Blog
TANTRUMS: Torture Device or Teaching Opportunity?
View Our Video Whatever we choose to call them – meltdowns, outbursts, explosions, fits – children’s tantrums are a form of exquisite torture that leave parents far and wide feeling depleted, overwhelmed and incompetent. Tantrums happen when a child (or adult, for that matter) becomes flooded with uncomfortable feelings (e.g., sadness, anger, frustration, disappointment) that […] Learn More ›
Presuming Competence
View Our Video When I was growing up and I asked my mom how she knew to do all “the things,” she would say with a bit of sarcasm, “It’s in the parent handbook. You’ll get it too if you have a child.” I was in my late teens when I realized there is no […] Learn More ›
How to Foster Resiliency and Self-esteem in Your Child
View Our Video As parents, one of our ultimate goals is to help our children learn the skills they need to become independent and productive members of the community. Building resiliency and positive self-esteem are two critical ingredients to achieving that goal. But it’s a balance, and often a difficult one, when do we step […] Learn More ›
The Importance of Routines, Schedules and Predictability for Children
If you are anything like me these days, you are so busy and overwhelmed, that you can’t even keep track of what day of the week it is or if you even remembered to eat breakfast this morning. We have all had a lot on our plates and even more things we are juggling in […] Learn More ›
Our Second Home, Our Community, Our Family
Three years ago, I was a “first time parent” sending my son to daycare and I experienced a plethora of emotions. I had a million questions and thoughts running through my head. Will the daycare center love him? Will the teachers understand what he wants and needs? Do they know that he must sleep with […] Learn More ›
Becoming Miss Barnett
Teachers have always had a great impact on me, but there is one teacher in particular who has had the most profound influence on my life. That teacher is Mrs. Barnett, a preschool teacher from JCC Chicago Early Childhood at Am Shalom – and she just happens to also be my mom. I grew up getting […] Learn More ›