Parenting from the Heart

FINDING THE BALANCE between protecting children and enabling a sense of entitlement can be challenging. No one wants to raise an...

DICTIONARIES URGE PEOPLE to build vocabulary, at any age, by picking a “word of the day” and finding ways to use it in various...

JOYFUL AFTER-SCHOOL REUNIONS are difficult when a child gets angry because they have to leave an activity or they fall apart in the car...

“SAY YOU’RE SORRY.” Adults often insist on children making apologies, thinking that having to say “sorry” is part of learning not to...

“WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO TALK ABOUT how brave and special our daughter is.” These words are part of a recent note to Room 4 families from...

“WHY DIDN’T YOU ASK FOR HELP?” Occasionally parents report feeling frustrated when their child tells them at night that they needed...

“WHO DO YOUR THINK YOU ARE?” That’s a question that Caroline McHugh asks CEOs, politicians, ballet dancers, musicians, and countless...

Why would you do that? What were you thinking? What did I just tell you? Are you trying to upset me? How many times do I have to tell...

SEVERAL SECONDS OF SILLINESS can transform a difficult moment with a child, and taking time for humor helps us all remember to try to...

My daughter’s college roommate had no idea how to operate a washing machine and commuted home her whole first year to have her mom do her...

“No jumping on guitars!” At age four, my daughter shouted this warning when a preschool visitor started leaping over our guitar. Her...

After a frustration-filled day with her daughter, a mom decides that learning the Nurtured Heart approach is impossible. Her child’s...

“Do you want to set the table or clear the plates after dinner?” Most of us know that offering choices is often a key to gaining...

A second-grade teacher fills a large jar with water, then swirls glitter inside, creating a visual image of what our emotions might look...

A third-grade boy recently shared his vision of being an ally. He wants to make a friend in every class so he can support anyone who...

A grandma playing veterinarian with her five-year-old grandson picked up a stuffed animal and asked the “vet,” “What should I do about my...

The most exciting breakthroughs of the 21st century will not occur because of technology but because of an expanding concept of what it...

“This moment won’t last forever” – I’m not saying this to predict the future but to offer an example of a phrase that can reprogram our...

Awareness and Supervision Minimize Online Risks Children today have never known a world without the internet. They can log on using home...

Make your child’s December manageable by creating a visual calendar. This month, always an exciting one, seems to offer up even more new...