Parenting Archives

Family rituals
What are you doing as a family that keeps you together? It can be as simple as hot dogs every Saturday afternoon and pancakes every Sunday night (that is ours – a lot of work on my side, but my boys love it). And the boys do wrestling with Dad Saturday mornings. Family rituals are the stuff we remember a few years down the line. Implement them now to ensure your children have a sense of belonging and sharing.

Mealtimes
Do you sit down for one meal a day as a family? These are crucial times to connect with your family, and have time to talk but also to teach your children table manners. “Eat with your mouth closed, the knife is on the right side, fold your napkin on your lap”. This is time to talk and reflect on our days but also provide opportunities for learning.

Mommy time
The one lasting thing I have gained over the years (and believe me, after 23 years in this field, I remain to have lots to learn) – is to take care of myself. If you are in a good space your mothering comes out positive. If you are in a bad space, your mothering comes out negative. Why is this so hard for us to do as mothers? Take time out to take care of yourself? Find your best stress reliever and keep on practising it regularly! You will be a better mother as a result!

My oldest son, Lukas, turned 9 years old yesterday. We had 13 boys at my house whooshing down the waterslide and giving me the fright of my life. I am not the faint-hearted type but could see myself rushing to the hospital with a broken arm or something. Thanks goodness, after 3 hours of fun and boisterous testosterone I could send them all home unscathed and sat down with a relieved sigh to have a chilled glass of wine with a friend.

I looked at these 13 boys playing and was again reminded of the fact that they just want to play. The occupation of children is PLAY! Do we really give them enough time, space and opportunity to do this? I think not. Therefore, since we are all hopefully unwinding towards the end of another year, I am going to dedicate this blog to harnessing the ability to play for our children during the holidays.

Use the senses to have fun and stimulate your child’s development at the same time:

Have a sensory party:
When Lukas turned 3, I organized him a “sensory party”. I bought a few cans of shaving cream (among a few other sensory tricks up my sleeve) and after stripping down to the bare basics the boys were white from head to toes; and loving every second of it.
Less is more:
Believe it or not, I think birthday parties are some of the most sensory overloaded activities for children. And although some may love it, our sensory sensitive souls find it extremely anxiety provoking and often kick up a huge fuss about it. To top it all, they get fed loads of sugar, preservatives and junk which further exaggerate the problem. Therefore to make birthday parties easier for them:
- Go for smaller birthday parties or outside in nature which are not so noisy
- Feed your kids before the party; they will eat less junk
- Go first and leave first – that way your child can ease into it and withdraw when it gets too much
- Outside birthday parties are also easier to deal with than inside. The sensory overload and related noise levels are often lower when outside in nature rather in a building.

Birthday parties should be fun – consider your child’s needs carefully when arranging it for them or taking them as guests.

Category: Parenting

Healthy habits to build family relationships

Sensory savvy tips for birthday parties