Welcome back to our series on toddlerhood. Today’s blog will focus on five ways to PREPARE our little ones for their lives ahead. If you missed any of the previous blogs on toddlerhood, you can find them here: Five Ways To Connect With Your Toddler Five Ways To Correct Your Toddler Five Ways To Protect...
Dear guys, Just so you know, this might get a bit uncomfortable. I know I only have a few minutes of your time, so I’m going to cut to the chase. Quit asking for nude pics. I’m sure it seems harmless to you. After all, if the girl sends them to you it’s consensual, right?...
Halloween is upon us. Which means it is the time of year for scary masks in the aisles of the grocery store, age-inappropriate shows or commercials at all hours of the day on every screen, and countless other opportunities for your child to see or hear something that scares them. Unfortunately, we parents cannot completely...
The Shepherd’s Staff is a 501c3 non-profit organization. This sets us apart from many other counseling groups in that we are not sustained by a parent company, state funded organization or grants. All the administrative, marketing and financial responsibilities are met by our group of therapists, with a board of directors who meet quarterly to...
So what exactly is play therapy? How is a child sitting with a trained therapist and engaging in play a helpful resource? Landreth and Bratton summarize it well: “Because children’s language development lags behind their cognitive development, they communicate their awareness of what is happening in their world through their play. In play therapy toys are viewed...
‘Affirm’ as defined by Merriam Webster: – to say that something is true in a confident way : to show a strong belief in or dedication to (something, such as an important idea) Let’s flesh that out as it relates to parenting our kids. What can we affirm? Certainly, we can affirm their positive behaviors...
I remember hearing about the joys of parenthood many times over…and then I had 4 kids in 7 years. What joy is there in sleepless nights, constant mess, dirty diapers, monotonous routines, and sheer exhaustion? On top of that, I was told to try and have fun with my kids. Really? Comedian Jim Gaffigan put my...
As a parent of four, it’s very easy for me to spend a vast amount of my time cleaning up, watching out for, correcting, disciplining, planning, talking with, doing homework, entertaining, or resting from my kids. Over time, and sadly over a lot of wasted time, I’ve begun to realize how certain aspects of parenting are...
If you search ‘how to protect your child online’, you’ll most likely become overwhelmed with a flood of information. In one corner is the fear monger, spewing forth all the rancid possibilities and imminent demise of your child once they connect to the internet. In the other corner are the shouts for ‘privacy!’ and how...
Emma was asked to read an award-winning book for school and make a diorama, so we headed to the bookstore to find one. She’s in second grade. She had a few choices —-a Newbery Medal and Honor Book or a Caldecott Medal Book. The Newbery award is given to “the most distinguished contribution to American...
