Did you know that there is an online “Terrible Two’s” calculator?

You have 652 days – 4 hours – 41 minutes – and 9 seconds until your child is out of the terrible twos phase.

I find it so disturbing that we talk about children in this way.  I’m sure most parents don’t mean it with any malice but words are more powerful than we sometimes give them credit for.  If we talk about something as “terrible” and we are counting down the days until it is over how can we honestly… Continue reading Terrific Toddlers; Tantrums and All

A no-no environment or a YES environment?

This week we’ve talked about what what gentle discipline is, how to choose joy in parenting, and reasons not to spank.  Today we are talking about creating a “yes” environment.

Before I had kids I thought child-proofing your house was such a stupid idea.  I mean kids die every year from drowning in the toilet[1. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml02/02169.html]!  I always thought outlet covers were just an excuse to be a lazy parent.  Now, I feel quite… Continue reading Creating a "Yes" Environment

Today’s feature posts cover a hot topic in gentle discipline – the choice not to spank.  I’ve talked before about some of the scientific research against spanking. There are a lot of logical arguments that could be made but I think these writers captured a much more subjective and emotional view of this choice.

50′s Childhood

Connie, is a guest poster here at the Baby Dust Diaries who also happens to be my mother.  It wasn’t until she was 56 in the office of a therapist (for cardiac rehab after my Dad’s surgery) that she learned the impact… Continue reading Choosing Not to Spank

This post is written for inclusion in the Carnival of Gentle Discipline hosted by Paige @ Baby Dust Diaries. All week, April 26-30, we will be featuring essays about non-punitive discipline. See the bottom of this post for more information.
This is a guest post written by Connie.  If you are a reader of my blog you’ll see her post comments as Mom – that’s because…she’s my mom!  I found her submission for the carnival (her first since she isn’t a blogger) to be very moving.  Enjoy.

When I was around 3 years old… Continue reading 50's Childhood

Welcome to day 2 of the Carnival of Gentle Discipline.  I hope you got a chance to read the wonderful articles yesterday about the basics of Gentle Discipline.  Today we are going to look at one of the pitfalls that can trip parents up and how to make a different choice that will change your outlook!

Expectation and Intentions

Two ways that parents can fall into a negative pattern with their kids is through false expectations and intentions.  Having unrealistic expectations, for example expecting your toddler to sit quietly during dinner for an hour, sets parents up for frustration… Continue reading False Expectations, Positive Intentions, and Choosing Joy

I’m so excited and honored to be hosting this carnival.  Promoting gentle parenting is so important to me not just because it can have a huge impact on children and parents, which it can, but because I honestly believe it can change the world.  This whole week I’m going to be featuring some amazing voices in parenting talking about different aspects of gentle parenting.

What is Gentle Discipline?

Gentle discipline is often seen as a short-cut for “not spanking” and while that is certainly part of what it means it has so much more to offer.  Let’s look at some… Continue reading Welcome to the Carnival! What is Gentle Discipline?