Nicholas Kukla 10/7/18 Nicholas Kukla 10/7/18

Mama Mantras

For my family action plans, I even listed out possible mantras for parents to use so they can stay calm while the child works through their big emotions. So here are some of my favorite mantras that I use for myself:

Nicholas Kukla 9/4/18 Nicholas Kukla 9/4/18

Seven Tips to Stay Sane with Siblings

Even with my background in early childhood development, special needs, and behavior management, this past year challenged me. I’ve learned a few things along the way AND had many opportunities to put theory into practice and thought I’d pass along some wisdom. So here’s some practical tips for staying sane with siblings:

Nicholas Kukla 2/26/18 Nicholas Kukla 2/26/18

Building Up Our Kids: Quick Reference

It’s easy to knock something or someone down. It takes time, energy, effort, and thoughtfulness to build something or someone up. I heard this analogy the other day and it struck me. The context was simply referring to negative people, but I immediately connected it to parenting. As parents, we spend SO much time and energy building our children up, BUT it can all come crashing down when you’re sleep-deprived, fed-up, and used up all your patience before noon. I fell victim to that this week.

Nicholas Kukla 6/11/17 Nicholas Kukla 6/11/17

Tantrums & Stay-Listening

Tantrums are very rarely about the fixation or perseveration of the screaming. They are generally about either control or connection. If a child feels powerless, they will try to find power any way they can (what they eat, what they where, when the do something, how they do something). If a child feel disconnected, they will insist on establishing the connection by any means necessary - positive or negative.