Posts tagged with “children”
6 Life Lessons from Working with Children Facing Life-Threatening Illnesses
“There is beauty to be found in the pain. Life is brutal, but it’s also beautiful. Life is Brutiful.” ~Glennon Doyle
For four years, I had the honor and privilege of working with children and families in a hospital setting, with most of my time spent in the hematology/oncology department.
My role as a certified child life specialist was to help prevent and alleviate the stress and trauma of the hospital experience utilizing developmentally appropriate preparation, education, and play. Or at least that’s the “elevator pitch” I would provide during small talk and to casual acquaintances at parties.
The truth …
The Relief of Letting Go and Living Fully Despite My Anxiety
“We only live once, Snoopy.” ~Charlie Brown
“Wrong. We only die once. We live every day.” ~Snoopy
I am an anxious person. I haven’t always been though. When I had my first child, fourteen years ago, it was the week after my father died. My son was born and went right to the NICU where he spent the first fourteen days of his life. In that moment, I changed. I’d already had one miscarriage. I couldn’t lose anyone else.
Man, life is fragile. I spent the next decade making sure he played on the swings at the park, but not …
4 Tips for Raising Happy, Emotionally Healthy Children
“Emotional intelligence begins to develop in the earliest years. All the small exchanges children have with their parents, teachers, and with each other carry emotional messages.” ~Daniel Goleman
I consider myself an expert on the emotional needs of children. Mostly because I was one.
No one goes into parenthood anticipating the ways they will psychologically damage their children. At least I don’t think they do. I hope not. It’s far more likely that most go into parenthood wanting the best for their children, hoping to do more for them than their own parents were able to do.
So, why is …
What the Holidays Would Look Like if Kids Were in Charge
Kids are so creative, and thinking outside the box comes naturally to them. (They’d much rather use the box as a dollhouse than think inside it!)
In this joyful little video, SoulPancake asked kids at a Boys & Girls Club to draw a picture of what the holidays would look like if they were in charge—and then they brought their holiday dreams to life.
The Suburb Without School Buses
I love what the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood does for their children. Unlike other cities, that bus children to various elementary, middle, and high schools, Lakewood has created a bus-less system for their 5,800 students.
Their morning walking commute fosters a sense of community and provides an opportunity to get both fresh air and exercise before settling in for a day of learning.
Unlike the Lakewood students, we don’t all live within two miles of our workplace, but seeing how their morning walk affects them serves an excellent reminder to get up, get moving, and get connected with the people …
Children’s Hospital Performs Katy Perry’s Roar
In this inspiring, heartwarming video, children and staff members at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock let out their inner lion and perform Katy Perry’s Roar.
You can make a donation to support the kids of CHaD here, and you can learn more at chadhero.org and chadkids.org.
The Secrets to Happiness: Lessons from a Toddler
“Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.” ~Chuang Tzu
My niece is nineteen months old and the most present person I have ever hung out with. If you have children or are around them, you know exactly what I am talking about.
I know you want more joy, health, and lasting happiness in your life, we all do.
Could it be that instead of only teaching our children the lessons of life perhaps we should let them teach us the lessons of happiness?
I don’t live in the same city as my niece so time with her is very …
Finding Our Inner Child and Having More Fun in Life
“A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.” ~Tom Stoppard
Just the other day, I was at my daughter’s school to watch her participate in a spelling bee. As the kids came into the room, I took notice of their manner and their faces.
They looked excited, frightened, and some, decidedly uninterested. The teacher led them over to their area and promptly told them to sit on the floor, in two straight lines, and no talking please. They complied.
Some kids pushed at the others to “move over!” Some held …
The “If, Then” Trap: How It Keeps You Unhappy and How to Avoid It
“Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.” ~Chuang Tzu
Being an empty nester (the kids have grown up and left home), I noticed recently that I have fallen in love with little kids again.
After going through all the kid stages, and surviving them (most notably the teenage years), I took a long kid moratorium. Skiing, mountain biking, traveling, gardening, and reading—all filled to the brim with a commodity I had forgotten about: time just for me.
Now, unexpectedly, they’re back! Exhausting, enchanting, and a source of endless inspiration.
A few doors down to the west I have new …
Stay Safe or Risk Opening Your Heart?
“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless.” ~Pema Chodron
As a child I learned boundaries. I learned what I wasn’t allowed to talk about outside of the family. I learned how far I could go with my parents before I faced their disapproval. I also learned that this boundary was unpredictable.
Because it was unpredictable, I honed the ability to sense when it seemed safe to do something, and when I couldn’t, based on the emotions of those around me. It kept me safe for the most …
5 Ways for Parents to Manage Anxiety
“I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
I thought I had relinquished anxiety after a few years of mindfulness and meditation. Then I had a baby. It is incredibly easy for us mothers to slide into permanent guilt and anxiety.
After a few minutes of watching my thoughts, I noticed they ran something like this:
“My baby is sleeping too much. Should I wake her? Oh no, she hasn’t slept enough and I woke her. I shouldn’t have woken her, I’ve ruined the day. How am I …
Act Your Shoe Size
“A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.” ~Bill Vaughn
You have bills, obligations, and responsibilities.
And there are people who mean something to you: people who believe in you who you’d like to make proud, people who don’t believe in you who you’d like to prove wrong.
You have things you want to accomplish, both for you and your family. Things you want to experience to feel you’ve lived a full life. Things that keep you caught …
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