Hope House

03/09/2022

You don’t need to be perfect to be a good parent.

03/04/2022

Here is what Mr. Roger’s had to say about talking with children about difficult things in the news and world.

The news from Ukraine is heavy on our hearts. If you are wondering how to talk with children in your life about all that is happening in the world, we hope you will find comfort and support in our resource, Talking with Children about Difficult Things in the News. As Fred reminded us, it is “just our being there” that matters most for the children in our lives, even and especially in hard times.

https://www.fredrogerscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/TalkingWithChildren.pdf

03/04/2022

Something to think about. How are kids impacted by the news and talk about war?

KEEP YOUR DOOR OPEN

The kids have been through a lot.
Finally seeing light at the end of a two year tunnel they are now hearing talk of war.
Their minds are absorbing everything they hear and see on the news and in the playground, and if you think those worries do not run deep, you are wrong.

You see, to them the world is a shaky place.
Not to be relied upon.
Things can change overnight and this they know very well.
Bad things can happen.
It is, and has been, their reality.

So, what can we do?
We can talk.
Talk until there are no words left to be said and then when that point is reached, hug.

Keep a calm environment, make safety and love the aim of life right now.

But above all, keep your door open.

Do not berate little visitors at night.
Do not expect perfect teens with sunny dispositions and for the love of all that is reasonable, do not expect academic achievement.

This is huge to them and comes hot off the back of a traumatic and frustrating time.

They are kids.

Teachers, carers, parents…

Keep your door open.

Donna Ashworth
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785303791/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_glt_i_N03WKA1WA8KR4GTRMTG5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Art by Lucy Campbell Lucy Campbell

02/28/2022

We are always setting the tone and modeling behavior with our children.

02/28/2022

This is a good one

Sometimes what we think is building our child up, is actually giving them less confidence to try. We say things to our kids such as "you're so smart" or "you're so clever", we are not showing recognition of the effort needed to achieve. Research has shown that children who receive this praise for intelligence are actually less likely to succeed. Children who believe that they are "smart", also believe that they should do well without effort. There is no intrinsic motivation to try, as they feel that this should happen without them having to work at it. Other research has also found that children who are told that they are "smart" are less likely to take risks in fear that they may "fail". The belief is, if they fail they will no longer be "smart", "clever" or whatever they have been told (Dweck, 1998; Brummelman, 2014). when we use these general labels we also send the message that people are either "smart/talented" or not. There is no room for improvement or getting better if it is something you don't have control over. Ultimately children will feel helpless to change.

More information on my blog:
https://www.thetherapistparent.com/post/is-praise-bad

Link in bio

02/02/2022

Model how to live. Children do what they see you do.

❤️❤️

01/22/2022

Breathing calms the nervous system

Rainbow Breathing

When our bodies are overwhelmed with emotions we need to restore calm. The most important part of relaxation is learning to regulate our breathing. When we slow our breathing our body receives a message that everything is okay. When teaching children to relax we need to make it fun. Have them trace a rainbow with their finger. Breathe in slowly as they trace. Hold their breath as they pause at the cloud. Then breathe out as they trace back and go to the next colour

01/21/2022

Free ebook about attachment

What is attachment? How does is development? And how does it change? This attachment eBook clears up the often confusing and misunderstood theory of attachment- epecially for parents and professionals who work with children.

01/19/2022

Free at home Covid tests

https://www.covidtests.gov/?fbclid=IwAR0Afl8UiM3OoTluHTW3ucAHgE778ATM3xnoRGs3Jc1kSK6ZzBuPXw3_V7c

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days.

01/18/2022

Do-overs

01/08/2022

This is why learning to manage your own emotions is an important step in helping your children regulate their emotions.

Emotions are contagious, when we are stressed and angry, our kids will mirror that level of

emotion in us. When we are triggered, our response can be totally unreasonable for the

situation and we can't parent the way we want. We escalate so quickly and our kids will come

along meeting us at every level. If we want to stop yelling we have to look at ourselves and

change our patterns.

More information on my blog
https://www.thetherapistparent.com/post/how-to-stop-yelling

01/08/2022

What is resiliency to you? This is a good definition.

Being a resilient person does not mean that nothing ever "gets" to you. It doesn't mean you simply solider on each day, simply surviving. It does not mean you don't acknowledge just how difficult things can be at times.

Being resilient is the "both/and". It is providing yourself with self-compassion as you say to yourself, "wow, this is really hard. I wish I wasn't having to deal with this right now." And it is feeling confident that you have the resources (internal, within yourself and external, in your community) to weather the current storm. It is believing that, despite how difficult things may be, there is the real possibility of thriving vs simply surviving. It's knowing that resilience and strength are needed (which is why we need to built it each day), but that rest (emotional and physical) is critical as well.

Not sure what being resilient means for you? Not sure how to build your resilience each day in ways that actually heal and strengthen your nervous system? Feel free to check out some of my resources that help parents do just that by visiting go.eileendevine.com/freeresources