doing so, the organization supports protective policies, and engages the public to take action in their personal lives by making greener, cleaner, and safer choices in simple but meaningful ways. It is a national, non- profit 501c organization headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and distinguished group of advisors and is strengthened by community and corporate partners. (healthychild.org)
Transmuting Tragedy into Positive Change
“The greatest tragedy is for a parent to bury a child. It’s not natural.” I’ve heard this said repeatedly throughout my life. Just as often, I’ve witnessed the flow of profound love combined with grief, caused by such losses, transmuted and redirected
March 03, 2011
A quote from Healthy Child, Healthy World encapsulating the book’s message to all families:
“Our design assignment at this moment in our history could, perhaps, be summed up thus: Make a world where we love all the children of all species for all time. If that were the plan, then we’d have no choice but to create a world that is delightfully diverse, economically equitable, ecologically sound, elegant and enjoyable.”
~William McDonough
Healthy Child has been a voice for children’s wellbeing for over 20 years. Their journey to educate parents on establishing a nontoxic environment for their babies and children began with this excellent volume on solution orientation, Healthy Child Healthy World, Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home. This is somewhat of a miniature encyclopedia condensed into one lightweight, easy-to-read, comprehensive reference guide for parents. Author, new father, and passionate advocate,
March 03, 2011
According to Stuart Levy of Tufts University School of Medicine, by contributing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers are contributing to a list of dangers, including resistance to antibiotics. Other concerns come from a prevalent active ingredient commonly found in antibacterial hand sanitizers, a chemical called triclosan. Evidence of triclosan disrupting the endocrine system and altering hormone regulation has been established through scientific studies using animals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
With these concerns, people are beginning to wonder what’s worse, the germs or the chemicals we use to kill them?
Janelle Sorensen, Chief Communications Officer for Healthy Child offers this: “We've evolved over millions of years alongside germs and microbes to the point that most germs and microbes are now either beneficial or benign to us. In fact, according to Scientific