Posts in Kindness
Special Time--The Silver Bullet of Parenting
Special Time--The Silver Bullet of Parenting

Putting the fear of god into your children doesn’t work; neither does giving in to their every whim. True cooperation from kids is based on relationship and connection. The question is how do you build the closeness and mutual trust in the midst of running through the day and getting everyone else’s needs met? The closest thing to a silver bullet is Special Time (and, yes, that’s capital S and capital T!).

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Build Connections, Communication, Confidence, KindnessElisabeth StittJoyful Parenting Coachingspecial time, respect, connection, relationships, patienceComment
How Do You Teach Your Kids Emotional Intelligence?
How Do You Teach Your Kids Emotional Intelligence?

You've Got the ABC's Covered and the 123's Down.  But Increasingly, research shows the importance of Emotional Intelligence--and you are the person best suited to teaching it.  

Emotional intelligence is being able to recognize a wide range of nuanced emotions, and recognizing them, being able to regulate them and put them in perspective in a way that helps the individual move through life more easily.  

In my long experience in working with children, emotional intelligence can absolutely be developed.  The most important way in which it is developed is through interactions with thoughtful adults who are modeling and guiding kids in dealing with their feelings.

This blog shares some common behaviors of parents whose kids display emotional intelligence.

AND IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW TO BOOST YOUR OWN EQ, CHECK OUT THIS BLOG ON "How can we use NLP to build Emotional Intelligence?"

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Build Connections, Communication, Community, Kindness, Parent as teacher, Parenting, TrustElisabeth Stittemotions, empathy, emotional intelligence, communicaiton, communication skills, listenting, acknowledging, bondingComment
My Teacher Hates Me! I'm Not Going Back to that Class!
My Teacher Hates Me! I'm Not Going Back to that Class!

Knowing our kids are happy at school allows us to drop them off with confidence and get on with our day.  When our child refuses to go to school, then we are filled with doubt and insecurity and our hands feel tied, knowing it is not as simple as changing schools or teachers. What can you do to help your child feel good about his teacher?  
 

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Build Connections, Community, Confidence, Kindness, Parenting, TrustElisabeth Stittschool, teachers, relationships, listenting, empathizing, acknowledging, feelings, emotions, positivityComment
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

Even many adults don't learn the skill of having difficult conversations effectively.  Most people just want everyone else to be happy.  Certainly, no one modeled for me how to stay present even when conversations got uncomfortable.  It was so much easier to just give up or give in.  Now, of course, there are times when going with the flow is the name of the game, but if you want your kids to learn the balance between keeping the peace and learning to advocate for themselves in a constructive way, they are going to learn that much sooner if you teach it to them explicitly. 

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Build Connections, Communication, Kindness, Letting go, Parent as teacher, Parenting, TrustElisabeth Stittcommunicaiton, Conversation, emotions, active listening, empathyComment
What Would You Do If Your Child Were Caught Shoplifting?
What Would You Do If Your Child Were Caught Shoplifting?

This blog is in response to a letter a mom sent me about her son:

Dear Elisabeth,

I am so angry and mortified.  My 10-year-old got caught shop lifting, and I am afraid this is a sign of much worse things to come.  

Upset and Worried in Tulsa

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Build Connections, Communication, Community, Effective Consequences, Kindness, Parent as teacher, Parenting, TrustElisabeth Stittshoplifting, discipline, consequences, apologizing, making ammends, making choices, learningComment