Inside: Sibling Jealousy when a new baby comes into a family is a very real thing.  Get 12 simple tips to help your older child cope with a new sibling. When I was pregnant with my second child everyone starting warning me: "It’s triple the work so good luck…" And they always said it with a hint of I-know-something-you-don’t in their tone. And I couldn’t figure it out. Two kids, twice the work… How could it possibly be more work than that? I was seriously baffled. Until my second child was born and a light bulb went … [Read more...]

Inside: Learn why encouraging a growth mindset in kids is so important and how one simple change can get your child from "I can't" to "I can!"  This post contains affiliate links. My eldest daughter is extremely bright and has an incredible memory, which has served her well as a student. She knew her coins and values before she was 2 years old. She had her ABCs and sounds memorized, read well before Kindergarten, and devoured chapter books by 1st grade. She knew her addition and subtraction facts and could spell any word she saw … [Read more...]

Inside: Help your child who hates losing learn how to lose gracefully without the fits of anger and disappointment.   "I'm going to win! I'm going to win"  My 8-year-old beams from the other side of the table. With the game board covered in trains and cards strewn all over the floor, we're almost done playing our new game, Ticket to Ride. My son is ahead in points and he's downright giddy. My husband pipes up, "okay, I'm out of trains, it's time to count up our points." We start counting and moving our pieces around the … [Read more...]

Inside: Learn the best ways to stop a power struggle in its tracks and prevent them from happening in the future. "Hey buddy, can you please clean that stuff off the stairs so people don't hurt themselves?"  My friend makes a simple request to her 6-year-old son. He looks at her, giggles, says "Nope, I'm going outside!" and runs towards the back door. My friend looks at me, surprise, embarrassed, and annoyed all at the same time.  She gets up and calmly follows behind She catches up to him by the door. He laughs and says "No! … [Read more...]

Inside: Find the Best Books for New Parents.  You only three you really need...you can chunk the rest.  This post contains affiliate links. My last “baby” is six years old. I’m far from being a newborn mom. But I am a brand new auntie, so I signed up for one night of swaddles and diapers and shushing so my sister could sleep a little. It was a gift to spend that night with my niece. But snuggling her took me back to the tough days of no sleep, struggling with breastfeeding, and not being productive because I had to constantly … [Read more...]