In this episode: Janet responds to a parent who writes that her 3-year-old son has very strong opinions about her appearance, especially hair and clothing choices. He gets furious when she puts her hair up in a ponytail or bun, and if she defies him, it leads to “epic tantrums and standoffs.” This mom realizes … Continued
In this episode: Janet responds to an email from the parent of three kids (12, 9 and 3) who has just recently found Unruffled. She writes: “Your methods and insights have been truly freeing and a paradigm shift in experience for me.” She realizes now that her parenting style has included shaming, inconsistencies, and a … Continued
In this episode: A parent writes that she and her 2-year-old son recently moved in with relatives to escape domestic violence. She describes her son as “a very sweet, empathetic boy,” and says that he has formed good relationships with his relatives. Lately, however, his behavior towards them has changed. “He will punch, hit, and … Continued
In this episode: A parent writes that her 3-year-old has been having difficulties in playschool — hitting other kids, screaming, and not listening to the teacher. The behavior often continues at home, and this mom admits she “can’t manage to stay calm every time, so sometimes I yell too.” Her primary concern is that her … Continued
In this episode: Janet is joined by Susan Stiffelman in a lively conversation about setting limits, tantrums, what your children want versus what they need, emotional resilience, having compassion for yourself, and the positive effects your confident leadership has on children as they become teens and young adults. Susan is a best-selling parenting author (Parenting … Continued
“In the past few weeks, our three-year-old has become increasingly aggressive towards his one-year-old brother and us. He constantly wants our attention, and when he doesn’t get it, he does something aggressive or too rough. He receives a lot of one-on-one attention from both his father and me daily. When this happens we calmly tell … Continued
Losing at any game or competition whether it’s with a peer, a parent, or a sibling (“First to the car!”) can seem to cause heartbreak for some children. There may be several reasons for their intense reactions. A common one is our reflexive tendency to praise and celebrate our children when they win. Naturally, we … Continued
In this episode: A mom writes that she’s recently noticed her 2.5 year old avoids looking her in the eye — as if she’s ashamed. She’s worried that her stern lecturing and irritation when setting limits has damaged her daughter’s spirit, and she wants to know if it’s too late to make reparations. Transcript of … Continued
It can be so difficult to remain calm, open, and curious when our kids say alarming things. Hi Janet, We moved from one side of the state to the other approximately 4 months ago with our then 2-year-old (since turned 3). She has taken the move quite badly and still cries for her old friends. … Continued
In this episode: Janet responds to an email from a mom who says that lately she has found herself yelling at her 3-year-old, who’s been having a difficult time since the birth of her brother. She realizes that yelling is not helping her daughter, and it’s not the mother she wants to be. “I’ve really … Continued
I’m thinking about launching a campaign similar to Nike’s using their slug line, but instead of Just Do It, I’d advocate Just ‘Let Kids’ Do It. Letting kids do it whenever possible, when they want to, opens the door to self-expression and encourages creativity, originality, and innovation. Letting kids do it might sound simple and … Continued
In Your Self-Confident Baby, child specialist Magda Gerber shares the story of her transformative introduction to the respectful care approach of pediatrician Dr. Emmi Pikler: “One day my older daughter, Mayo, then six, was sick with a sore throat. Our regular pediatrician was ill so Mayo suggested I call a schoolmate’s mother who was a … Continued
In this episode: Janet engages child development expert Lisa Sunbury (regardingbaby.org) in a discussion about one of the most controversial, hot-button parenting topics — crying. Together they explore responses to crying that are respectful and healing and describe how adjusting our perception of crying can foster our children’s psychological health and emotional resilience.
