Underestimating the amount of mess that can be made with two cans of shaving cream was a grave error in judgment on my part. While the whole point of art is to enjoy the process and not worry too much about the end result, I lost that focus while gazing at pictures of magical, snowy trees and imagining my kids making something similarly cute.

What lessons have you learned, or relearned, through experiences gone awry?

"One of the biggest misconceptions of gentle parenting is that there are no consequences for unfavorable behavior. According to experts, it’s quite the opposite."

"“The word ‘gentle’ is triggering,” she says. “That’s why I don’t use it. People think it means never saying ‘no,’ but this isn’t the case.” 

Zambia prohibits all corporal punishment of children!

“We discovered that perceived harsh parenting, with physical punishment and psychological manipulation, can introduce an additional set of instructions on how a gene is read to become hard-wired into DNA. We have some indications that these changes themselves can predispose the growing child to depression. This does not happen to the same extent if the children have had a supportive upbringing”.

Parents spend a significant amount of time talking to kids. We have a lifetime of information and lessons to share with them, and we're constantly searching for the most effective ways to talk to our kids so they will listen to all we have to say. In parent-child relationships, it's us listening well that begets our children listening well.

How do you communicate to your kids that you hear and accept them?

“It is appalling that most children in Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to violence almost from birth and, often, by the people they most trust: their parents, caregivers, peers, and neighbors,” said Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF Regional Director a.i. for Latin America and the Caribbean.  “Unfortunately, in many communities across the region, violent discipline is socially accepted.

"Attachment Parenting is certainly a buzz phrase these days.

"As a

"Mindful parenting, to me, means parenting from the heart with open eyes and an ever curious mind - seeing our children afresh every time we look at them, trying to let go of those oftentimes very limiting preconceptions that our brains love so much - from a point of introspection, intuition, inner wisdom, and reflection as opposed to blindly following someone else's rules or advice, which might or might not be a good fit for your current family situation."

Making time to share time and interests with your child refills your love-tank and lets you bounce back after struggles. Small moments in every day, every week, keep us connected. Small moments mean the connections do not have to complicated to be powerful. 

What small, special traditions do you share with your (even grown) children?

"Prior to the 19th Century, infant sleep was not generally a concern of new parents, with popular parenting manuals of the time failing to mention anything about it," anthropologists Jennifer G Rosier and Tracy Cassels write. "When an infant woke, there was either an awake family member ready to care for the infant or a sleeping family member next to the baby who was able to quickly respond. There was also an understanding that babies (and adults) slept when they needed to sleep and that they were awake when they needed to be awake."

"Parent education provides caregivers with knowledge, resources, skill-building practices, and it helps parents and caregivers learn tools and strategies to provide a positive and nurturing environment where children thrive physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Here are key benefits that may result from attending parenting education programs:"

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