ML Interest Tag: growth

The Unexpected Place I Found My Biggest Supporter

By Jenni Brennan

I’ve been spending time with a new friend lately and I’m starting to like her.

At first, we just took trips in the car together—short trips to pick up or drop off the kids from school and then longer trips to watch my son in his high school baseball games. Initially we rode in silence, just listening to the sounds of the world. Then we started listening to music. Each day it was something different. Some days it was show tunes. Sometimes it was R&B or hip hop from the ’90s and 2000s. Sometimes it was classic rock or a news podcast.

She lets me pick and accepts my choices—without judgment.

She recently convinced me to redo my bedroom. As I stood in the middle of my room, an hour into the process, I was overwhelmed by the mess. But, she refrained from telling me I was stupid or messy and didn’t scold me for waiting so long to tackle the project. Instead, she helped me focus on the possibilities before me and together we put the room back together. She helped me see the hope in the midst of a mess—without judgment.

When I finally got back on the spin bike 8 weeks after my surgery instead of 6 weeks, she was my biggest cheerleader. “You can do this!” she whispered as I climbed into the seat, unsure of what my body would be able to do after such a long break. As each mile ticked by, her support grew louder and louder.

She believes in me—without judgment.

When I had one of those big parenting moments with my teen the other night, she was there, trying to build me up and remind me that I am a good mom. At first, I tried to ignore her, silence her, tell her that’s she wrong—just like I used to do for so many years. But eventually, I let her speak louder.

She points out my strengths and helps me see my growth—without judgment.

When I ventured back into the world outside my house, she has been there, silently encouraging me to be my true self, to say what I am thinking. To reach out to the people that matter. To hold boundaries to protect my energy.

She makes me believe I am worthy of love and laughter—without judgment.

While I know she’s always been there—a part of me—I kept her hidden away. If I let her help me be confident, I would be seen as cocky. If I believed the positive things she says about me, that I was superficial or phony. So, I turned down the volume on her for much of my life, pushing her into the far corners of my brain.

But I’m starting to see now that she’s not just a part of me—she’s the real me. And I think it’s time to let her stay and that maybe it is time to let her shine. Because it turns out, she’s kind of a great person. And here’s the thing—you all have a friend inside you that is just like her. Maybe it’s time to let her shine too.   

RELATED:
11 Things I’ve Learned to Stop Apologizing For
To the Mom I Thought Was Judging Me, I’m Sorry

This post originally appeared on Jenni Brennan of Changing Perspectives.

Jenni Brennan is a psychotherapist, college professor, creator of Changing Perspectives, and co-host of The Changing Perspectives Podcast. Jenni is passionate about exploring the topics of parenting, relationships, grief, and mental health through her writing and podcast episodes. She lives with her husband, 2 sons, 3 dogs, and 2 cats in Massachusetts.

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Grow Your Child’s Cognitive Skills through Gardening

By Michelle Worth

Photo: Shutterstock

We’ve had a year of shifting academics and social interaction to a virtual platform due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Gardening is an easy, screen-free activity that can provide your child with numerous benefits.  

Designing and digging a garden can be the perfect outdoor parent-child bonding activity. Not only is it fun and rewarding for kids, but studies have shown interacting with plants has benefits ranging from reducing stress to promoting healthy eating habits.  Another reason to grab your garden gloves? Working with your child to plan, organize, and plant can help develop their executive functioning skills. And that could improve your child’s ability to complete academic and daily life tasks. How exactly can you boost your child’s developmental skills through gardening? Let’s dig in!

Step 1: Plan the Plot 
Start by letting your child choose what plants to grow. A few ideas: 

  • Pizza Garden. Include veggies you can use to top your family’s next homemade pizza, like mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli. 
  • Salsa Garden. Are chips & salsa a favorite snack in your household? Cilantro, tomatoes, and onions it is! 
  • Rainbow Garden. Think cucumbers, bell peppers, strawberries, and other colorful fruits and veggies. 
  • Salad Garden. Plant lettuce and any favorites to make the perfect side salad at your next dinner! 

Browse through a gardening magazine or website to order the seeds. Ask open-ended questions about what plants your child thinks you should choose and why. That can help develop cognitive skills like organization and reasoning. 

Do some research with your child on the items you plan to include in your garden. Challenge your child to put their planning skills to work by gathering information on the stages of growth they can expect to see from their plants and what tools or materials they’ll need.

Step 2: Map It Out
Now it’s time for you and your gardening buddy to map out the location of the plants in your garden!  Help your child draw a picture of where each plant should go or use an online tool like this one. 

Asking cause and effect questions can help your child use critical thinking skills. Do certain plants need to get more or less sun? Will some veggies need more room to grow than others? How will that affect where you choose to plant your seeds? Help your child see the different options available when thinking about how to plan their garden. As they start to see that they can go about completing a task in multiple different ways, their cognitive flexibility skills can strengthen. That can help them tackle all kinds of to-dos in their daily life. 

Step 3: Dig In!
Time to let your green thumb shine and plant the seeds. This part helps your child develop their ability to execute a plan. Before you get started, talk about what steps you’ll need to follow: weed, dig, plant, add soil, water. Through this, their sequencing skills can soar! Focusing on following each step can develop your child’s inhibitory control. They’ll need to control their behavior, attention, and thoughts to each task at hand in order to get their garden growing. And even more good news! Outdoor activities like gardening have been proven by the American Journal of Public Health to improve children’s attention skills. 

Step 4: Let Your Garden Grow
Your child can’t bite into a juicy watermelon from their garden just yet! Give them some responsibilities for caring for their garden, like these:

  • Watering
  • Weeding
  • Watching for the plants to reach each stage of growth

Maintaining the garden through these tasks can help work your child’s memory skills each day. Getting up and working on the garden can also encourage their ability to initiate tasks. Finally, let your child enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of their labor. Watching their plants grow, picking, and eating from their garden can boost self-confidence and provide positive reinforcement for all of that hard work. 

If you have concerns about your child’s ability to complete aspects of tasks such as organization, maintaining attention, planning, or reasoning, consider consulting an expert. TherapyWorks is a company that provides speech therapy services with licensed professionals that can evaluate your child and, if needed, provide ongoing therapy services.

I'm a mom entrepreneur and Co-Founder of TherapyWorks, a pediatric therapy company that provides services via telehealth. I recognized the need to make high-quality pediatric therapy more convenient after one of my own children needed therapy and launched TherapyWorks with my Co-Founder, an experienced speech language-pathologist, with that in mind. 

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The Best Ways to Foster Your Child’s Brain Development

By Dr. Nicole Avena

As a parent, ensuring your growing toddler properly develops in all aspects of life is likely a top priority. However, it can be overwhelming to try to keep up with all the things you’re supposed to do to give toddlers the best foundation. This period of a child’s life is important as 85% of brain growth occurs in the first three years. Here are several ways to ensure your child engages in activities and habits that will simultaneously foster their brain health and development.

Regular Reading: One of the best ways to build language and literacy skills prior to your child reading on their own is reading to them on a regular basis. This will promote early vocabulary and listening skills that will, in turn, predict later success in reading and other school subjects. Books that are best bets at this age have engaging, imaginative illustrations and help develop basic language and number concepts. Let your child help pick out books they’re interested in will make it more fun.  

Action Toys: Anything toddlers can ride on, push, pull, or use in motion helps them practice motor skills and coordination—and burns off some of their boundless energy. Consider toys such as wagons, pedal-free bikes, strollers, play grocery carts, pull toys, plastic bowling sets, pounding and hammering toys, and large and small balls.  

Get Outside: Research has shown that children who spend time outdoors are more physically active, more creative in their play, less physically aggressive, and show better concentration. Exposure to nature also plants the seeds early for becoming more eco-sensitive later in life.

Try a big net for catching bugs or minnows, toys for outdoor play (such as balls), a sandbox and sand toys (shovels, dump trucks), and gardening tools (like a child-size rake and watering can).

Plan Some Playdates: Playing with other children is a great way to help your child learn social skills, but it is also great for helping them learn to make decisions and to work in a group or in parallel with another person. These types of interactions now are setting the stage for your child being able to master higher-level cognitive tasks later in life, so the more practice they can get when they are young, the better.  

Make Believe: Pretend play is fun for your toddler and great for helping them develop the skills for sequencing, storytelling, and logic. Encourage your child to engage in pretend play by prompting them with ideas, like “Let’s pretend we are pirates…” and have your child act out what you both should say. You can also pretend to play with dolls or action figures, and ask your child to tell you a story about what is happening.   

In addition to traditional toys and activities, nutrition also goes hand-in-hand with fostering healthy brain and cognitive development. Poor nutrition during your toddler’s pivotal years of growth can have negative long-lasting effects, so it’s important for parents to regularly consider their child’s food intake. Try some of these food-focused tips:

Grocery Shopping/Meal Preparation: Involving your toddler in grocery shopping and meal preparation are additional ways to encourage incorporating healthy foods into their diet while expanding their awareness of smart food choices. Directing them to the produce aisle to pick out fruits and veggies is also a great way to teach colors and counting.  

Smart Snacking: Children love snack time but providing the proper food options is important to ensure your toddler receives nutrients they need. Often during the younger years, toddlers are picky and require additional attention when trying new foods. In this case, opt for incorporating a toddler nutrition drink like Enfagrow Toddler Nutritional Drink Powder. It’s made with real milk and has nutrients like DHA (Docosahexanoic Acid) which is an important omega-3 fatty acid and a building block of the brain, as well as vitamin D and iron. Mix with water or add one scoop to recipes such as muffins, pancakes, and smoothies to easily deliver nutrients important for your toddler’s growth, brain and immune health.

A research neuroscientist and expert in nutrition, diet and addiction. Dr. Avena is an Asst. Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai Medical School in NYC. She is the author of several books, including Why Diets Fail, What to Eat When You’re Pregnant, and What to Feed Your Baby & Toddler.

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The Essential Thing Kids Should Bring to Summer Camp

By Allison Miller

 

camp trunk
Photo: Mabel’s Labels

Some parents love packing their kids for camp. Others don’t. Either way, every parent has asked themself (and likely all their fellow camp moms and dads) the vexed question: “What do I pack?”

Being the Founder & CEO of Happy Camper Live as well as a camp director and (according to dining hall talk) a “master of the camper packing list,” I’ve gotten this question a lot. As in, 22-years-of-running-summer-camp a lot. So, naturally, a great number of things come to mind when I hear it, like different articles of clothing, towels, snacks, water (preferably in a refillable bottle), sunscreen. The list could go on. Still, there is one big thing I did not list. One big thing I recommend no child sends off to camp without. And here’s some welcome news: parents don’t need to buy a larger camp bag for it.

That’s because, strange as it may sound, this most important item can’t be packed. It can’t be stowed in a secret pouch. It can’t be zipped into a pocket. This most-important item is indeed no item at all.

It’s one good disposition.

In other words, a positive attitude.

When I first heard about “one good disposition,” I was eight years old. It was the opening day of my summer program. A storage box and duffle bag were sitting in the living room of my childhood home, almost fully packed with clothes that I had folded myself (my mother taught me how). Sidenote: I recommend parents do this since most camps have kids take care of their own clothes.

My mother had also been sewing labels into my clothing for weeks. (I also recommend parents label their campers’ clothing. It’s much easier today with peel-and-stick or iron-on tags, like the ones Mabel’s Labels makes.)

“I’m just about ready,” I thought to myself.

I took out my packing list and read the items. I wanted to make sure I had everything. My most cherished pairs of jeans (kids should pack together with parents not only to bring about in them a sense of responsibility for their belongings but also to ensure their favorites are packed), plenty of socks, swimming gear. Check, check, check. I went on reading smoothly until the last item. It gave me pause. It gave me panic.

“One good disposition.”

Of course, I wanted to know what that was and where I could get one. Was it a type of shirt? Something I put on after swimming? In the end, I was too embarrassed to ask. And so I went off to camp still excited, yet imagining I lacked this important item.

Important indeed!

Okay, so, why must a camper metaphorically pack this “one good disposition”?

It’s common knowledge that summer camp is full of magic, fun, and adventure. While certainly great in their own right, all that magic, fun, and adventure aims toward a larger purpose. No, I don’t mean archery (although camps have that, too).

I’m talking about growth.

Growth has been the main purpose of summer camp since its rise in the late 19th century. The original summer camps promised to teach kids leadership skills and to build up their character. (Of course, at that time, camp was only meant for boys.) According to American Camp Association, building character is still a central theme for summer camps.

Challenging pursuits (for example, rope courses) give campers the opportunity to try and fail and try again, teaching resilience in a judgment-free setting and, in the end, showing them the fullness of their potential. Other games help campers learn teamwork, cooperation, and communication. Time away from home promotes independence. Clean up fosters responsibility.

All these lessons make summer camp a positive, productive experience for kids. One might wonder what any of this has to do with “one good disposition.”

Well, studies show there is a tight connection between mood and growth.

According to the broaden-and-build theory developed by Barbara Fredrickson, positive emotions are internal signals that encourage “approach behavior,” which motivates individuals to engage in their environments and familiarize themselves with new people, ideas, and situations. When people are open to new ideas and actions, they expand their horizons and learn and grow as people. In my view, that’s what summer camp is all about.

Of course, I could answer the question “What do I pack?” much more literally. (Actually, I recommend parents check camp policies for what they shouldn’t pack. Often, certain items are not permitted, such as cameras and cell phones.) In other articles I’ve written, I made detailed lists of actual items to stuff in the beloved “camp bag.” One thing I always emphasize to parents is not to overpack. But there is something I would say is quite impossible to overpack.

Positivity!

Allison Corey Miller is the Founder and CEO of Happy Camper Live, a lifest‌yle brand centered around the world of summer camp. Her vision is to bring the magic of summer camp to every kid in the world 365 days of the year. 

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A Call for Resilience, Resourcefulness & Gratitude

By Deanna Pope-Toth

The last few days and weeks have been nothing short of chaotic. Fear fills the minds and hearts of parents who desperately want to protect their families and vulnerable loved ones.

There is a sense of relief on the minds of parents who realize Covid-19 doesn’t have staggering fatality rates in children or generally healthy people. Yet there is excruciating fear for our parents, grandparents and family and friends with compromised health. Uncertainty with health, jobs, and the education of our communities is another big question we’re twirling around in our minds.

As panic becomes the only constant in our communities and feeling like we’re in a race against time, we must remember that our children are in their most formative years. The events that unfold and the way we handle them will become a lesson for many children and teens. 

Dire times not only produce fears, but incredible opportunities for self-reflection, resourcefulness, and leadership. The silver-lining is what we as parents must be searching for each day, and finding out ways to keep the wheels moving despite challenges. 

Here are some tips for how we can maintain leadership in our families and promote self-growth, despite dire times.

1. In all times, including uncertain times, focus on what you have. Everyone has blessings—it’s time to start counting them. These are anchors in times of uncertainty. My son is my anchor as when I’m busy reading the news or worrying, I’m grounded by his sense of wanting to live in each moment. Whether it’s just hugs, laughter, listening to his stories, he grounds me. 

2. Use social distancing as a chance to refocus. In our daily lives, we are so bombarded by activities, schedules and trying to be all things that we often lose sight of what we really want. Now’s the time to take an inventory of your life—what you want, what you don’t. Maybe you can even start writing a list of the things you’d like to accomplish. While each day presents new findings and advice and it’s important to stay informed, do yourself a favor and try to tune out of the social media and get excited about your plan. Social media can become like a vortex in times of uncertainty—and I can tell you, that’s counterproductive.

3. Once you’ve nailed down your list, get resourceful. We all need each other to survive. The world is not over—despite the tone of many doomsday sayers. Historically, there will always be people who think the world is coming to an end, and despite what they say, we keep going. We will grow from this—it’s in our human nature and history proves that we will adapt. Now’s the time to figure out how we’re going to do it. Self-isolation has come at a time where we can keep the gears moving with the technology that’s available. 

4. Know that sometimes the darkest times in our lives prepare us for the best outcomes. William Blake was famously known for his romantic poetry that focused on comparing opposites: If we didn’t know hell, we wouldn’t know heaven. If we didn’t know darkness, we wouldn’t know light. If we had no hardship, we wouldn’t be able to recognize when life is really good. Greta Thunberg set a tone at the end of 2019, warning us that we had to make some changes. Let’s embrace hardship as paving the way for positive change.

What we do now matters so much as our kids grow up in a changing world. Let’s leave them with a sense of resilience. Let’s show our kids how to do it. Let’s not let fear and panic define us. Let’s define our futures, and let’s show our kids how it’s done. That’s the best lesson we can teach them. 

This post originally appeared on Mom's Candid Conversations.

Hi, I'm Deanna. Mom and step-parent and I'm dedicated to positively contributing to the parenting community! 

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Mama, I See You

By Chrystal Venator

I see you doing it all.

I see you down on the floor helping your child get through a meltdown.

I see you exhausted in the night, as you wake up hourly to settle your child but then get up with them at 4 a.m. to start your day.

I see you longing for the diaper-free days as you continue to change your 7-year-old.

I see you feeding your child whatever they will willingly eat and be worried sick about their growth.

I see you at the pharmacy buying the stool softeners and probiotics because you’re desperate for your child to get relief.

I see you checking the emails late at night and trying to construct a response to the teacher about your child’s behaviors from the day.

I see you on the phone advocating and fighting for the supports and services that your child needs.

I see you covering the scratches on your arm because people will judge your child instead of offering to understand.

I see you worrying about your other children. I see you feeling guilty as you try to meet all the needs of every member of your family.

I see you desperate for a word, a sound….anything that will keep perpetuating hope.

I see you skipping meals because you’re so busy with appointments, cleaning and daily care that you forget to eat.

I see you trying to keep up with the dishes and laundry, homework and suppers.

I see you tired deep in your soul but still pushing forward, still showing up every single day.

I see you sitting through the therapies and appointments always doing what needs to be done for your child.

I see you praying hard for peace, comfort, progress and sleep.

I see you constantly completing paperwork for insurance wondering if it will ever end.

I see you dealing with family and friends who just don’t understand.

I see you crying silently in the shower because you’re stretched so thin trying to do it all.

I see you as the beautiful Mama that you are.

I see you showing up every day for your family.

I see your worries and fears for the future.

But most importantly:

I see your strength.

I see your dedication.

I see that you’re amazing.

I see that you’re doing a great job.

No one else can fill your shoes.

I see how much you love and how loved you are.

I see the difference that you’re making for your family.

You are everything.

You are enough.

I will always see you.

This post originally appeared on Stalen’s Way Blog.
Feature image via iStock.

I am a proud wife, ASD Mom, Step-Mom. At 21 months, my son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. He is 5 years old and non-verbal. I have become a full-time stay-at-home mom. I am 1000% focused on raising autism awareness and helping my son live a full and fun life. 

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Realistic Ways to Teach Your Kids about Money

By Kara Reynolds

Money is part of everyone’s life. You need money to purchase necessary items like groceries and clothing, and you need it to pay bills to survive. Some people are great at finances—others, not so much. That’s why you must teach your kids valuable lessons about money from a young age so they can adequately manage their finances well into adulthood.

You don’t want to risk allowing your child to learn inadequate money management from someone else, so that’s why you need to teach your kids about money. Financial skills are essential to navigate life, so here are some realistic ways to teach your kids about money so they’re set for the future. 

Teach Them the Value of Money
First of all, you should teach your kids about the value of money. If you hand a young child a penny, nickel and dime, they’ll likely choose the larger coin, which is the nickel. However, the nickel is not the most valuable. 

You can teach your children the names of coins and how much they’re worth. They’ll be able to recognize coins after repetition of showing and teaching them their values. 

Talk Openly about Family Monetary Decisions
You shouldn’t have to hide monetary decisions from your children. If you’re paying bills or have a significant expense coming up, explain to your children that you have to save money for it and might have to budget, which means no more unnecessary items for a short amount of time.

Let them understand that things cost money and that their food, clothes, and toys don’t magically show up at your house. Ever since they were born, you’ve had to carefully save money to support them. Explain how you pay for things so they know how much everything costs.

Use a Clear Jar for Their Savings
Piggy banks are great ways for children to save money they get for birthdays, holidays, or if they find a coin on the sidewalk. They love putting their earnings into a piggy bank, but unless you dump all of the money out, they can’t visually see how much they have saved. 

When kids can visually see their monetary growth, they’ll learn and grasp the concept of money even better. Each time they add to the jar, they can see the growth and be excited that they’re saving money!

Play Board Games That Involve Money 
What’s more fun than a family game night? Games like Monopoly and The Game of Life teach valuable money skills. Although the money is fake, your children can learn what it’s like to spend money, be in debt, and invest their money. 

Your kids can get a sense of how the world of money works. They can decide what they really need in life, which leads to better spending habits in the future.

Talk about Spending, Saving and Giving 
When your child earns money, create three different envelopes for them—one for spending, saving, and giving. Part of teaching them about money is teaching them how to organize their money. 

Each time they receive money, have them split it into either equal parts or an agreed percentage for each category. Then, they can choose what to do with the funds in each category. For example, if they have a friend in need, they can use the “giving” money for their friend.

Let Them Pay for Something They Want
Kids always want things, whether it be a new video game or a dollhouse. These items aren’t something they need, so if they want it, allow them to save up and pay for it themselves. They’ll soon realize that it takes a lot of saving to pay for an item. 

If they want the item badly enough, they will take the time to save their money, especially if you refuse to give in and purchase it for them. 

Encourage Teens to Get a Job
There are plenty of opportunities for teenagers to get a job. As your children get to that age, they can begin doing more work. They will further understand that it takes hard work to earn a small amount of money and appreciate how much you work to make money for everyday expenses.

Start with a small job, like babysitting or mowing lawns. Ask around the neighborhood what kinds of work people have that they can regularly pay your teen money to do. If you have older teenagers, help them search for a part-time job.

Use Everyday Context to Teach
Money is involved in everyday life. You likely spend money every day, whether it’s for groceries, spending at a restaurant, paying bills, and even for taxes. Each time you pull out cash or your credit or debit card, it’s a prime opportunity to teach your kids about money.

Let them help you count out money for a purchase, or have them help you fill out a form online when you make an online purchase. Additionally, teach them about checks and how to write them. The more often they can participate in spending, the more skills you’ll instill into them.

It’s Never Too Early to Teach Kids about Money
You’re better off being realistic about money with your children from a young age than have them grow up and be misinformed about the world of money. Help them make wise financial decisions so you can be confident in their future money habits.

Kara Reynolds is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of Momish Magazine.  A mom of four and matriarch to her big blended family, Kara wants nothing more than to normalize differences in family structures.  She enjoys peeing alone, pancakes, and pinot noir - but not at the same time. 

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Letting Your Kids Be Bored Is Actually Good for Them

By Kelly Oriard & Callie Christensen

“I’m bored!” The complaint echoes through the house as your child finds themselves in-between activities. What do you do? Do you find them an activity and try to distract them? Or do you let them wait? What happens when we wait? What might they find to play with, what might they start to do? What could boredom transform into if we let it be? When children are given the space to make their own choices, they gain valuable problem-solving skills. Being bored can also lead to enhanced creativity and increased imaginative play.  Maybe they are “bored” with their old toys. But what new uses for those objects can they find if given the space? Maybe they want to do something interesting, what could be more interesting than finding something that sparks their own curiosity?

We can get into patterns as parents by trying to offer plenty of “stimulating activities” for our children, wanting to make sure they don’t miss out on developmental opportunities or social events. Research shows that when children are “overscheduled” they miss out on valuable time to engage in imaginative play and creative play, or sometimes free play altogether. There are many amazing activities we can engage our children in, but we don’t want to miss out on the most basic, and often the most important…free time. In sum: It’s okay to let your child be bored.

To give kids some credit, boredom often feels really uncomfortable to children. Do you remember that feeling? Some of us might remember that discomfort, and attempt to “save” our kids from it. Try to also remember what good things came out of that bored feeling. We can gain tolerance of distress when experiencing these tough emotions, and we can also learn to rely on our own internal world and imagination, and creativity when we have the time to think.

Here’s another thing to remember about boredom; it comes in different forms. There’s the “lonely” kind, the “I’ve watched too much TV” kind, or the “I just ended something fun and now I’m looking for something new to do” kind.  All of these are just different variations of emotions that children can begin to seek their own answers to. Helping a child tune-in to what exactly their brains and bodies are seeking can help them learn to meet their own needs. This is a vital and empowering lesson kids can learn at this early age.

So what can we do in these moments, when our children complain they are bored? Simple answer: Nothing. Allow your child to experience that feeling, and see how they choose to solve it. Schedule in “free time” if you have to.  Make sure your child has plenty of time to play on their own throughout the week without adult leadership. If your child is in a moment of really begging you to solve their boredom dilemma: Here’s an example script of how to “allow” boredom and encourage your child to solve it on their own:

Child: I’m bored (in distressed voice)

Caregiver: Hmm, that can be a hard feeling

Child: yeah- what should I do?

Caregiver: Ah, you’re hoping I have some ideas for you. That’s for you to decide right now.

Child: Noooo, I don’t want to! You tell me.

Caregiver: It feels hard to decide what you want to do right now. I wonder what your body is telling you? What kind of mood are you in?

Child: I don’t know.

Caregiver: It can be hard to know sometimes. Hmm. (modeling, thinking, and checking in)

Child: I still don’t know what I want to do

Caregiver: Hmm…How will you figure out what feels right to you?

Child: Maybe I could color…

Caregiver: Sure, that’s worth a try. Maybe try some things out and see how they feel…I believe you can figure it out.

Some can benefit from convos like these, and others don’t need this much support. Just try not to take the bait and try to solve their boredom for them. This can get you caught in a cycle of your kids always coming to you to solve this problem. The Slumberkins Narwhal can help little ones develop growth mindset by teaching them how to make a difference in the world around them through problem-solving and recognizing when to ask for help. Allowing your child to be bored and figure things out themselves is so important for their ability to self-regulate, learn to trust their bodies and cues, and find creative ways to learn and grow. Kids are amazing—we can trust them to figure these things out.

This post originally appeared on www.Slumberkins.com.
Kelly Oriard & Callie Christensen
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Kelly Oriard and Callie Christensen are co-founders of Slumberkins, a children's brand supporting social-emotional learning for children. Kelly has a dual master's degree in family therapy and school counseling, and Callie has a master's degree in teaching. Both are passionate about teaching children social-emotional skills to thrive in our modern world. 

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Are Your Kids Getting Enough Nutrients?

By Alexandra Gabalda

As we all focus every day on what food our kids will be likely to eat, do we really know what they actually need in their lunches to grow healthy and happy? We gathered for you some valuable tips with the help of Claire Bladier, a professional in nutrition research who collaborated with experts from the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES). Whether you’re a beginner or an expert in packing nutritious lunches, here are some ideas to take your lunchbox to the next nutritious level.

Why do we need to watch our kid’s nutritional intake?
Filling our kids and teenagers with the nutrients they need helps them grow and prevents health issues when adults. It is also during childhood that certain behaviors and habits are acquired, which will be maintained throughout the individual’s life.

ANSES’s experts identified inadequate nutrient intakes for children regarding certain nutrients such as calcium and iron.

Around 57% of boys 13-15 years old and 80% of girls 16-17 years old are at risk of calcium deficiency
Around 25% of girls 13-17 years old are at risk of iron deficiency.

(Source: ANSES, June 2019)

These two nutrients are essential to help our kids grow healthy. Below are growth-supporting foods to favor in the lunchbox starting today!

How to Get More Calcium
Calcium is important for strong bones, as well as for the healthy functioning of nerves, muscles, and heart. Growing children need about 3 servings of calcium every day.

Where to find calcium? Milk and dairy products like yogurts and cheeses are first in line to provide your kids with their daily intake. Think of other dietary sources of calcium for children who consume few dairy products: leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce…), pulses (beans, peas, lentils…), seeds (fennel, sesame, chia…), and certain mineral waters.

(visual on calcium deficiency numbers)

Food Tip: Foods rich in vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium, such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and herring), liver, eggs, vegetable fat like margarine).

How to Get More Iron
Iron helps move oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and helps muscles store and use oxygen. To keep your child’s growth and development on track, offer iron-rich foods at meals and snacks.

Where to find iron? Favor meat, fish, or eggs to provide daily intakes. Other sources of iron are wholegrain bread, pulses, nuts, and dried fruits.

(visual on iron deficiency numbers)

Food Tip: Foods rich in vitamin C such as blackcurrant, strawberries, oranges, pineapples, grapefruits, pepper, can help absorb more iron.

Keep an Eye on Sugar Consumption
ANSES warns about excess sugar intakes, in particular for younger children. The experts identified two priority levers to reduce these excess sugar intakes: sugar-sweetened beverages (cold non-alcoholic beverages and fruit juice) and pastries/biscuits/cakes. Frequently offered as afternoon snacks, these items can be replaced with foods lower in sugar such as plain dairy products, fresh fruits, nuts, and water.

Ready to take your lunchbox to the next level? Find lunchbox ideas that will help you maximize your kids’ intakes in growth-supporting foods by searching Teuko today!

Photo: Hal Gatewood via Unsplash

This post originally appeared on Teuko Blog.

Teuko is the first platform that empowers families to simplify lunch packing. Using Teuko, they can find and share kid-approved lunchbox ideas, recipes, and tips, all in one place. Teuko is transforming the lunch packing experience by boosting inspiration and motivation week after week. 

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