Check this category for all blog posts by the Grandmothers.
Shows up in Main Menu > Resources > Latest from the Blog >> HP Grandmothers section.
Shows up in Blog Sidebar > Category: HP Grandmothers Blog
“GOOD JOB!!!”
The heading on the sheet of stickers says “100 Ways to Say ‘Good Job!’”, and then all 100 – from “Awesome” to “Zero Mistakes” – appear with accompanying smiley faces and abundant exclamation points. These are sold to teachers as self-esteem promoters. Everyone, especially the children, knows them to be artificial at best. But at least they are evidence of the general awareness that self-esteem is important.
But self-esteem is not so easily created, and certainly not when imposed ...
Read More →
22
APR
2024
This is a controversial subject, so we’re going to work up to our main point gradually.
The Tooth Fairy
No parent that we’re aware of takes great pains to protect the true identity of the Tooth Fairy. Maybe that’s because by the time a child starts losing teeth – at about 6 – he’s already well aware that there’s no good reason for someone in a tutu with wings and a wand to go flitting from bedroom to bedroom gathering up the ...
Read More →
11
DEC
2023
Joel and Andrew, 4-year old friends, were playing with Lego when suddenly, Andrew howled, “I was just going to use that—it’s mine!”
Joel had snatched one of the pieces Andrew had in his pile beside him. When Andrew protested, Joel knocked down his building and Andrew began to cry. Joel looked at his mother wide-eyed.
What To Do?
“Oh, no,” thought Joel’s mother. Normally, he was not a selfish boy, but lately he’d done some very unkind things. What should she do this ...
Read More →
16
OCT
2023
He didn’t even notice!
We often dismiss our young children’s observational skills this way. Did our young daughter notice that she was the only white (or black) child on the playground? Of course not! Did our son happen to observe that all the women in the shower room were naked? Didn’t seem to. How about the man without legs in the wheelchair? Well, she started to stare, but we distracted her and she forgot all about it.
Well, he didn’t say anything
Perhaps ...
Read More →
21
SEP
2023
Leaving children for the weekend isn’t easy for anyone. But at one time or another, all parents need a weekend getaway – whether it’s to take a break, tend to out-of-town family matters, or attend a wedding or other adult occasion without the kids.
When this need arises for the first time, they might have some concerns – especially if their child already fusses when a sitter comes for just the evening.
If the sitter can be someone your child already knows, ...
Read More →
14
JUL
2023
When parents tell us they are unhappy about their children’s disrespectful behavior, we can think of several things that contribute to the problem.
First, disrespect seems to be a feature of the culture we live in. Facebook, movies and TV often show children behaving in snarky, sassy ways that get big laughs – so of course our young children imitate what they see and hear.
When they’re little, we may think that’s cute, but when they’re older it’s not funny at all.
Second, the emphasis on promoting “self-esteem” has ...
Read More →
19
JUN
2023
Of all the developmental tasks that we hope our growing child will successfully master, none is more demanding on the growing parent than the child’s learning to express painful feelings.
We tell ourselves that we want him to feel free to tell us when he is angry, or sad, or frustrated, or annoyed. We are hopeful that if he acquires a complete feelings vocabulary, he will be able to cope with these emotions. We want this so much that we even ...
Read More →
8
JUN
2023
“Stop that right now!”
“If you don’t stop that whining, I’ll give you something real to whine about!”
“If you complain about one more thing, you’ll go to your room!”
Listening to a child’s persistent moaning and crying can make the most patient parents feel frenzied and helpless. They want it to stop — now!
They want to exert their authority – make the child change and feel their power and control over him. After all, they are ...
Read More →
18
APR
2023
